UAE Says to Resume Visas for Tourists Vaccinated against Covid

A visitor walks past a Dubai billboard at the Arabian Travel market exhibition in the Gulf emirate, on May 17, 2021. (AFP)
A visitor walks past a Dubai billboard at the Arabian Travel market exhibition in the Gulf emirate, on May 17, 2021. (AFP)
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UAE Says to Resume Visas for Tourists Vaccinated against Covid

A visitor walks past a Dubai billboard at the Arabian Travel market exhibition in the Gulf emirate, on May 17, 2021. (AFP)
A visitor walks past a Dubai billboard at the Arabian Travel market exhibition in the Gulf emirate, on May 17, 2021. (AFP)

The United Arab Emirates announced it will resume issuing visas to all tourists fully vaccinated against Covid from Monday, a month before Dubai hosts the delayed Expo 2020 trade fair.

The move comes amid a drop in coronavirus infections in the Gulf country, after it reported less than 1,000 cases per day last week for the first time in months.

The UAE’s decision to reopen its doors to tourists from all countries was taken in order “to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth”, the official WAM news agency reported on Saturday.

Those eligible would have to be fully inoculated with one of the Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization, which include AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

“The decision applies to citizens of all countries, including those arriving from previously banned countries,” WAM said.

“Passengers arriving on tourist visas must take a mandatory PCR test at the airport,” it added.

While life in the UAE has largely returned to normal amid the Covid pandemic, it continues to enforce strict rules on wearing masks and social distancing.

Dubai was last year counting on the six-month Dubai Expo 2020 -- delayed a year by the health crisis and now set to open in October -- to attract millions of visitors and boost the economy.

Heavily reliant on tourism, the emirate was one of the first destinations to open its doors to travelers, accepting tourists in July last year, just a few months after the pandemic took hold.

Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, has been more cautious, opening up to some visitors only in December.

The UAE as so far recorded more than 715,000 cases of Covid-19 infection, including 2,036 deaths.



Saudi Arabia Demands End to Israeli Violations in the Region 

Palestinians look at the damage of a house destroyed by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians look at the damage of a house destroyed by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP)
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Saudi Arabia Demands End to Israeli Violations in the Region 

Palestinians look at the damage of a house destroyed by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians look at the damage of a house destroyed by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP)

Saudi Arabia condemned the ongoing violations committed by Israel, including forced displacement, unlawful annexation, settlement expansion, and repeated assaults on unarmed civilians, which it described as “blatant breaches of all principles of international law.”

Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Geneva Ambassador Abdulmohsen bin Khothaila delivered the remarks before the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday. The council was meeting for a session on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.

Khothaila stressed the “Kingdom’s firm position that a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause cannot be achieved without ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and establishing an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.”

“The Kingdom calls on the international community to assume its moral and legal responsibilities to halt the escalating Israeli crimes and violations in the region,” he added.

He urged “support for international efforts aimed at an immediate cessation of military escalation that threatens the security of civilians, as well as regional and international stability and peace.”