ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has abolished the requirement of rapid antigen tests at airports for passengers travelling from Pakistan to Dubai.
According to the notification, the UAE has scrapped the pre-departure PCR test for inbound travellers.
While announcing a major policy shift, the UAE government said that all passengers transiting to Dubai are not required to show a negative PCR test, except those who have to show a negative PCR on arrival at the final destination.
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The ban on rapid antigen testing has also been lifted from passengers travelling to Dubai from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The new travel advisory will be effective from February 22.
Earlier in September last year, the UAE Embassy in Islamabad has reversed a decision that required Pakistanis travelling to the UAE to get a COVID-19 immunization certificate confirmed by the UAE Embassy before entering the country.
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After the decision, Pakistanis are not needed to carry an attested COVID-19 vaccination certificate to enter the UAE, as previously stated.
Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al-Zaabi told the media over the phone from Islamabad, “There is no need for attested COVID-19 vaccine certificate for passengers travelling from Pakistan to UAE. We have intimated the Pakistan Foreign Affairs about the revised decision.”
He went on to say that passengers can now travel without any such “limitation.”
