Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: More Indians will now be eligible for visa on arrival (VoA) in the UAE — already the biggest international destination for desi globetrotters. Now Indians having valid visas of the UK and EU countries will also be eligible for this. Earlier, only Indians having residence or tourist visas to the US; and residencies in the UK and the EU were eligible for VoA in the UAE.Apart from this, passports of Indians seeking this must have a validity of over six months.
The Indian embassy in UAE tweeted Thursday issued an update regarding VoA for Indian citizens travelling to the UAE. “Indian citizens and their family members who hold ordinary passports will be granted visa on arrival at all ports of entry in UAE. This applies to the holders of:
* A valid visa, residence, or green card issued by the United States of America.
* A valid visa or residence issued by the European Union countries and the United Kingdom.
* The passport’s validity period shall not be less than six months,” the embassy said on X (former Twitter).
“The above-mentioned persons have the option of obtaining a visa on arrival for a period of 14 days, extendable for a similar period, or obtaining a visa on arrival for a period of 60 days, non-extendable, after paying the prescribed fees in accordance with the applicable norms in the UAE,” it added.
UAE is the biggest international destination for Indians travelling abroad. With its two big airline groups – Emirates and Etihad – Dubai and Abu Dhabi also see a lot of transit traffic between India and rest of the world. By enhancing the eligibility for VoA, the UAE has made it easier for more Indians to go there as well as attract the transit travellers to take a stopover there.
