UAE to approve tourist visas for Sri Lankan passport holders

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided to allow Sri Lankan passport holders to obtain tourists visas if they have not been to the country in the last 14 days.

Passengers carrying passports of India, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Uganda with tourist visas can be accepted if they have not entered or been in those countries in the last 14 days, Gulf News quoted flydubai as saying.

PCR requirements will be based on the country of departure, the website said.

Procedures for UAE residents and visitors arriving in Dubai:

The carriage of UAE residents (holding valid Dubai-issued visas) to Dubai from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Uganda will be permitted subject to passengers meeting the following conditions:

• They must have a valid GDRFA approval to return to Dubai
• They must be able to present a printed copy of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (displaying a QR code) in English or Arabic from a test taken in the country of departure by an approved health service no more than 48 hours prior to the departure of their inbound flight to Dubai
• They must undergo a rapid PCR, RT PCR, ID NOW or molecular test for detection of nucleic acid for SARS COV2 at the airport within six hours of boarding the aircraft in their country of departure
• They must undergo a PCR test on arrival in Dubai

?If you are a UAE resident, GCC citizen or visitor arriving in Dubai, regardless of where your journey originated, you must be able to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (from a test taken in the country of departure no more than 72 hours prior to the departure of your inbound flight to Dubai),? flydubai said on its website.

Gulf News also said that Starting from today, Etihad Airways will accept passengers travelling to Abu Dhabi from Pakistani airports of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. Flights were previously open to only transit passengers.

Passengers will be permitted to fly to Abu Dhabi as their final destination if they are:

• A fully vaccinated resident of the UAE ? passengers must have proof of having received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine within the UAE no less than 14 days before travel
• Medical personnel, education sector workers or students studying in the UAE
• Travelling for medical reasons
• A federal government agency worker

Passengers can still travel to Abu Dhabi if they fall into these categories: Diplomat; UAE national; or golden/silver visa holder. (Colombo Gazette)