Indians hoping to travel to Dubai are allegedly seeing an unusual increase in visa rejections since the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imposed stiffer standards for tourist visa applications. The UAE officials are now rejecting even the most carefully prepared requests, whereas previously, nearly 99 percent of Dubai visa applications were approved.
Stricter conditions for tourist visas were recently implemented by Dubai’s emigration department, which requires tourists to present a copy of their return tickets and hotel booking paperwork with QR codes. Travellers staying with family members must provide further documentation of their accommodations.
Rise In Dubai Visa Rejections
As per the report, since the new visa rules for Dubai came into force, at least 5-6 applications out of 100 are being rejected daily.
“Earlier, the rejection rate for Dubai visas was just 1-2%. This is before the new rules were enforced. We are now getting at least 5-6 visa rejections per day from nearly 100 applications daily. Even when confirmed flight tickets and hotel stay details are attached, the visa applications are being rejected,” Nikhil Kumar, director of Passio Travels Pvt Ltd told TOI.
The move is creating uncertainty among travellers, who are facing financial losses not just on visa fees, but also pre-booked flight tickets and hotel reservations.
“We are seeing unprecedented rejection rates (for tourist visa applications to Dubai).
Earlier, almost 99 per cent of Dubai visa applications were approved. Now, we are experiencing rejections even for well-prepared travellers,” said Rishikesh Pujari, director of Vihar Travels, according to the TOI report.
He claimed that even the most painstakingly prepared application, complete with all pertinent supporting documentation, such as verified hotel reservations and airline information, is being turned down. “My family of four prepared their application with great care. Their visa application was denied in spite of this,” he stated.
Hasmukh Travels’ director, Vijay Thakkar, informed TOI that two of their customers who intended to stay in Dubai with family members had their applications for Dubai visas denied lately.
“While applying for the visa, we had attached all the relevant documents as per the new visa requirements. Yet, their applications were rejected. This resulted in significant monetary loss for the passengers, as they had spent nearly Rs 14,000 on visa fees, and ticket cancellation cost was another Rs 20,000 and more,” he said.
