UAE temporarily suspends visa-on-arrival service for Indian passengers with US, UK visas

The United Arab Emirates authorities have decided to temporarily suspend the visa-on-arrival facility for passengers arriving from or been in India in the past 14 days, Etihad Airways stated in a tweet on August 23, Monday. This latest announcement applies to Indian nationals who have visas or residence permits issued by the United States of America, the United Kingdom or a European Union member state.

Taking to Twitter, Etihad Airways said, "The UAE authorities have decided to temporarily suspend the Visa-on-arrival facility for passengers who are arriving from or been in India in the past 14 days. The UAE authorities have decided to temporarily suspend the Visa-on-arrival facility for passengers who are arriving from or been in India in the past 14 days."

UAE bans visas-on-arrival for passengers originating from India

On August 3, the UAE lifted the ban for transit travellers for six countries, including India. Besides India, the ban was lifted for Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda. Taking to Twitter, UAE's National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) had said, "These categories include those with valid residency permits who have received full vaccination doses in the UAE and 14 days have passed since receiving the second dose and who have vaccination certificates approved by the official authorities in the country."

The NCEMA is the nodal agency in the UAE responsible for formulating and announcing the COVID-19 related relaxations in case of travel from other countries and informing the passengers about the travel criteria. All tourists arriving in are required to undertake an RTPCR test upon arrival in the country. The people also need to undertake the test on the ninth day after entering the UAE. Passengers arriving in Abu Dhabi will be required to quarantine for ten days and wear a medically approved wristband for the duration of the quarantine, as per the Gulf News report. Only UAE citizens and transit passengers are allowed to fly to the UAE following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Notably, the UAE is a major transit hub for travellers as it connects the USA, Europe, and African countries, but it was suspected for several due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The latest restrictions have been made at the outset of COVID-19, and its highly contagious, Delta Variant, are on a spree.

Image Credit: AP