UAE flights: Visit visa, entry permit holders can fly to Dubai from Aug 30

Dubai - The approved visa categories are: Employment, short or extended stay, visit, and newly issued residence visa.

Effective, August 30, holders of entry permits and visit visas - from countries where travel to the UAE is restricted - can fly to Dubai, Khaleej Times has learnt.

The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) had said on Saturday that the country would resume issuing visas to Covid-vaccinated tourists from August 30.

Airline sources have confirmed that holders of all types of visa and/or entry permits granted by authorities in the UAE can fly to Dubai. The approved visa categories are: Employment, short or extended stay, visit, and newly issued residence visa.

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Effective 12.01 am on Monday, travellers from Bangladesh, Congo, India, Liberia, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia can fly to Dubai. The directives were issued by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) in a circular to airlines, a copy of which Khaleej Times has seen.

Residence visa holders must have pre-travel approvals granted by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship approval (ICA) or the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) to enter the UAE.

All other visa holders must present a valid negative Covid-19 test certificate, issued within 48 hours from the time of sample collection and from an approved health service, which uses a QR code system.

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“Travellers must also present a rapid PCR test report that should be based on molecular diagnostic testing intended for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid for SARS-COV-2 viral RNA; conducted at the departure airport six hours prior to departure, provided with QR code system,” stated the notice.

India’s national carrier Air India has also issued a notice to travel agents, stating the new guidelines. A senior airline official confirmed these reports to Khaleej Times and said they are awaiting further clarifications from civil aviation authorities in other Emirates for facilitating travellers to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Furthermore, Emirates Airlines’s customer service Twitter account responded to multiple queries on Twitter ensuring passengers that all categories of visa holders can travel into the country.

“Entry permit holders can now travel to Dubai from Pakistan. You won't need a GDRFA approval,” it said in one Tweet.

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“As per the current updates, passengers travelling with newly issued visit visas can enter Dubai, without any GDRFA or ICA approval. You need to ensure you meet all the travel requirements for your arrival, departure, and transit country,” it said in another.

However, Indian carrier Indigo Airlines said on its website travellers from India to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi must show proof of taking a WHO-approved vaccination.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai