Visa rule to hit trade

“Travel hassles will affect business. So we hope that the UAE will keep the visa-on-arrival option open,” Vijay Varghese, a businessman in Al Khuwair, who also depends on Dubai products, said.

A top official from the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry also reiterated that difficulty in travelling would hurt businesses.

“Not much is clear about the new rules. However, travel time is an important factor in business. Travel delays will affect the market,” Mohammed Hassan Al Ansi, a senior OCCI official, said. An official from the Pakistan Social Club also echoed the same opinion.

“This will affect the market definitely. Travel time in business is a crucial factor. If there are unnecessary delays, it will create losses,” Pakistan Social Club Chairman and leading Pakistani businessman Mian Mohammed Munir, said while returning from Dubai.

Meanwhile, a senior expatriate official at a bank in Oman, said the website for applying e-visa followed a complicated procedure and that call centre numbers were not helping travellers much.

“I had planned to visit Dubai on October 1. First, I applied (for a visa) for myself. It got approved. However, when I applied for my wife, it got rejected. During the second try, it got approved. But I lost my money, which I had deposited online for my wife’s visa during the first attempt,” R.S. Choubey, a bank official, said.

“When I applied for my daughter, the same thing happened. The application got rejected and I lost money. So, I didn’t try for my son. I took a chance to source the visa from the border check post. There too, confusion in the processing delayed us a lot. However, finally we got visa and travelled to Dubai,” Choubey added.

Meanwhile, travel agents in Muscat said those who wished to travel to the UAE have to be prepared well. “Those who wish to travel to the UAE should plan well in advance. Online applications should be submitted at least three working days in advance,” Renny Johnson, a senior official at Mezoon Travels, said. “Those who wish to attend emergency business meetings in the UAE will find it hard to travel,” Johnson added.

“Last month, to reduce the time taken for applicants seeking entry permits, which require sponsorship from a citizen, resident or investor, the UAE had started allowing entry permit applications to be submitted online.

Earlier this month, the UAE’s Ministry of Interior announced that will now also accept visa applications for citizens, residents and other stakeholders for a shortterm visitor visa, either via the ministry website or through its smartphone application.