UAE unveils first multi-entry five-year tourist visa

Published January 6, 2020
The move is expected to provide a boost to the UAE's tourism industry. — AP/File
The move is expected to provide a boost to the UAE's tourism industry. — AP/File

The United Arab Emirates on Monday unveiled its first multi-entry five-year tourist visa in order to boost its tourism industry, The National reported.

The UAE cabinet, in its first meeting of the year chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the prime minister and ruler of Dubai, approved the new visa policy.

At present, tourists from some countries can visit the UAE with a free multiple entry visa for up to 90 days, from the date of entry.

The move is expected to provide a boost to the local tourism industry and make it easier for residents to bring relatives to the country for visits, the newspaper said.

According to the report, Sheikh Mohammed said the new visa would allow tourists multiple entries into the country over a period of five years. He said the move aimed at establishing the Emirates as a “major global tourism destination” was part of wider plans to prepare the country for the next 50 years of development.

“The year 2020 will be different because it is the year of preparation for the next 50, the year in which we design the future of the Emirates,” he said.

The visa would be available to all nationalities, Sheikh Mohammed was quoted as saying. According to The National, it is not clear if there will be an application fee for the visa and no other details have been released as yet.

Opinion

Editorial

Water vision
01 May, 2026

Water vision

WATER insecurity in Pakistan has been building up for decades as per capita water availability has declined from...
Vaccine policy
01 May, 2026

Vaccine policy

PAKISTAN has finally approved its first National Vaccine Policy; a step the health ministry has rightly described as...
Labour rights
Updated 01 May, 2026

Labour rights

THE annual observance of May Day should move beyond statements about the state’s commitment to the rights of...
UAE’s Opec exit
Updated 30 Apr, 2026

UAE’s Opec exit

THE UAE’s exit from Opec is another sign of the major geopolitical shifts that are reshaping the global order. One...
Uncertain recovery
30 Apr, 2026

Uncertain recovery

PAKISTAN’S growth projections for the current fiscal present a cautiously hopeful picture, though geopolitical...
Police ‘encounters’
30 Apr, 2026

Police ‘encounters’

THE killing of nine suspects by Punjab’s Crime Control Department across Lahore, Sahiwal and Toba Tek Singh ...