UAE made a visa-free destination for Maldivians

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid (L) with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) at UAE on November 30, 2018. (Photo/Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been made a visa-free destination for Maldivian citizens starting from the beginning of 2019.

The visa agreement between Maldives and UAE was signed during Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid’s visit to UAE in November.

Speaking during a press conference this Monday, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Khaleel said all arrangements for the visa waiver to Maldivian citizens, including providing the information to airlines, has now been settled.

Khaleel said all Maldivian citizens, irrelevant of category, will receive a one-month visa upon arrival to UAE.

He also said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was working on making visa-free agreements with other countries, one country at a time.

Visa-free travel to UAE comes at the heels of an agreement to facilitate visa arrangements between Maldives and India to allow for greater convenience for citizens of both countries.