UAE visa holders, including in Pakistan, get travel exemption

ISLAMABAD: More UAE residents stranded in six countries from where passenger entry is suspended can return to the emirates, authorities announced on Tuesday.

Expats with valid residency visas who have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in the UAE are among the new categories that will be allowed to travel to the UAE from tomorrow (Thursday). They must have received the second vaccine dose at least 14 days prior to travel and hold a certificate that proves this.

This is among a string of exemptions announced by the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA). The exemptions are applicable to travellers from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda.

Additionally, vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers from key sectors are allowed entry as well. These include health workers employed in the UAE: Doctors, nurses and technicians. Teachers at universities, colleges, schools and education institutes can return as well.

Students, humanitarian cases, those employed in federal and local government agencies and those undergoing medical treatment in the UAE are the other exempted categories. Travel will also resume for transit passengers. They must have taken a PCR test no later than 72 hours from the time of departure. The UAE’s airports will allocate special lounges for transit passengers.

The Gulf state, a major international travel hub, had banned passengers from many South Asian and African states travelling through its airports this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

NCEMA said on Twitter that passengers travelling from countries where flights had been banned would be able to transit through its airports from tomorrow as long as they present a negative PCR coronavirus test taken 72 hours prior to departure. Final destination approval would also have to be provided, the authority said, adding that UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers.