DUBAI – The travelers on visit visas in United Arab Emirates (UAE) are feeling relieved after being offered same-day visit visa status change facilities.
The service is being offered by several travel agents in Dubai and hundreds on a daily basis are utilizing the air-to-air status change facilities which saves them money as well.
Chief operating officer of online travel agency Musafir.com said currently, the service is being offered by flydubai and Salaam Air from Terminal 2 of Dubai International airport.
As per the service, people can choose the same-day visa status change or stay for a day in the neighbouring country and return the next day.
‘The same-day process takes around four hours where they fly out, wait in the airport of the neighbouring country and return on a later flight,’ he said.
The price of these flights varies according to the package which swings between Dh1,300 and Dh1,600.
The UAE authorities had relaxed the rules during the Covid but in December, last year new rules were promulgated which discontinued the option for visit visa holders to extend their stay permits from within the country. The regulations now compel the visit visa holders to exit the country before they can come back on a new visa.
The practice to exit the country and enter on a new visa has always been in place except during the pandemic when the UAE changed the requirements on humanitarian grounds.
The same day status change has been attracting travelers as some of them find this option cheaper than booking a flight to their home country and entering UAE on a fresh visa; the same is being reflected in flight bookings to neighbouring countries from the UAE.
