From Joke Falaju, Abuja
United Arab Emirates (UAE) has denied approving stringent visa application requirements, which include $10,000 bank balance and N640,000 visa application fee.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, had on Monday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) announced that the UAE had lifted the three-year travel ban on Nigeria with conditions that were mutually beneficial.
The conditions include obtaining a document verification number (DVN) to authenticate and verify documentation essential for visa applications to the UAE. The DVN costs a non-refundable N640,000 excluding VAT for each application visa fee.
Aside this, Nigerians are required to provide proof of a six-month bank statement with a minimum balance of $10,000.But the UAE’s department of economy and tourism, in a press statement, yesterday, said the DV hub website was not affiliated with the UAE government.
The Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners’ Affairs (GDRFAD) also maintained that for visa application, one would need a personal photo and a copy of passport, which must not have less than six months validity,”
A tourist visa costs about 200-300 dirhams (N60,000 – 90,000) depending on the stay as well as a travel ticket and valid medical insurance within the UAE.
On the bank balance of $10,000, the directorate said: “We are not aware of such requirements. Make your visa applications through the GDRFAD.”
MEANWHILE, the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has visited the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, to strengthen areas of partnership and collaboration mutually beneficial to Nigeria and the UAE.
According to a statement by the Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Gabriel Odu, Dabiri-Erewa stated that NiDCOM intended to engage and sensitise Nigerians in the UAE to be good ambassadors of their country of stay and country of origin, to excel in whatever they are doing and never to forget home.
The Ambassador expressed his commitment to providing the best possible services for Nigerians, with the support of the Nigerian government. He also acknowledged the UAE’s role in safely repatriating 96 Nigerians at no cost.
