The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has enforced tougher travel measures targeting Nigerians, which now include a halt on transit visa applications and newly introduced conditions for tourist visa seekers.
These fresh directives, relayed to Nigerian travel consultants on Tuesday and confirmed by Daily Trust, have caused unease within the tourism and travel industry.
As part of a major change likely to significantly limit visits from Nigeria to Dubai—one of the most visited UAE cities for business and recreation—Nigerians aged between 18 and 45 can no longer obtain tourist visas unless accompanied.
This shift comes nearly a year after the UAE lifted a two-year visa restriction on Nigerian nationals, a decision initially seen as positive but followed by strict re-entry rules.
Travel experts who spoke with Daily Trust stated that the process has become even more difficult under the updated visa rules.
A message issued by Dubai immigration to travel agencies confirmed that Nigerian applicants will no longer be eligible to apply for transit visas.
The message added, “For Nigeria 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 45yrs or above must provide a Single Nigerian personal bank statement for a period of last six months, with each month’s end balance reflecting a minimum ending balance of USD 10,000 or its naira equivalent.
“Kindly note that the above points must be taken into consideration before sending your applications with other existing documents such as hotel reservation, data page, etc.”
Updated UAE Visa Requirements for Nigerians:
• Nigerian applicants are no longer permitted to apply for transit visas.
• Those aged 18 to 45 will not be issued tourist visas if traveling alone.
• Applicants aged 45 and above are required to present:
• A six-month personal bank statement from a Nigerian financial institution.
• Each monthly statement must show at least a $10,000 closing balance or the naira equivalent.
• Standard documents like hotel reservations and passport biodata pages remain mandatory.
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