UAE Restarts Visit Visas for Pakistanis Through Registered Travel Agencies

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has resumed issuing visit visas for Pakistani citizens applying through registered travel agencies, bringing relief to thousands of travelers after months of uncertainty.

The development is expected to boost travel between Pakistan and the UAE, where nearly 1.8 million Pakistani citizens are residing, and is also one of the biggest sources of overseas remittances for Pakistan.

UAE Visit Visa for Pakistanis Processing Improves

The representatives from the travel industry say the most significant improvement has been with family visit visas, which are processed much quicker than during the last few months.

Chief Executive of Aroma Travels, Muhammad Nadeem Sharif and former chairman of Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP), said that Pakistani families traveling together or visiting relatives abroad, particularly in the UAE, are now getting the visa decision in faster time.

He also added that the tourism campaigns have also been revived, supporting the gradual recovery in passenger traffic following the disruptions in the region due to tension.

Passenger Traffic to Dubai Increases

Pakistani immigration officials say that there has been a significant rise in passengers travelling to Dubai.

Daily passenger volume from Pakistan to Dubai grew to around 400 earlier than 170 in the beginning of this summer by the end of July.

Although the improvements have been made, the number of travellers are still lower than two years ago when almost 1,000 passengers used to come daily from Pakistan to Dubai.

UAE Embassy Confirms Visit Visa Issuance

A UAE Embassy officer in Pakistan has confirmed that now any ordinary Pakistani passport holder can apply for a visit visa via registered travel agencies.

This was attributable primarily to security and safety issues, the official explained. Applicants who apply with full and accurate documents, however, will be able to go through the visa procedure without any significant hurdles now.

Stricter Verification Still Applies

The UAE visit visa process has been resumed, but there are tighter background checks and documentation requirements.

Previously Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry had told Parliament that some applicants had been denied visas on allegations of having provided forged educational documents, fake employment contracts, criminal records, falsified political involvement and use of social media.

As a result, the UAE introduced enhanced verification measures, which remain in place even after the reopening of visit visa processing.

Relief for Pakistani Travelers

It is believed that the UAE will resume its visit visas for Pakistanis, which will be beneficial for families, tourists, and those visitations intended for short duration. Travel agents hope that this will slowly be bringing back the passengers and help build travel and business relationship between Pakistan and UAE if the applicants are able to get the visa on their applications given that they submit their complete documents.