The UAE on Thursday said it was to provide a 30-day grace period to allow people unable to leave the country because of the Iran war to settle their visa status or exit without facing fines.
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) introduced an overstay fine amnesty in March after Iran launched attacks on the UAE and other Gulf states, causing widespread travel disruption.
The ruling applied to financial penalties that would have been incurred from February 28, when the UAE closed its airspace in response to the Iranian aggression. The exemptions applied to those who entered the UAE on visit or tourist visas, holders of exit permits and residents who cancelled their residency visa in preparation for departure.
The ICP said the grace period was introduced on June 10 and would remain in place until July 9. It said the decision had been made to give people affected by the conflict sufficient time to comply with the country's residency and visit visa rules.
The authority said visa penalties had been lifted as a humanitarian gesture to offer a reprieve to those facing "extraordinary circumstances". The instability that prompted those measures had come to an end, authorities added.
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority announced the full resumption of flight operations in the country on May 2. The US and Iran on Thursday signed an interim agreement aimed at ending their latest war and setting out a 60-day framework for a broader settlement, in a deal that has halted hostilities and reopened the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
The deal was signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirming key details of the agreement.
The UK on Thursday removed the UAE from a list of countries that citizens are advised against travelling to, after the deal was announced. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) also updated its advice for Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, saying the UK “no longer advises against all but essential travel” to those countries.
