Stricter Document Screening Process Implemented For UAE Visit Visa Applications

Effective immediately, UAE authorities have implemented stricter documentary screening procedures for UAE visit visa applications. All applicants must now provide hotel booking confirmations and proof of onward or return flight tickets. Applicants holding valid visas to other countries such as Canada, Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom or the United States may be required to submit copies of these visas. Applicants who must use designated visa issuance centers are also being asked to provide a police clearance certificate and proof of financial solvency (the minimum threshold for which varies based on the applicant's nationality), typically by way of submitting a bank statement for the past three months. Previously, some of the above documentary requests could occur but were less common, being a matter of immigration officer discretion.