UAE will grant visa-free entry for Ukrainian citizens

The country will also offer year-long stays for people who arrived before March 3. According to the UN, more than 1 million refugees have already fled Ukraine.

As Russian bombings intensify and the Ukrainian citizens are exiting the country in order to save their lives, UAE changes suspended policy on visa-free entry for refugees.

Emirates Foreign Ministry commented:

“Concerning reports on the issuance of advance visas to Ukrainian nationals to enter the UAE.

“Ukrainian nationals continue to be eligible for visa on arrival to the UAE.

“The UAE also provides critical services to Ukrainian nationals in the UAE who require assistance, in coordination with the Embassy of Ukraine in the UAE.”

This way, Ukrainians who entered the country prior to March 3 will be granted the possibility of staying inside UAE borders for an entire year. Refugees arriving after March 3 will be offered visa free entry valid for 30 days.

The changes come after UAE officials had temporarily suspended the agreement regarding cancellation of visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens, a decision that triggered intense criticism via social media platforms.

As soon as the regulations changed, representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy in the UAE also declared in a Fb post:

“After receiving the official note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [...] on the temporary suspension of the visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens,” the embassy carried out active work with the Emirates [...] in order to cancel this decision.”

The UAE had recently abandoned neutrality and voted in favour of demanding Russian troops to withdraw from Ukraine and end war, along with 140 other countries meeting via UN Security Council. The country will also send Ukraine humanitarian aid accounting for $4.9 million.

According to official figures, 15.000 Ukrainians live in the UAE and more than 250.000 visit the country each year.

 

Source: cnbc.com