Airline updates guidelines that apply to travellers from restricted countries
All UAE residents with valid visas will now be allowed to travel to Dubai, provided they meet all the requirements, long-haul operator Emirates Airline has confirmed.
Passengers who are eligible to obtain visa on arrival will also be allowed to board the plane. Permitted to travel as well will be travellers with UAE residence or employment visas, as well as those who have stay/long-stay visas, the airline said on Twitter.
“As per the current update, all UAE residents, newly issued residence or employment visas, short stay/long-stay visas, visit visa, visa on arrival will be accepted for travel to Dubai. Passengers travelling with a UAE resident visa must have GDRFA or ICA approval,” the carrier said, responding to a query from a customer.
The UAE had earlier imposed an entry ban on travellers from several countries, including those in South Asia and Africa regions due to the high incidence of COVID-19 cases. Early this month, it was announced that the ban on transit flights from India and Pakistan will be lifted.
This week, the UAE said it will issue tourist visas to visitors from all countries, provided they have received two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Previously, only holders of Dubai-issued visas were accepted for travel by Emirates.
Residents returning to Dubai are also advised to check the requirements specific to the country they’re travelling from. Requirements can include GDRFA or ICA approval, besides the mandatory COVID-19 test results.
Requirements
According to the travel advisory from Emirates, all UAE residents can now travel to Dubai without GDRFA or ICA approval except when travelling from Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Indonesia.
Travellers arriving from the mentioned countries are required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code issued within 48 hours of the time the sample was collected at an approved health facility.
Passengers must also show a report with a QR code for a rapid PCR test conducted at the departure airport within six hours of departure. For flyers travelling from other countries, a certificate for a COVID-19 RT PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before departure will be required.
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