UAE resumes tourist visa for fully vaccinated people including Pakistan
Fully vaccinated Pakistani citizens can travel to UAE on tourism visa
The Federal Authority
for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) and the National Emergency Crisis and
Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) of UAE had jointly announced on Saturday
that from August 30, application for tourist visas would be open to people from
all countries provided they are fully vaccinated with one of the WHO-approved
Covid-19 vaccines, UAE news agency WAM has reported.
The move
comes as part of UAE’s strategy to create a balance between public health and
the activities of vital sectors, and in support of the national efforts to
achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth, it said.
The decision
applies to citizens of all countries, including those arriving from the
previously banned countries. Arriving passengers on tourist visa must take
mandatory rapid PCR test at the airport. The rules for the unvaccinated,
including exempted categories, remain in place.
Those
eligible would have to be fully inoculated with one of the Covid-19 vaccines
approved by the World Health Organisation, which include AstraZeneca, Johnson
& Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
While life
in the country has largely returned to normal amid the Covid pandemic, UAE
continues to enforce strict rules on wearing masks and social distancing.
Dubai was
last year counting on the six-month Dubai Expo 2020 — delayed a year by the
health crisis and now set to open in October — to attract millions of visitors
and boost the economy.
Heavily
reliant on tourism, the emirate was one of the first destinations to open its
doors to travellers, accepting tourists in July last year, just a few months
after the pandemic took hold.
Application
for tourist visas will be open to people from all countries starting August 30
Tourists
will need to be vaccinated with one of the WHO-approved Covid-19 vaccines
Tourist
visas are also open for passengers from where travel was previously restricted
Passengers
arriving on tourist visas must take a mandatory rapid PCR test at the airport
on arrival
All previous
rules for those unvaccinated, including exempted categories, remain in place.
Travelers wishing to receive the benefits provided to those vaccinated in the UAE can
register their vaccination via the ICA platform or Al Hosn application.
Rukhsana Manzoor Deputy Editor
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