The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that starting from Monday, August 30, applications for tourist visas will be open to people from all countries, provided that they are fully vaccinated with one of the jabs approved by the World Health Organization.
This decision is expected to aid the country’s tourism sector and comes as the number of positive COVID-19 cases continues to drop in the country. The vaccination rate has already surpassed the 90% mark.
The UAE’s official news agency WAM said: “This comes as part of the country’s strategy to create a balance between public health and the activities of vital sectors, and in support of the national efforts to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth.”
#NCEMA & ICA: Starting from 30th August, application for tourist visas will be open to people from all countries, provided that they are fully vaccinated with one of the WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines.#TogetherWeRecover pic.twitter.com/dTsB5pNXvd
— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) August 29, 2021
Passengers arriving on tourist visas must register their vaccination status on the government’s health app and undergo rapid testing at the airport, WAM said.
Meanwhile, the UAE, whose biggest cities include Abu Dhabi and Dubai, have started to allow residents return earlier this month after easing rules on travel.