Wednesday 20 / November / 2024
Muscat: The 'it's on, it's off, it's on again' issue of the online e-visa required for GCC expats to travel into the UAE has resurfaced with a fresh notice coming from Emirates Airline say as of April 29 the restrictions are back in place.
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A notice issued to travel agents in Oman on March 20 by the airline states that, as per the latest directive from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Immigration authorities, "effective April 29, 2016 all GCC residents/permit holders will need to pre-apply for an on-line visa prior to their travel to Dubai".
The notice also adds that any GCC permit holders (other than the approved 46 nationalities eligible to get visa on arrival), arriving without a pre-applied online visa will not be accepted to travel.
“We have started alerting our customers those who are booking tickets to Dubai to travel on and after April 29 about the e-visa so that they can apply now itself and get it in advance before travel,” said Raji DeMonte, general manager at Universal Travel and Tourism in Oman.
An official from flydubai office in Oman also said that from April 29 onwards e-visa will be mandatory.
"We have alerted the travel agents and customers about the new alert," the official said.
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In October last year the UAE introduced the changes related to entry to the emirates for expatriates living in the GCC countries. Under the rules, regardless of the profession, expatriates have to apply online for an e-visa.
Earlier, expatriates holding a certain professional status were eligible to get visa-on-arrival in the UAE - the move though did not affect those from countries with treaties with the UAE, such as the European Union.
However the implementation of the new rules was mired in confusion, with some airlines allowing expats to fly into Dubai and get a visa on arrival while others in Oman blocked passengers from travelling. The system was apparently halted for some time while authorities worked on the online application system.
There was also erratic enforcement at the land border with some expats allowed in, some turned away. The latest notice does nothing to clarify what might happen to travellers by road.
An official from Emirates’ office in Dubai said that they won’t be commenting further than what the authorities have already communicated.
Meanwhile, an official from Air Arabia office in Muscat said that they have not received any letter from UAE authorities.
“We are flying 17 times to Sharjah and six times to Ras Al Khaima every week. We have not so far received any notice. We are now allowing passengers, who are eligible to get on-arrival visa, without e-visa from Muscat. This will continue till we get any fresh instructions,” the official said.
According to the new norms, for getting a UAE visa, a GCC residence entry permit is valid for 30 days before entry from the issuance date, and allows a stay period after entry of 30 days, which can be extended to 60 days.
A GCC accompanied entry permit is valid for 60 days before entry from the issuance date, and the stay period after entry is 60 days, which can be extended by another 60 days.
However, upon arrival, if the GCC residency is found to have expired or cancelled, the entry permit holder shall not be granted entry, and if the profession of the GCC resident is determined to have been amended after the issuance of the entry permit, the holder shall not be granted entry.
The GCC residency must be valid for at least three months from the arrival date and the passport must be valid for at least six months from the arrival date.
Also, checks have to be conducted before allowing entry to foreigners, with temporary passports. However, foreigners possessing only emergency passports will not be allowed entry into UAE. The new rule also stipulates that a GCC resident e-visa is only valid for entry into the arrival/issuance port in UAE.
