UAE Eases Visit Visa Process for Pakistanis Through Registered Travel Agencies

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has resumed issuing visit visas to Pakistani citizens applying through registered travel agencies, easing months of uncertainty over visa processing, according to travel industry representatives and a UAE Embassy official in Pakistan.

The UAE is home to nearly 1.8 million Pakistanis and remains one of Pakistan’s largest sources of foreign remittances. Although both governments had repeatedly stated that no official visa ban existed for Pakistani citizens, applicants had complained in recent months about lengthy processing delays and stricter scrutiny.

Muhammad Nadeem Sharif, Chief Executive of Aroma Travels and former chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP), said visit visas are once again being issued to Pakistani families travelling for tourism as well as to those visiting relatives residing in the UAE.

He added that tourism promotion campaigns have resumed and air travel, which had been affected by recent regional tensions, is gradually returning to normal.

A senior Pakistani immigration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the number of passengers travelling from Pakistan to Dubai has also increased. According to the official, daily departures rose from around 170 passengers at the start of the summer to approximately 400 by the end of July, although this remains well below the nearly 1,000 daily passengers recorded two years ago.

TAAP official Muhammad Hanif Rinch also confirmed that the situation has improved, noting that while individual applicants had faced high rejection rates in recent years, more Pakistani families are now successfully obtaining UAE visit visas.

An official at the UAE Embassy in Islamabad also confirmed that ordinary Pakistani passport holders applying through registered travel agencies are being issued visit visas. Speaking anonymously, the official said previous delays were largely due to security-related concerns, but applicants with complete and authentic documentation can now submit their applications without major difficulties.

The development follows months of concerns over visa issuance for Pakistani nationals. Last year, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Emirati counterpart agreed to take steps to facilitate the visa process.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office had earlier informed Parliament that some applicants had submitted forged educational and employment documents, while others had faced legal cases in the UAE involving unauthorized political activities, criminal offenses, or misuse of social media. These issues led UAE authorities to strengthen document verification and security screening during the visa application process.