After a two-year break, Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has resumed ticket sales for Nigerian passengers ahead of its flight resumption on October 1, 2024. In addition, the visa application portal for Nigerians traveling to the UAE is now open.
This development follows Emirates’ announcement in May 2024 that it would restart operations in Nigeria, offering daily flights between Lagos and Dubai. The airline had previously suspended services in 2022 due to difficulties in repatriating funds from ticket sales in Nigeria, with outstanding debts exceeding $85 million.
Ahead of the resumption of operations within a month, Emirates has opened bookings for Nigerian passengers with a minimum fare of $665.30 (N1,059,969.41) and $8,852 for first class.
This means that from October 1, 2024, passengers wanting to travel from Lagos to Dubai or from Dubai to Lagos can book on the airline’s website. Officials told our correspondent yesterday that the visa application portal has also been opened and that Emirates Airlines has informed its travel partners in Nigeria of the development.
We are excited to inform you that the Dubai Visa Processing Centre (DVPC) has reopened and they are now accepting visa applications for passengers traveling to Dubai,” said the message seen by our correspondent.
Our correspondent found that the cost of a 60-day tourist visa is N218,450 without verification fees.
Additionally, an amnesty has been granted from September 1 for those stranded in the UAE and wishing to return home.
The Federal Authority for Status, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP) has announced a two-month visa waiver. This period marks a significant opportunity for those who are staying in the UAE illegally to change their status without incurring fines or penalties.
The amnesty is comprehensive and applies to all types of visas, including tourist visas, expired residence visas, and even those born without official documentation.
The UAE government said this comprehensiveness allows a wide range of people to benefit from the program, regardless of whether they have overstayed their visas or do not have the proper documentation.
Many Nigerians living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are expected to take advantage of the amnesty to regularize their stay or leave the country, Daily Trust reported.
A UAE-based Nigerian who spoke to our correspondent yesterday said: “For those of us who are here now, we can get a visa with the amnesty, and you can get it with all the charges and levies removed. Maybe by next week, those people in Nigeria who want to come to the UAE can begin to get visas, but for now, the amnesty is for those who are here in the UAE.”
Recall that the Federal Government announced that the UAE has lifted the visa ban on Nigerians.
As soon as the Minister of Information, Muhammad Idris made the announcement, a fake website was created stating that applicants must pay a verification fee of 640,000 naira and a margin of $10,000 in their accounts. Some who immediately paid through this website later realized that the website was fake and had nothing to do with the UAE.
The UAE disputed this condition. Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, aviation analyst and head of research at Zenith Travels, said that although visa applications have resumed, UAE authorities are still imposing restrictions on some applicants. He said there is still a chance that the government could step in to expand visa availability or deny Nigerian visas to some UAE applicants.
