New Delhi: Here’s good news for all those wishing to visit Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah.
In a significant move, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has rolled out a new visa-on-arrival policy. This will allow easier entry to Indian passport holders as well as individuals holding valid permanent resident cards or visas from the United States, United Kingdom, or any European Union country. The new policy offers a 14-day visa-on-arrival for eligible Indian nationals upon their arrival in the UAE.
On Thursday, this update was shared by the Indian mission in the UAE through a social media post on X. The post said that as per the new policy, Indian citizens and their family members who hold ordinary passports will be granted a visa on arrival at all ports of entry in the UAE.
This applies to holders of:
1. A valid visa, residence, or green card issued by the United States of America.
2. A valid visa or residence issued by the European Union countries and the United Kingdom.
3. The passport’s validity period shall not be less than (6) months.
The above-mentioned persons have the option of obtaining a visa on arrival for 14 days, extendable for a similar period, or obtaining a visa on arrival for 60 days, non-extendable, after paying the prescribed fees in accordance with the applicable norms in the UAE, the update said.
Update regarding Visa-on-arrival facility for Indian citizens travelling to the UAE pic.twitter.com/aFrqnX8jTx
— India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) October 17, 2024
This move reflects the boost in ties between India and the UAE, where more than 3.5 million Indians currently live. This policy shift is being seen as a move to enhance travel and business prospects between the two friendly countries.
In February last year, Emirates, which is one of the UAE’s main airlines, tied up with VFS Global to introduce a pre-approved visa-on-arrival service for holders of Indian passport.
