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AI cars to hit UAE streets to catch visa offenders: Check your status now

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Every UAE resident needs to verify their visa status immediately. AI-powered inspection cars that automatically detect visa and residency violations are rolling out across Dubai in early 2026, before expanding nationwide.

The technology

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Ports Security (ICP) has unveiled electric smart cars equipped with six cameras providing 360-degree coverage. These vehicles capture facial images of everyone within a 10-meter radius, instantly cross-referencing faces against immigration databases.

The AI system flags overstays, expired visas, illegal employment, and unauthorised residency status in real-time. When violations are detected, officers immediately verify documents and initiate legal proceedings.

Why you must act now

In the first half of 2025 alone, ICP identified over 32,000 visa violations using traditional methods. The AI cars will dramatically increase detection rates and speed.

Unlike manual inspections, you might avoid, these patrol vehicles operate continuously and unpredictably across public spaces, residential areas, and commercial zones. The moment you’re within 10 meters, facial recognition runs automatically.

Who’s at risk

High-risk categories must verify status immediately:

  • Visit visa holders who’ve overstayed
  • Workers on tourist visas (unauthorised employment)
  • Residents with expired visas
  • Dependent visa holders working without permits
  • Anyone between jobs whose grace period has lapsed

Even technical violations from administrative errors or processing delays will be flagged.

Consequences of violations

Detection leads to immediate consequences:

  • Heavy fines proportional to the overstay duration
  • Deportation with associated costs
  • Entry bans (sometimes permanent)
  • Criminal records affecting future travel
  • Employer penalties for illegal workers

“I didn’t know” provides no protection. Detection is automatic, enforcement is immediate.

What to do immediately

Verify your status: Check Emirates ID and visa expiry dates, confirm grace period calculations, and ensure renewals are processed.

Address irregularities now: If overstaying, exit or regularise immediately. If working illegally, obtain a proper employment visa. If expired, renew before 2026.

Maintain documentation: Keep Emirates ID and visa documents accessible always.

Understand grace periods: Tourist visa (10 days), employment visa (30 days after cancellation), visit visa (no grace period). Confirm YOUR specific situation.

The bottom line

By early 2026, walking down a Dubai street means potentially being scanned and flagged within seconds from 10 meters away. The UAE’s position is clear: visa compliance is mandatory, and AI will enforce what manual systems couldn’t.

You have enough time to regularise your status. Once the AI cars deploy, it’s too late. Don’t wait for facial recognition to find you.

With over 35 years of experience in journalism, copywriting, and PR, Michael Gomes is a seasoned media professional deeply rooted in the UAE’s print and digital landscape.

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Sharjah sets deadline for owners to collect impounded vehicles

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Motorists in Sharjah have been urged to take immediate action to retrieve vehicles and other items impounded by the Sharjah City Municipality, with a deadline set later this week.

In a notice issued on Monday, the Municipality called on owners of vehicles, machinery, motorcycles and bicycles that have been impounded for more than six months to complete the required release procedures.

Owners have been instructed to visit the Inspection and Control Department in Industrial Area 5 within four days from the date of the notice, ending January 29, to address the reasons for impoundment and collect their properties.

The Municipality warned that failure to comply within the specified period will result in the impounded items being sold through a public auction after the deadline.

The notice was shared via the Municipality’s official social media channels, where a QR code was also provided to allow owners to access a list of impounded vehicles and related items.

Residents are advised to act promptly to avoid losing ownership of their impounded properties.

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Abu Dhabi introduces new safety guidelines for e-scooters

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If you ride an e-scooter or electric bike in Abu Dhabi, it’s worth knowing where you’re allowed to go, and where you’re not.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport has outlined designated areas where electric bikes and scooters are permitted, along with clear restrictions aimed at improving safety, easing traffic flow and supporting smarter urban mobility.

According to the department, e-bikes and scooters are allowed on internal roads with speed limits below 40km/h, dedicated cycling and e-bike lanes, and shared paths designed for both pedestrians and cyclists.

However, riding is strictly prohibited on highways, pedestrian-only paths, and roads outside the city where speed limits are 60km/h or higher.

The Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) said the rules are part of a broader plan to create a safe, connected network of cycling and e-bike routes across the emirate, encouraging active transport and better integration with public transport.

Pedestrian safety remains a top priority. Riders are required to follow traffic laws, obey road signs and markings, ride in the direction of traffic, keep a safe distance from pedestrians and use designated cycling lanes whenever available.

Cyclists are also reminded that riding on roads with speed limits above 60km/h requires a special permit. On roads with speed limits of 60km/h or below and no cycling lanes, riders should keep to the right-hand side.

Parking is only allowed in designated areas to avoid blocking pedestrians or vehicles. Riders must also maintain at least a five-metre distance from school buses when warning lights are on, and the stop arm is extended. Group cycling tours must obtain prior approval from Abu Dhabi Police.

Authorities say the measures are designed to keep everyone, riders, pedestrians and motorists,  safe while supporting a more active and sustainable transport culture in the capital.





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Planning a trip to Mleiha? Sharjah warns against entering the park without permission

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Sharjah authorities have warned that strict legal action, including hefty fines, will be taken against any vehicle entering Mleiha National Park without official authorisation.

The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) said the park is a protected national site established by Emiri decree and governed by a strict legislative framework aimed at preserving its archaeological, cultural and environmental significance.

Shurooq stressed that unauthorised access by any type of vehicle, without exception, constitutes a direct violation of the park’s protected status and will result in financial penalties and other legal measures. The enforcement is intended to prevent damage to the park’s fragile terrain and irreplaceable archaeological remains, which cannot be restored once disturbed.

Mleiha National Park forms part of the Al Faya Site, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025. The designation places additional responsibility on local authorities to ensure the long-term protection of the site as a rare and continuous record of early human history.

Public access to the park is therefore strictly limited to approved, organised activities supervised by the Mleiha Archaeological Centre. All visits must be booked exclusively through the centre and conducted along designated routes in accordance with established guidelines designed to safeguard the site.





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