ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates has said it will resume issuing tourist visas to vaccinated travelers from Monday, according to the state news agency (WAM).
The move applies to citizens of all countries, including those arriving from previously banned countries such as Pakistan, India, Nepal, and more, "provided they are fully vaccinated with one of the WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines."
So far, the WHO has given emergency approval to vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
“The Federal Authority For Identity and Citizenship (ICA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) have jointly announced that starting from 30th August, application for tourist visas will be open to people from all countries," the WAM statement said.
All visitors are also required to take a COVID-19 test on arrival, it added.
The UAE, which is a major international travel and transit hub, had banned passengers from many South Asian and African states earlier this year to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.
However, on Aug. 5, it lifted a ban on transit passenger traffic from Pakistan, India, Nigeria and other countries but requires travelers to present negative COVID-19 tests not more than four hours before departure.
The UAE's decision to allow vaccinated travelers from across the globe is part of a “strategy to create a balance between public health and the activities of vital sectors, and in support of the national efforts to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth,” the WAM statement said.
On Saturday, national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) increased its flights to the UAE with new routes to the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.
PIA's new flights to the northern emirate from Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi will help more Pakistani expatriates return to work in the Gulf state after months of passenger flight suspensions by UAE authorities.
PIA already operates flights from all major Pakistani cities to different emirates of the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
The UAE is Pakistan’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and home to more than 1.6 million Pakistani nationals.
