UAE Revises Visa Requirements

Hajara FuseiniNovember 1, 2022

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A boat rides past giant skyscrapers at the Marina waterfront seen from Palm Jumeirah island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reviewed requirements for tourist and visit visas for Ghana.

This was relayed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in a communique on October 31.

This comes after reports that the UAE had imposed a visa ban on some African countries including Ghana- a report that has since been discredited by an UAE official in Ghana.

It is unclear if this review affects the 29 other countries that were reported to have been banned by the country.

The revised requirement included the suspension of 30-day single entry visas whereas the 60-day multiple visa entry regime remains in force.

Additionally, travellers to the UAE are required to secure a round-trip ticket and a hotel booking prior to the visa application, the Ministry said.

Entreating travelling Ghanaians to observe the new requirements, the Ministry urged same to remain calm over the development.

German-based news outlet, DW last week reported the UAE had imposed a visa ban on 20 African countries.

The media outlet said the affected countries included Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, and Comoros.

It said the ban took effect immediately, however, no source was cited by the outlet.

The news item has been publicly denounced by an official of the UAE in Ghana.

At what seemed like an engagement organised by the UAE embassy in Ghana, the official noted that the report making the round was untrue.

“Has there been any official source of this information? Has there been any source for this information from any official in Dubai? I will like to ask that you look at the official sources of information”, he said to the audience.

According to him, a visa ban has never been placed on Ghana neither is one in place now.

“This has not happened in the past, this is not happening now. The only time there was a disruption of flight between Ghana and Dubai was during the covid pandemic. Ghanaians could still apply for visas and visas were still being approved but there were no flights”.

He added that being bounced by the embassy for not meeting visa requirements is not synonymous to a visa ban.

Discrediting reports about the visa ban, the Ministry of Foreign affairs said it has not officially received a communication from the UAE on the ban and thereby called on the public to disregard it.

“The Ministry wishes to assure the general public that it has received no such communication from the authorities in the UAE and as such, the story should be disregarded”.