iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
Choosing to go vegan can be a step towards having a sustainable, budget-friendly, detoxifying holy month
KT APPDOWNLOAD
UAE flights: Indian consulate issues revised guidelines for passengers with single name in passport
Earlier this week, Air India Express said in a circular to travel agents that Indian these travellers will not be accepted by UAE immigration
File photo
The guidelines for Indian passengers with a single name on their passports have been updated. According to a social media post by the Consulate General of India, Dubai (CGI), on Thursday, passengers will be allowed to board the flight provided they fulfil certain following conditions.
The rules apply to passengers with visit visas/those eligible for visa on arrival/employment and temporary visas. They are not applicable to existing UAE residents.
The CGI shared a circular issued by Air India and Air India Express to travel agents. According to the National Advance Information Centre – UAE, the amended guidelines are:
>> If the visa is issued with more than one name and the passenger has the father's or family name mentioned in the second page, they will be allowed to continue the journey.
>> For passengers who are eligible for visa on arrival, the traveler must have father's or the family name mentioned in the second page.
Fardan Haneef, a spokesperson of Deira Travels, confirmed that they have received the updated rules and guidelines from Air India and Air India Express. “I am sure it will be a relief for many,” he said. “We had received calls from many passengers who had faced difficulties because of the rule change.”
Rule change circular
It was on Monday that Air India sent out a notice regarding the issue of single names in passports. The document sais that “any passport holder with a single name (word) either in surname or given name will not be accepted by UAE immigration and the passenger will be considered as INAD" — a term which stands for inadmissible passenger.
The new rule was implemented immediately. Indian airlines like Indigo also sent out similar notices. A call centre representative of Rayna Tours and Travels confirmed that the rule applied to visitors travelling on tourist visas on all airlines, including international ones.
Several tourists had reported being turned away from the airport for having a single name on their passport since the new guidelines came out. “A cousin of mine who had reached the airport to come to Dubai from Mangalore airport in India was told he couldn’t travel,” said Dubai-resident Zahra. “My mother also doesn’t have a surname in her passport. She is currently in the US and is due to travel to the UAE soon.”
A call centre representative of Rayna Tours and Travels had said that the rule change primarily applied to those coming to the UAE from India on visit visas. “If you have UAE residency it will not be a problem,” he said. The representative had also recommended taking steps to make changes to their official documents.
ALSO READ:
More news from UAE
A Dubai-bound Filipino tourist was offloaded at the Philippine airport twice after he failed to show an AoSG
Legal expert advises employers to include a provision in job contract that requires employees to return confidential information at the end of their service
Nationals have been asked to follow safety instructions issued by French authorities
The motorists, who were all pleasantly surprised, expressed their pride as they were handed their rewards
The Moon will turn into a tiny sliver and just 9 per cent of the surface will be visible
1,200 items were collected on the very first day of Ramadan to be distributed to the needy in some Middle East and African countries
The country aims to reduce potable water consumption by 20 per cent and increase the reuse of treated water to 95 per cent