After 1 month stay in Dubai as a Tourist, the time has come for me to renew my Visa, some nationalities can gain another 30 days Tourist Visa once you leave Dubai and return. There are a few ways this can be done:-
- Fly to another Country and Come back
- Extend your Visa through Immigration
- Visa run via a tour operator.
For my continuing stay, I have researched these 3 options and the most convenient and cost-effective option was to go for Visa Run via a tour operator. I went with “Go Tours” operator and overall it was an easy and stress-free experience. The method was very straight forward, you visit their website, which is very user-friendly and it gave clear instructions on where to meet, when and what to bring. You can also pay for the fees online or on the day of your visa run. Confirmation is sent via e-mail once your chosen date and time is selected.
On the day of the visa run, a van approaches the pickup point as stated on the website, the only difference was it was not marked with ‘Go Tours’ logo as stated on the website. It was still easy to work out as you saw all the expats approaching the van. The driver requested your names and once all were on board, the journey to the boarder began. I chose to go for 9:30 am pick up as you were expected to be back before 3 pm which meant you still had time to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.
Our first stop came around 11 am at a petrol station. We were given 15 minutes to use the facilities and grab a quick bite to eat for breakfast. After the break 150 AED were collected from the passengers who chose to pay on the day before we got back into the van.
It was just over an hour when we got to UAE Exit border point. We were asked to proceed on foot towards the UAE immigration room which was a few minutes walk away and Exit Stamps were provided on passport once 35 AED fee was paid. This was also the point where overstay fees were collected.
After this, we walked towards Oman Border which was a few meters away to apply for Oman Visa and Exit stamp. A standard visa application completion was required along with 50 AED fee for this process. Once completed, we headed back to the UAE border to get another Entry stamp, which allows another 30 days Tourist Visa, all this was completed within 30 minutes. It was efficient and painless. We were dropped back to the same pickup point before 3 pm and there was no break on our way back as it took just over 2 hours.
This experience has been very encouraging and I look forward to my next Visa Run. My advice for anyone looking to take this option is to make sure that you are eligible for this service and don’t forget to bring your passport and the correct change as this helps.