'Don’t use Kish Island as exit point from UAE'

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos with tourist visas should not use Kish Island as an exit point from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. The DFA, in a travel advisory Friday, said Filipinos in Kish are having a difficult time renewing their visas there for reentry to the UAE. Under UAE laws, foreigners arriving in the UAE on tourist visas are required to exit the country once their travel documents have expired. Kish Island, which does not require visas to visitors, is among two places where the expats go for their "visa runs" as it is called — the other being Buraime, a border town in Oman. Many Filipinos, however, end up consuming their savings in Kish where they have to stay in hotels. Reports say that those spending on their own and running low on funds have resorted to odd jobs including working as cleaners. To avoid getting in trouble, its better for Filipinos with tourist visas in the UAE to return to the Philippines once their visas expire, and to apply for new visas in the Philippines if they wish to go back to the UAE, the DFA advisory said. It noted that the present situation has resulted in Filipinos being stranded there well beyond their intended period of stay, "incurring excessive subsistence and lodging expenses" in the process. - GMANews.TV