Dubai: Are you thinking about a quick escape during the Eid holidays but don’t want to go through the trouble of applying for tourist visas? Here are four travel destinations that either do not require a visa or offer visa on arrival to UAE residents.
1. Azerbaijan
These are the COVID-19 requirements for UAE residents travelling to Azerbaijan:
• According to Azerbaijan Tourism Board offical website - foreign residents of the UAE are eligible for visa on arrival if their residency is valid for at least another six months.
• Passengers above the age of 18 need to provide the following documents:
• Official COVID-19 vaccine certificate or an official letter stating your recovery from COVID-19.
• Negative PCR test result, valid for 72 hours from the time of the test result being issued.
• Passengers aged one to 18 years need to submit a negative PCR test result, valid for 72 hours from the time of the test result being issued.
• Children under the age of one year do not need to submit a negative PCR test result.
2. Maldives
According to Maldives Immigration authority's website - immigration.gov.mv - "Tourist visa is granted for all nationalities on arrival to Maldives. As such, a foreigner travelling to Maldives as a tourist does not require pre-approval for the visa."
Maldives offers visa on arrival for UAE residents. According to the website of Emirates airlines there are no longer any COVID 19 entry restrictions for travel to Maldives. Passengers are no longer required to have a COVID 19 vaccination certificate or a COVID 19 test result to enter the country. Quarantine restrictions have also been lifted.
However, travellers must fill out the travel declaration form here: https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/ethd/create and obtain the QR code and present it to the Immigration Officer on arrival.
3. Mauritius
Citizens of most contries do not need a visa or may obtain a visa on arrival to Mauritius for tourism purpose, according to the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA).
According to the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) COVID-19 travel website, these are COVID-19 travel regulations for Mauritius:
For vaccinated tourists: At least 14 days must have passed since you received the last required dose of any of the following vaccines: AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Moderna, Pfizer BioNTech, Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik V or at least 28 days have passed since you received a dose of the Janssen vaccine.
Recovered from COVID-19: Travellers who have recovered from COVID 19 must present proof of recovery and that they have received at least one dose of any of the approved vaccines at least 14 days before departure.
PCR testing rules: Passengers are subject to medical screening and a PCR test upon arrival.
The website of Mauritian Defence and Home Affairs Division lists only 21 countries, whose nationals need to apply for a visa before they travel to the country. To find out if you are eligible for a visa on arrival, visit www.dha.govmu.org
Important documents:
· Passengers must fill out the ‘Mauritus All in One travel form’ here: https://safemauritius.govmu.org/ . After filling it out the form, the application will generate a QR code which must be presented upon arrival.
· Passengers must also have health insurance to cover COVID-19 expenses.
4. Georgia
According to the Georgian National Tourism Administration, UAE residents can enter Georgia without the need for a visa, and stay in the country for up to one year.
COIVD-19 travel rules:
While you do not require a visa, you would need to present either of these documents to meet the COVID-19 related travel requirements when flying to Georgia:
• Passengers who are fully vaccinated need to present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate. The vaccination certificate must be in English;
• Passengers can also present a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at most 100 days before arrival and a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they received at least one dose, 14 days before arrival. The vaccination certificate must be in English.
• Unvaccinated travellers must provide a negative PCR test result, with the test taken within 72 hours of travel travel to Georgia.
