The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced sweeping entry restrictions for Nigerians, including a ban on transit visa applications and that Nigerians aged 18 to 45 years travelling alone is not eligible for Tourist Visa.
The latest directives communicated to Nigerian travel agents on Tuesday as confirmed by Daily Trust sparked concern within the travel and tourism sector.
This comes nearly a year after the UAE lifted a two-year visa ban on Nigerians
UAE authorities now restrict Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 45 from obtaining tourist visas unless they are accompanied.
Transit visa applications will no longer be processed for Nigerian nationals, according to the notification from Dubai immigration shared with travel agencies,
The directive further stated, “For Nigeria nationals, please bear in mind that an applicant aged 18 to 45 years travelling alone is not eligible for TOURIST VISA CATEGORY.”
“An applicant who is 45yrs or above must provide a Single Nigerian personal bank statement for a period of last six months, with each month’s end balance reflecting a minimum ending balance of USD 10,000 or its naira equivalent.
“Kindly note that the above points must be taken into consideration before sending your applications with other existing documents such as hotel reservation, data page, etc.”
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
