GDRFA and ICA approval for residency visa holders scrapped
Good news for Pakistanis in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu dhabi
Dubai ( The Breaking Times – Arshad Farooq Butt ) The UAE has delivered the greatest good news ever to residency visa holders. Due to the Corona sanctions, the GDRFA and ICA approval requirements for foreigners have been removed.
According to the details, Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways and Air India have updated their travel requirements and said that from now on all residency visa holders can come directly to the UAE and GDRFA or ICA approval is not required.
Previously, Dubai residency visa holders had to obtain approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) before traveling to the UAE.
Similarly, residency visa holders from other UAE states i.e Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah had to obtain approval from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) before traveling to the UAE.
The sanctions were intended by the UAE to ensure that only people entering the UAE who have received both doses of one of the World Health Organization-approved corona vaccines enter the UAE.
However, now the UAE has vaccinated all its citizens. Therefore, the approval of GDRFA and ICA has been removed from the travel requirements by relaxing the Corona restrictions.
Emirates Airlines has updated its travel requirements for passengers traveling to Dubai on Saturday, saying all UAE residency visa holders can now travel to Dubai without GDRFA or ICA approval.
Air Arabia has also clarified on its website that prior approval of GDRFA or ICA is not required if the passenger is a residency visa holder of Sharjah or any other UAE state.
India’s flag carrier Air India has also updated its travel requirements on Friday, saying that residency visa holders traveling to the United Arab Emirates no longer need prior approval. Other private Indian airlines have made similar announcements.
Earlier, the UAE government announced that vaccinated passengers would not be required to undergo a PCR test before traveling to the UAE. However, passengers will have to present a Corona Vaccination Certificate which has a QR code.
