Photo used for illustrative purpose only.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The UAE has announced that Indians, Pakistanis, Nepalese, Ugandans and Nigerians with valid visas can return to the Emirates after obtaining prior approval from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA).

The authorities urged everyone with valid visas to apply for the ICA entry permit.

The ICA website, as of Tuesday, did not have any section where people could seek permission to travel to the UAE.

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However, it is believed that website will be updated soon to allow residents to choose the entry permit option.

The decision to ban flights from these countries was taken with the emergence of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant.

 Picture used for illustrative purpose.

The variant forced authorities to issue stringent travel procedures.

However, they would need to apply for online entry permits prior to travelling and would also need to present a negative PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure.

The news comes as a big relief to thousands of UAE residents who are stranded abroad due to the pandemic and are waiting for reopening of flights to land at the country’s airport.

The UAE and regional airlines have confirmed that such a circular was issued and is within the travelling procedures.

However, all other requirements for travelling to UAE, such as the COVID-19 tests and precautionary measures, remain in place.