UAE relaxes visa rules for Indians

NEW DELHI: The relationship between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India is "strengthening further" and a major step in that direction is the relaxation of visa rules by the Gulf country for Indian nationals, its envoy said on Thursday. Ambassador of the UAE to India Ahmed Albanna said the decision of the "UAE cabinet to grant visa-on-arrival to Indian passport holders with residence visa from the UK and the European Union" would be a key facilitator of people-to- people bilateral ties. The first step towards having a simplified visa process was the signing of an MoU between India and the UAE on mutual exemption of entry visa requirements to the holders of diplomatic, special and official passports. "The agreement signed during the second visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, as Chief Guest for India's Republic Day celebrations this year, allows holders of diplomatic, special and official passports visa free travel between the two countries," Albanna said in a statement issued by the UAE Embassy here. Earlier this year, the UAE government also had announced that Indian passport holders with a valid American visa or a Green Card, will be eligible to obtain a UAE visa on arrival, he said. Hopefully, there would be more measures in days to come to further improve the long-term strategic partnership between the two countries, the envoy said