Some long-awaited relief for Pakistanis travellers. The UAE has appealed to Pakistani citizens to apply for a visit visa registered travel agencies to resume visa issuance.
Travel industry sources and a UAE embassy official confirmed the development to Arab News. It ends months of uncertainty that had hampered travel plans between the two countries.
The UAE is still among the top countries where Pakistanis live overseas. As of now, approximately 1.8 million Pakistanis reside there and it is one of the biggest sources of remittances to Pakistan.
The applicants have complained for several months about the length of time the applications are taking to process and the intensive examination of their applications. In all of that time, officials in Islamabad and Abu Dhabi repeatedly insisted that there was no formal ban on Pakistani nationals.
But with all that promise, there was a lot of friction among travellers. There were some applications that were rejected with non-explanatory codes, especially from the end of March 2026.
Travel industry professionals report that the biggest improvement has been for family visas. These were long-delayed, but are now being processed at an increased rate.
Muhammad Nadeem Sharif, the Chief Executive of Aroma Travels and former chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan, stated that “Families travelling together or traveling to UAE to join their relatives are getting their replies on time.” He said that about 10 percent of the Pakistani tourists visiting UAE are from families.
Sharif added that tourism promotion campaigns have also restarted and passenger traffic is slowly returning after some lull in the recent period of tension in the region.
A UAE embassy official says that normal passports with applications from registered travel agents are getting visit visas. Some of the earlier delays were related to safety and security issues, the official said.
Those who also have full and accurate documentation can now submit their applications without recent months difficulties. But the tougher background checks and paperwork instituted in the slowdown period are still in effect.
This is not the first joint public discussion on the issue. Last April, Pakistan interior ministry had announced that Islamabad and Abu Dhabi have agreed to make easier visa issuance for Pakistani citizens.
Those who are planning their trip to the UAE, the best way to get approval is to apply through a registered travel agency while having all the necessary documents submitted. Like with all visa policy, requirements may change, so travellers are recommended to verify their visa requirements with an authorised agent or UAE embassy before applying.
