In another decision to boost India-UAE ties, Dubai has started visa-on-arrival facility for Indian citizens holding a valid US visa or green card.
In fact, the staff of Dubai International Airport also welcomed the first Indian national to avail of this facility. The General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (Dubai) also announced the arrival of this Indian national by posting a picture on Instagram.
The UAE Cabinet had taken a decision to grant the facility of visa-on-arrival to Indian passport holders with either a valid US visa or a green card from May 1. The circular was given to all UAE borders points, including airports and ports.
According to the new decision, ordinary passport holders from India who have a US visa or green card with a minimum six-month validity can enter the country from any point of entry for a period of 14 days, with an option for a one-time extension of the same period.
This decision underlines the growing relations between UAE and India and promotion of political, economic and trade interests between the two countries.
The trade between the two countries reached USD 60 billion a year, with the UAE exports to India amounting to USD 27 billion a year, while India exports to the UAE is valued at USD 33 billion.
The number of Indian tourists coming to the UAE in 2016 reached about 1.6 million while there were about 50,000 UAE tourists who visited India in the same year. There are around 143 daily flights between cities in both countries, one flight every 10 minutes, or 1000 flights per week.
