ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has resumed issuing visit visas to Pakistani citizens through registered travel agents, bringing relief after months of uncertainty.
According to travel industry representatives and UAE embassy officials, this latest development would make it easier for Pakistanis to travel to one of their most popular overseas destinations-the UAE.
The UAE is home to nearly 1.8 million Pakistanis and remains one of the country’s biggest sources of remittances. The latest development comes after months of complaints from applicants about long processing times and stricter scrutiny, despite repeated assurances from both Islamabad and Abu Dhabi that no official visa ban had been imposed on Pakistani nationals.
The travel industry representatives say the biggest relief has come for families, as applications that were previously delayed for weeks are now being processed more efficiently. “The UAE embassy in Pakistan has started issuing visas to Pakistani tourists travelling with families, which is a positive development,” said Muhammad Nadeem Sharif, chief executive of Aroma Travels and former chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP).
Sharif said applicants travelling with families or joining relatives already living in the UAE were now receiving timely responses, while tourism promotion campaigns had resumed and passenger traffic, which had fallen during recent regional tensions, was gradually recovering.
An official at the UAE embassy in Pakistan confirmed that visit visas are being issued to ordinary passport holders applying through registered travel agencies. “I don’t have the complete information, but visas are open through travel agents for ordinary passports,” he said, requesting anonymity.
The official added that while processing had experienced localised delays earlier for safety and security reasons, applicants with complete documentation could now apply without difficulty. The development would give big relief to those wishing to visit the UAE in the future.
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