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Written By Arabiers Digital & Reviewed by Robeena Brown
28 January 2026 | 11 min read
When you enter UAE and you would like to extend you stay it is possible to apply for UAE tourist visa extension without exiting the country. There are however eligibility criteria you have to meet for your application be approved.
UAE immigrations update the visa rules now and then hence it is important to be up to date. By underrating the latest eligibility rules for staying longer in the UAE without exiting will boast the chances of your visa application approval. Equally the knowledge will help in determining which visa extension option best fits you.
When you are not familiar with the eligibility rules you ought to meet you end up choosing the wrong extension option resulting to loose of money and you may overstay leading to incurring fines. In this article we will breakdown the Eligibility rules for staying longer in the UAE without exiting you should be aware of.
It is necessary to explain what the concept of staying longer without leaving the UAE means before getting into the eligibility. In most countries a visitor has to leave and re enter to renew or reset the duration of the visa. The UAE on the other hand provides in country stay extensions to those tourists who are eligible, where you can legalize a longer stay without necessarily having to exit.
This is not the same as acquiring a new visa at an airport and is normally carried out by applying to have your visa renewed before your existing visa runs out. On certain eligibility requirements like the length of stay, the documentation required, and the fee structure we provide the as up to date information which you could use before submitting an application.
It is not every applicant who applies for UAE visa extension gets approved. You ought to meet the set eligibility criteria. Below are the factors taken into Consideration and determine if you are eligible for approval stay longer in UAE.
Your nationality is one of most important eligibility criteria. There are those nationalities that eligible for on arrival visa and those that have to obtain the visa before. This difference is likely to determine whether you can be able to stay longer in country without leaving:
If you are passport holder of country eligible for UAE visa on arrival you can extend you stay without leaving the country. On the other hand for the travelers who have to apply for prepaid visa, there are nationals eligible for in country visa extension and other are not.
Given regulations may change, particularly when there are changes in policy it is always best to consult a reliable source like the Arabiers.
The type of visa you applied to enter UAE is another factors which determines if you are eligible to extend staying in UAE without leaving the country.
If you used the on arrival visa for 30days it is easy to extend the stay without leaving the country. You may also extend the stay longer depending on your nationality and have all the required documents if you enter the country using the prepaid visa.
The trick in every event is to file your extension request at least a month to your expiring visa. Post-expiration may lead to fines charged on a daily basis.
The immigration history in the UAE is one of the concealed yet significant eligibility rules. In case you have already overstayed a visa or otherwise contravened the UAE immigration laws, you might not be eligible to receive an in country extension and may move out of the UAE first before reentry. The records on which your passport is attached are verified by the immigration authorities and a past violation may make it more difficult to apply any extension in future.
Before seeking the extension, always ensure your visa history is clean and has no history of recorded overstays, fines, and so forth. Doubtful, seek the advice of an immigration specialist or a credible service provider such as Arabiers to provide more specific advice.
The other rule of eligibility is the validity of your passport. A majority of the extensions applications mandate that your passport should have at least 6 months to stay before the actual extension proposed. When your passport is due to expire in the nearest time, the extension requests may be refused until the renewal of the passport.
This is a rule that can be guaranteed to allow you to have legal paperwork during your planned period of stay and that you will not find yourself in a situation where a visa outlives a passport, which is usually not the case with an immigration system.
After you have confirmed you meet the eligibility to stay longer in the UAE without leaving, here are the application steps to follow.
Make sure that you have all the required documents ready and up to date before you start your visa extension application. The foremost and the most important is the valid passport and this passport should generally have a minimum of six months of validity.
You must also have a copy of your existing UAE visa; the immigration officials must ensure that you are within your existing staying status before they grant any further extension.
The applicant might also be required to offer evidence regarding onwards travel, accommodation or return ticket, particularly when the extension sought is of a greater period. Clear readable copies of all documents will help avoid delays or rejection in the course of processing.
Timing is very important in a visa extension application. Applications are to be provided before your current visa expires preferably within 5-7 days before it expires.
The later the better it is to avoid waiting until the last moment where overstaying may occur in case the processing can be prolonged.
An expired visa will be followed by daily fines, even when an extension is requested in the future. Early application will provide you with a buffer time in case the documents required are delayed or the approval process is long than usual.
Applications to extend visa may be filed by the use of official immigration platforms or by using travel and visa service providers. Although it is possible to apply directly, most of the travelers choose the service of a trusted provider to avoid making mistakes and missing some of the requirements or technical problems.
Arabiers can help you by going through your papers, choosing the right kind of extension and making the application properly on your behalf. This minimizes chances of rejection and saves time particularly to first time applicants or those people who are not conversant with the UAE visa processes.
After filing the application, there is need to pay extension fees, which are normally paid during the application. The price depends on the type of visa, the period of its extension, and its processing speed.
There are some that can offer options of normal processing and there are those that can offer express services at an extra price. One should ensure that the entire fee structure is clarified in advance to avoid any surprises.
In most cases, once the application is rejected, the money is not refunded, and therefore, document accuracy is particularly significant.
Once approved, you will be formally confirmed of your visa extension usually by email or by the service provider on which you have submitted your application. This verification will contain new visa information regarding your new authorized stay in the UAE.
You are also supposed to have a copy of this documentation both on a digital as well as a print version since it might be needed to verify with the immigration, hotels or airlines. You are only issued with this confirmation after this confirmation.
Not all travelers. The eligibility will be based on your visa type, nationality, passport validity and history of compliance. On arrival and prepaid visa holders are able to apply to get the in country extension although they have to apply before the end of a current visa.
The period of extension is different usually 20 or 30 days and an extension differs based on type of visa. Guidelines could change, and it is always best to consult the latest ones.
Yes. After violating any visa previous and overstay may affect your capability to renew or extend visa without leaving UAE.
You will get fined each day and you will impact negatively your future visa application. You should apply your visa extension before your visa expiry date.
Yes. You passport should be valid for at least six months.