The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will soon ease visa requirements for Nigerian travelers after the latter imposed a visa ban for almost two years.
According to Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, while the UAE had initially listed additional processes that needed to be met before the ban could be officially lifted, the Nigerian government has since completed all the processes, VisaGuide.World reports.
After that high-level meeting, Mr. President, credited to him, made things very easy for us all. We did our follow-ups as his ministers. We have done everything. We have resolved everything. Just wait for the announcement from the UAE government, and that announcement is imminent.
UAE Suspended Flights to Nigeria Over a Ticketing Fund Issue
In October 2022, the UAE banned new visa applications without official reason. As a result, some reports claimed it was due to diplomatic disputes between the two countries. One of the main issues related to financial transactions after the UAE claimed that about $85 million in revenue was blocked in Nigeria, prompting Dubai’s Emirates Airline to suspend flight operations to Nigeria.
During this period, in addition to Nigeria, other countries affected by this decision were as follows:
- Uganda
- Ghana
- Sierra Leone
- Sudan
- Cameroon
- Liberia
- Burundi
- Republic of Guinea
- Gambia
- Togo
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Senegal
- Benin
- Ivory Coast
- Congo
- Rwanda
- Burkina Faso
- Guinea Bissau
- Comoros
- The Dominican Republic
However, earlier this month, the Minister of Aviation Keyamo said that the UAE plans to lift the travel ban on Nigerian citizens.
Commenting on this announcement, he also revealed that Emirates Airlines will resume flights to Nigeria starting on October 1, 2024. The air carrier will operate a daily flight between Lagos and Dubai.
UAE Airports Introduced Strict Rules for Visitors for First Time Ever This Year
Even as they plan to ease Nigerian travel, the UAE authorities have introduced stricter checks at UAE airports following increasing detentions at these airports.
Last month, the authorities noted that the country’s airlines strictly enforce guidelines for visitor visa passengers to have hotel reservation documents and 5,000 dirhams to cover their expenses. If they do not meet the above requirements, they are warned to be subject to 5,000 dirhams per traveler without valid documents.
Moreover, strict checks began at airports such as Kochi and Kozhikode in Kerala. Based on a report by Onmanorama, more than 20 passengers were barred from boarding flights at the Cochin International Airport for just one day in May.