UAE Introduces New Visa-On-Arrival Policy For Indian Travellers

New Delhi” The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has introduced a new visa-on-arrival policy, easing entry for people holding permanent resident cards or visas from the United States, United Kingdom, or any European Union country.

The update was shared by the Indian mission in the UAE on Thursday via a social media post on X. 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:

A valid visa, residence, or green card issued by the United States of America.
A valid visa or residence issued by the European Union countries and the United Kingdom.
The passport’s validity period shall not be less than (6) months.

These 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 according to the applicable norms in the UAE.

Travel agents in the UAE have welcomed the move to provide more Indian nationals with visas on arrival in the country.

“We are expecting our business to go up by at least 15 to 17 percent with this move,” Praveen Chawdhary from Saffron Travel and Tourism, was quoted as saying by The Khaleej Times. “People who usually travel to the EU or the UK from India often prefer to transit through the UAE. Now that they have the option to get a visa on arrival, most travellers will choose to spend at least one or two extra days here and explore the UAE before continuing with the journey.”

Safeer Mahamood, general manager at Smart Travels, told the Gulf outlet that they are “expecting the demand for our services to increase by at least 10 to 15 per cent.” “It comes at a great time, too, with the peak travel season falling between November and March. Several groups of people will be flying to Europe to visit their families. Now, these people will choose to transit through the UAE and stay here for a day or two.”

Update regarding Visa-on-arrival facility for Indian citizens travelling to the UAE pic.twitter.com/aFrqnX8jTx

— India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) October 17, 2024