UAE Resumes Issuance of Visit Visas for Pakistani Citizens
Islamabad: After months of uncertainty, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has resumed issuing visit visas to Pakistani citizens, offering renewed opportunities for tourism, family visits, and business travel.
According to travel industry representatives and officials at the UAE Embassy, Pakistani applicants submitting their requests through registered travel agents are once again being granted visit visas. Applications with complete and accurate documentation are reportedly being processed more quickly than before.
According to Arab News, around 1.8 million Pakistanis live in the UAE, making it one of Pakistan’s largest sources of overseas remittances. Over the past several months, many applicants faced delays and stricter scrutiny in visa processing, although both governments repeatedly maintained that no formal visa ban had been imposed on Pakistani citizens.
Muhammad Nadeem Sharif, former chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) and Chief Executive of Aroma Travels, said that Pakistanis traveling with their families or visiting relatives in the UAE are now finding it relatively easier to obtain visit visas.
He also noted that air travel, which had been disrupted by recent regional tensions, is gradually returning to normal, raising hopes for a recovery in the tourism sector.
A senior Pakistani immigration official said the number of passengers traveling from Pakistan to Dubai has increased significantly. Daily departures, which had fallen to around 170 passengers at the start of the summer, rose to approximately 400 passengers per day by the end of July. However, this remains below the level recorded two years ago, when nearly 1,000 Pakistanis traveled to Dubai each day.
An official at the UAE Embassy also confirmed that visit visas are being issued to Pakistani holders of ordinary passports through registered travel agents. The official said security-related screening had been tightened in the past due to concerns over fraudulent educational certificates, fake employment contracts, and other irregularities, but applicants with complete and genuine documentation can now apply with greater ease.
Last year, Pakistan and the UAE agreed to improve visa facilitation, while Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the enhanced verification measures were introduced to address document fraud and strengthen the integrity of the visa process.
