Finally, UAE Lifts Travel Ban on Nigeria, 11 Other African Countries
- The restriction imposed on travellers who visited Nigeria and eleven other African countries by the United Arab Emirates has been lifted
- Recall that the country placed travel restrictions on flights from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and eight other African countries
- Meanwhile, the travel ban was initially imposed following rising cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19
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The United Arab Emirates has announced plans to lift its entry and transit ban on travellers who had recently visited Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and eight other African countries.
According to Sahara Reporters, the lifting of the ban was made known on Wednesday, January 25, by the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA).
The ban was initially imposed in light of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
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NCEMA said on Twitter:
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“From January 29, entry into the UAE for arrivals from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe is allowed again."
The initial ban covered travellers who had visited certain African countries in the previous 14 days.
The changes will come into effect at 2:30pm on Saturday, January 29.
Other countries
Other countries to be affected by the lift include;
Tanzania, Republic of Congo, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Under the new regulations, while travellers will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test 48 hours prior to departure and a negative rapid-PCR test at the departure airport, those travelling from Uganda, Ghana and Rwanda will also have to take the three tests. Passengers will also be tested on arrival.
List of 70 countries UAE approves for visa-on-arrival
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has approved visa-on-arrival for passport holders from at least 70 countries across the world.
Legit.ng notes that the list of the eligible countries for the visa-on-arrival policy is available on the official website of Etihad Airlines.
A statement on the airline's website stated that anyone from the listed countries does not need to apply for a visa before travelling to the UAE. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and the continent's biggest economy, is absent on the list.
Nigerian man in the US shares reasons American embassy denies people student visas
In another related report, a Nigerian man who is currently residing in the United States has made some revelations as to why most of his fellow countrymen seeking academic opportunities in the states are not granted students visa.
In series of tweets he made with his Twitter handle @MisterNigerD, he said the key to scaling through the visa application hurdle is not giving the consular at the embassy any reason to believe that you will be staying back in the US after your studies.
@MisterNigerD stated that another huge pitfall to avoid is to say that you would be getting a job when your school is on holiday in the state. This, according to him, will get your visa application denied.
Source: Legit.ng
