The United Arab Emirates has expanded the eligibility base for its visa-on-arrival facility, adding six new countries from where Indians can come to the UAE without a prior visa, provided they have valid visas and/or residence permits in those countries.
Singapore, with a substantial resident Indian population, is one of these six countries newly added to the UAE visa-on-arrival list. The others are Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
Indian nationals with valid documents from these six countries can now join the ranks of Indian nationals holding similar valid documents from the United States of America (visit visa or Green Card); the United Kingdom (residence visa); and European Union member states (residence visa).
Eligibility criteria for UAE visa-on-arrival for Indians
Indian passport-holders coming into the UAE from the abovementioned countries need to present:
- a valid ordinary passport with at least 6 months’ validity from the date of arrival;
- a valid visa, residence permit, or Green Card from any of the eligible countries on the list.
Once a traveller’s eligibility is determined, the visa-on-arrival fee has to be paid at the UAE immigration checkpoint. The three categories of visa fees are:
- AED 100 (approx INR 2,363) for a 14-day visa
- AED 250 (approx INR 5,909) for a 14-day visa extension
- AED 250 (approx INR 5,909) for a 60-day visa
Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director General of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP), said that this measure of increasing the number of countries from where eligible Indian nationals could arrive in the UAE without a prior visa was aligned with the strategic partnership between India and the UAE.
The expansion of the UAE visa-on-arrival eligibility base makes travel easier and quicker for Indian nationals from these listed countries. This is beneficial for both Indian passport-holders living in advanced nations and for the UAE’s tourism and investment sectors.
