UAE tops Arab countries for visa-free travel

Abu Dhabi: The UAE will top Arab countries for visa-free travel and enter the top 40 internationally when formalities are completed for Emiratis to enjoy visa-free access to the Schengen states, according to the travel restriction index.

The European Parliament has recently voted overwhelmingly to allow visa-free travel for UAE citizens to countries in the Schengen area.

The EU’s endorsement of the visa waiver status for UAE citizens will start with the setting up of a joint working team of the UAE and EU, which will implement the decision as soon as possible, WAM reported.

A new ruling by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday exempted citizens of 13 European countries from a pre-entry visa to the UAE, bringing up the number of exempt countries to 47.

With citizens of the other 15 European member states already being exempt, the announcement means that all citizens of the European Union holding an ordinary passport will be allowed to enter the UAE without having to previously apply for a visa. The ruling comes into effect from March 22.

Once the UAE is fully granted visa-free access to the Schengen countries, its citizens will enjoy visa-free travel to more than 100 countries around the world.

Kuwait, which currently enjoys visa-free access to 77 countries, will come second in the Arab world, to be followed by Qatar in third place, with access to 71 countries, Bahrain in fourth place with access to 69, Saudi Arabia in fifth with access to 64 countries and Oman in sixth place with access to 63 countries, according to the global ranking index compiled every year since 2006 by Henley & Partners, the international residence and citizenship consultancy.

Speaking in Berlin on the sidelines of ITB 2014, the world’s largest tourism trade fair, Helal Saeed Al Merri, Director-General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said: “This is a very positive announcement from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and one which will have a significant impact on the attractiveness of UAE as a destination for tourists from the 13 countries included today in the exemption. European countries have traditionally featured prominently in our top 20 source markets for visitors and the lifting of visa restrictions provides for easier travel arrangements from across the continent.”

The 13 countries that come under the new exemption are Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Malta, Cyprus, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria.

At present, the citizens of 34 countries including the United States, Canada and 15 European countries enjoy visa-free access to the UAE.