There’s a lot of confusion around who still has to do a visa run after various false reports in other publications this week. Here’s the basics of what you need to know…

If you’re waiting for a residency permit: You don’t need to leave the UAE/do a border run. You can pay for your status to be changed from visitor (right here at an immigration office in the UAE). While you wait for your visa application to go through you’ll be given a resident permit allowing you to stay.

If you’re on a visit visa and you haven’t secured a job but want to stay a little longer (to erm… look for one) then you must leave to get another visit visa (which is another 30 days for most people). So it’s the border run for you.

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The above is the same for all the entry permits people enter the UAE with including: 

Transit entry, 30-day short visit visa, 90-day long visit visa, Entry permits for medical treatment, Entry permits for study, Entry permits for exhibitions and conferences, Tourist visas, GCC resident entry permit, Work-related entry permit for 14 days, Work-related entry permit for 90 days, Work-related multiple-entry permit.

Basically, if you’ve secured a job…your days of doing a visa run are over. Clear? 

A longer and more detailed version of the above can be found here.

So, sorry…but most of you might still have to do a visa run. These are the lovely types of people you can expect to meet… 

1. The loud one who won’t stop talking

These guys won’t stop gabbing on to anyone who’ll listen (and those who won’t) about how Dubai is ‘like, sooooo ah-maaaazing’ and how this monthly jaunt is ‘like, tooootally worth it’ so they can continue enjoying the ‘ah-maaaazing lifestyle’. P.s ‘Did I, like, see you at Blue Marlin last weekend?’ No, you did not.

2. The quiet one who won’t remove his headphones

Come on, no phone battery can last the full duration of a border run. The headphones are on, but nothing’s coming out – all these guys are really doing is avoiding conversation. It’s the ultimate anti-social hack. We salute you.

3. The one who has overstayed her visa but doesn’t have the cash to pay the fine

Who goes to a border without knowing the border requirements? This is a funny social situation as you’ll notice everyone averting their eyes rather than spotting up the funds.

4. The one who forget to go to the toilet

Most of these tours don’t stop along the way, and there’s always some poor dude staring longingly at an empty Coke bottle for the duration of the journey.

5. The smelly one

Whether they forgot to take a shower or they ate way too much Chipotle before they left, no one wants five hours sitting next to a human stink bomb.

6. The one who thinks he know’s it all

They have done the border run a couple of times before, so suddenly they are experts, and delight in telling everyone how it works. It’s a ridiculously easy process, so this conversation is totally unnecessary. We’re not even sure these guys actually need a visa stamp, it’s possible they actually just enjoy the trip.

7. The one who tries to add you on Facebook

You haven’t even left the city limits and already some eager beaver is trying to get your details. What friendship will come from this? Quick, grab your headphones and make up some excuse!

8. The one who stocks up on snacks…

But won’t share their haul. Worse still, any hopes of getting your own tasty treats are instantly dashed when you reach the sorry excuse for a shop that’s filled with camel ashtrays and weird-flavoured crisps.

9. The one who has a spouse with a working visa

Their hubby or wifey rakes in the dizzles while these guys enjoy the good life. This trip is particularly bad, their driver called in sick so they’ve been forced to take the bus, with the normals. You’ll hear sighs of exasperation coming from this one for the entire trip.