Examining The Visa Options For Seafarers

As a trading and logistics hub, the UAE is often the point for seafarers to embark or disembark their vessels and ensuring a smooth transit for seafarers is dependent on securing the right visa for them. In this article, we examine the visa options for seafarers. Ministerial Decree No. 360 of 1997 (the Executive Regulations) promulgating the executive regulations of Federal Law No. 6 of 1973 (the Immigration Law) has recently been amended by Ministerial Decree No. 569 of 2016. Amongst those articles amended is Article 11, concerning the entry of sailors into the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Article 11 and sets out the means by which the crews working on board foreign registered vessels and those registered in the UAE may enter the country.