Dubai: Some Indian citizens travelling with Emirates can now benefit from a new pre-approved visa-on-arrival facility. The initiative allows certain Indian passport holders to skip immigration queues when arriving in Dubai and “breeze through customs”, according to an announcement made by the airline on Thursday, February 1.
Eligible Indians are issued a 14-day visa on arrival online and the service is only for Indian passport holders who have booked their ticket with Emirates.
How to apply
Emirates customers can book their flights through emirates.com or through a travel agent. When you make the booking, you will receive a booking reference, also known as Passenger Name Record (PNR) number, which you need to apply for the visa pre-approval.
In order to apply for the pre-approval of the visa, follow these steps:
• Visit www.emirates.com and click on ‘Manage’ and then ‘Retrieve your booking’.
• Enter your last name and booking reference or PNR.
• Click on the ‘Retrieve Booking’.
• Click on the ‘Apply for a UAE’ visa option under ‘Additional Services’.
• Click on the ‘Continue to visa application’ button. You will be redirected to the website of Dubai Visa Processing Centre (DVPC), which is operated by VFS Global Services.
• Once you are on the website, you will be provided with details of the requirements that you need to fulfil to be eligible for the visa on arrival in the UAE.
• You can apply for the pre-approval by uploading the required documents (listed below) and making the payment for the service.
What are the visa on arrival requirements for Indian citizens?
According to the updated visa information on the airline’s website, eligible Indian nationals with a normal passport valid for a minimum of six months can obtain a single entry, 14 day visa on arrival.
Eligibility:
• Indian passport holder with a USA visa valid for a minimum of six months.
• Indian passport holder with USA green card valid for a minimum of six months.
• Indian passport holder with UK residence card valid for a minimum of six months.
• Indian passport holder with EU residence card from the following countries valid for a minimum of six months:
o Austria
o Belgium
o Bulgaria
o Croatia
o Czech Republic
o Denmark
o Estonia
o Finland
o France
o Germany
o Greece
o Hungary
o Ireland
o Italy
o Latvia
o Lithuania
o Luxembourg
o Malta
o Netherlands
o Poland
o Portugal
As per Emirates, the cost for the service is US$63 (Dh231.40).
I’m not travelling with Emirates, can I still get a visa on arrival?
Indian citizens with a valid six-month US visa, US Green Card, EU Residency, or UK Residency are eligible for a visa on arrival in the UAE. You can either obtain the visa at airport immigration or in advance through UAE’s immigration authorities, as well. According to the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this 14-day visa on arrival can be extended for another 14 days.
You can apply through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) as well as the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFAD). The process is completely online, and you can follow a step-by-step guide here.
