Nigerians travelling to UAE may face new challenges 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reintroduced stricter visa regulations for Nigerian nationals, including a ban on transit visa applications.

The latest directives, made known to travel agents on Tuesday, come barely a year after the UAE lifted a two-year visa restriction on Nigerians.

Under the newly enforced policy, Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 45 are no longer eligible for tourist visas.

This will effectively affect a large portion of young solo travelers and professionals from entering the country.

In addition, those above 45 years applying for a tourist visa must present a personal bank statement for the past six months, showing a minimum monthly balance of $10,000 or its naira equivalent.

The updated directive further stated that no applications for transit visas from Nigerians would be processed, a move expected to reduce air traffic from Nigeria to the UAE, especially to Dubai, a favourite destination for Nigerian tourists and business travellers.

The notification read: “For Nigerian nationals, please bear in mind that an applicant aged 18 to 45 years travelling alone is not eligible for TOURIST VISA CATEGORY.

“An applicant who is 45 years or above must provide a personal bank statement for the last six months with each month’s ending balance reflecting at least $10,000 or its naira equivalent.”

Meanwhile, travel agents expressed concerns that the situation might worsen in the coming days following this visa process review.

Nigerians are now advised to consider the new requirements carefully before submitting applications, ensuring all documentation, including hotel bookings and passport data pages, meet the tightened standards set by the UAE immigration.

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