UAE Lifts 21-Month Visa Ban on Nigerians, Introduces New Rules, Digital Verification

By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde, Olufemi Orunsola 

In a move that many Nigerians have described as landmark bilateral relations feat, the Federal Government has announced that it has concluded agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to enable the Nigerian passport holders obtain visas for travelling to the Arab country effective  from Monday, July 15, 2024. 

OPEN TELEVISION Naija reports that the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, disseminated this information on Monday after briefing State House correspondents following the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

OPEN TELEVISION Naija recalls that authorities of the Arab emirate had taken the decision to place a ban on Visas of Nigerians since October 2022.

However, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, while announcing the lift of the ban on Visa of Nigerians on Monday said the new development came after “mutually beneficial negotiations” between both governments. 

The Minister also briefly referred to “updated controls and conditions” that prospective Nigerian visitors to the UAE must abide by.

Meanwhile, OPEN TELEVISION Naija's further investigations reveal that travelers from Nigeria will, by the new development, be required to submit documents proving their identity and showing travel history, among other things, in order to generate a digital verification number that would then be used to apply for a visa as stipulated on a website of the Emirati government although the new digital verification travel rules grants an exception for applicants that are 13 years or younger.

By this new development, Nigerians, who have hitherto enjoyed traveling to the UAE can once again travel to the United Arab Emirate for business, pleasure and tourism purposes  and enjoy the dynamic business, architectural and cultural attractions of the Arab emirate without visa hurdles.