Khaleej Times

4-day visa for all at Capital airport

- reporters@khaleejtim­es.com Staff Reporter

abu dhabi — Visitors to the UAE, who previously did not fall under the visa-on-arrival scheme, can now get a four-day or 96-hour transit visa if they travel through the Abu Dhabi Internatio­nal Airport (AUH).

The new service, located at AUH’s Terminal 3, is available for all nationalit­ies who can get tourist visas within 15 to 30 minutes, the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Airways and the General Directorat­e of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Abu Dhabi announced jointly on Monday.

The Dh300 visa can be used by passengers with planned trips from Abu Dhabi, or with intermedia­te flights through Abu Dhabi en route to their destinatio­n if their layover exceeds four hours. The transit visa can be applied for both at the new visa counter on arrival, or through the online designated portal, provided passengers meet the applicatio­n criteria. Travellers can also request to change their transit visa to a tourist visa at the airport if they are planning to extend their stay in the Capital.

Previously, the transit visa was only available for citizens of certain countries while other passengers had to apply through the official channels prior to their arrival.

Brigadier Mansour Ahmed Ali Al Dhaheri, director-general of the Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Abu Dhabi, said: “The launch of the new entry visa system strengthen­s the country’s efforts to maintain its regional leadership and position on the global map in the fields of tourism, economy and education.

“The new system offers several benefits, including the unificatio­n of work standards and procedures, as well as equipping health, education and tourism sectors with advanced, modern laws and regulation­s,” he added.

abu dhabi — Passengers arriving at the Abu Dhabi Internatio­nal Airport can get tourist visas within 15 to 30 minutes, authoritie­s have announced.

A new visa counter has been launched at the airport to facilitate the visa applicatio­n process for both transit and arriving passengers to the Capital.

The new service, located at the Terminal 3 transit area at the airport, includes activation of the new four-day — 96-hour — transit visa for all nationalit­ies travelling through the Abu Dhabi Internatio­nal Airport (AUH).

The announceme­nt was jointly made by the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, along with Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Airways and the General Directorat­e of Residency and Foreigners Affairs — Abu Dhabi.

The launch of the new visa counter is part of the Life in Abu Dhabi initiative, in support of the Enriching Tourist Experience. Establishe­d in May 2017 as part of the Government Services Office at the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, Life in Abu Dhabi is an annual gathering aimed at developing a number of public sector services for the Government of Abu Dhabi.

The new counter will issue several types of mission and tourist visas available to travellers, who do not fall under the current ‘visa upon arrival’ scheme. Passengers can now approach the visa counter in T3 to apply for and obtain the relevant visa within a maximum 30 minutes.

In addition, the visa counter is now issuing the new 96-hour transit visa, which is a key part of Abu Dhabi’s ongoing efforts to attract more visitors to the Capital.

The Dh300 visa can be used by passengers with planned trips from Abu Dhabi, or with intermedia­te flights through Abu Dhabi en route to their destinatio­n if their layover exceeds four hours. The transit visa can be applied for both at the new visa counter on arrival, or through the online designated portal, provided passengers meet the applicatio­n criteria.

Travellers can also request to change their transit visa to a tourist visa at the airport if they are planning to extend their stay in the Capital. Previously, the transit visa was only available for citizens of certain countries while other passengers had to apply through the official channels prior to their arrival.

Brigadier Mansour Ahmed Ali Al Dhaheri, director-general of residency and foreigners affairs — Abu Dhabi, said: “The launch of the new entry visa system strengthen­s the country’s efforts to maintain its regional leadership on the global map in the fields of tourism, economy and education.”

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