The penalty for a person overstaying a visa along with the other 27 minor crimes is now punishable with fines rather than facing court hearings.
This is in a bid to speed up procedures and take the pressure off the country’s legal system, says a report from The National.
UAE Attorney General Dr. Hamad Al Shamsi issued the order this month and will apply to all emirates except those in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, which issue their own.
Those found overstaying a visa longer than 90 days will be asked to pay a fine of Dh1,000 or roughly P13,000 pesos.
The same fine will also apply for those who will help someone who overstays their UAE visa.
Other minor crimes can now be immediately punished with a fine. Here are the other 26 minor crimes and their fines:
1. Torturing, abusing, causing exhaustion or not providing the correct care to a pet or an animal entrusted to a person (Dh 1,000)
2. Unintentionally causing injury to livestock owned by another (Dh 5000)
3. Issuing insults publicly (not including insulting a government employee) (Dh 5,000)
4. Issuing insults via phone or in person (not including insulting a government employee) (Dh 3000)
5. Issuing public insults that do not include accusing the victim of an offence (Dh 3000)
6. Privately issuing insults by any means, including by phone or in person (not including insulting a government employee) (Dh 2000)
7. Intentionally abusing or insulting others by using telecommunications means (Dh 3000)
8. Publicly eating or drinking during Ramadan (Dh 2000)
9. Forcing, inciting or aiding the act of publicly eating or drinking during Ramadan (Dh 2000)
10. People in charge of restaurants that serve food publicly during Ramadan (Dh 3000)
11. Fleeing a crash scene without valid reason when injuries have been caused (Dh 2000)
12. Driving without a licence or driving a vehicle using a licence of a different vehicle (Dh 3000)
13. Driving with a suspended licence (Dh 3000)
14. Changing a vehicle’s car plate without approval from the licensing authority (Dh 2000)
15. Using someone else’s car, motorbike, or any other type of vehicle without permission (Dh 1000)
16. Wrongfully posing risk to others’ safety and causing minor injuries (Dh 1000)
17. Failing to issue a newborn a residency visa in time (Dh 1000)
18. Damaging others’ property whether fixed or mobile (Dh 1000)
19. a) Destroying a plant belonging to someone else by unintentionally uprooting it. b) Damaging a plant or sown field or using a substance that causes it to be spoiled. c) Unintentionally damaging farming tools that do not belong to you (Dh 2000)
20. Wrongfully burning another person’s property (Dh 3000)
21. Issuing a cheque with a value not exceeding Dh50,000 that bounces (Dh 2000)
22. Issuing a cheque with a value not exceeding Dh100,000 that bounces (Dh 5000)
23. Issuing a cheque with a value not exceeding Dh200,000 that bounces (Dh 10000)
24. Failing to pay a bill at any food outlet (Dh 1000)
25. Failing to pay rental fees for rooms and cars (Dh 2,000 (if the fees incurred are more than Dh20,000 and less than Dh50,000)
26. Refusing to provide police with a name and address or giving them misleading information (Dh 1000)
In 2013, Dubai also downgraded minor crimes similar to this way. It was when the emirate’s Attorney General issued a criminal order covering 11 misdemeanors.
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