How to pay an overstay fine in the UAE

Overstay fines are paid to the authority that issued the visa. ICP runs a federal service called payment of visa or residence violation fine, and GDRFA in Dubai has its own fines inquiry and collection service. You can also pay in person at a customer happiness centre. The charge is AED 50 for each day beyond the permitted stay.

Paying is only half of it. The authority is explicit that after settling, the person has to either fix their status or leave the country, otherwise the daily charge simply keeps running.

1. Check what is actually owed. Use the ICP or GDRFA fines inquiry rather than counting the days yourself.
2. Open the fine payment service at the authority that issued the visa.
3. Pay, and keep the receipt. It is the proof at the airport if the record has not caught up.
4. Then deal with the underlying status, by changing it or by leaving. The fine restarts the next day if neither happens.

The ICP service also charges AED 100 for using the smart services system, so the total you see may be slightly higher than the daily count alone.

What this does not mean

Paying does not lift a ban and does not restore an expired visa. It clears the money owed to date, nothing else. It also does not settle anything with your former employer or sponsor: a cancelled residence file, an unpaid loan and a court case are separate matters handled elsewhere.

How the amount is calculated is answered in how much the overstay fine is, and our resource on overstay fines in the UAE goes into the detail. Our overstay fine calculator works out the running total, and if a ban may also be in play, start with how to check a travel ban.

Sources: ICP, Payment of visa or residence violation fine (AED 50 per day, AED 100 smart services fee, and the condition to adjust status or leave); GDRFA Dubai, Fines Inquiry Service.