Visit visas for Pakistani passport holders
After months of delays and closer scrutiny, the UAE resumed issuing visit visas to ordinary Pakistani passport holders applying through registered travel agents. An official at the UAE embassy in Pakistan confirmed the position in August 2026, and travel agents reported that family applications were being processed more smoothly. Daily passenger numbers to Dubai had recovered to around 400 by late July, still below the roughly 1,000 a day seen before the slowdown.
In July 2026, business groups in Pakistan reported that visas were not being issued in any category, while UAE officials maintained that no ban was in place. In September 2026, Pakistan's Foreign Office rejected reports of restrictions, saying the UAE issues 40,000 to 50,000 employment visas to Pakistanis a year, against 7,000 to 8,000 repatriations, mostly for overstaying or minor offences.
The UAE has also announced facilitation measures for Pakistani applicants, including online processing, e-visas without a passport stamp and a visa centre in Pakistan handling around 500 applications a day.
Sources: Arab News Pakistan (Waseem Abbasi, 1 August 2026); Arab News Pakistan (Waseem Abbasi, 10 September 2026); The Express Tribune (Usman Hanif, 28 July 2026); Khaleej Times (Waheed Abbas, 27 November 2025).
Documents to carry
Travel agents and airport staff in the UAE advise visit visa holders to be ready to show:
- A confirmed return or onward ticket.
- Proof of accommodation: a hotel booking, or the address and Emirates ID of the relative or friend you are staying with.
- Proof of funds: around AED 3,000 in cash or on a card for a one-month visa, and around AED 5,000 for two months.
These checks are applied at random on arrival. Applying with complete, genuine documents is the most reliable way to avoid a rejected application.
Sources: Khaleej Times (SM Ayaz Zakir, 27 July 2024).
Leaving Pakistan: airport checks
Staff from the FIA, the passport authorities and the Protector of Emigrants have been placed at international airports across Pakistan to check travel documents before passengers reach the immigration counter. The checks cover travellers going abroad for work, tourism, Umrah and religious travel, and aim to resolve missing papers before departure rather than at the gate.
The FIA has said that passengers are stopped only when their documents are not valid, when the companies named on their visas or permits do not exist, or when human smuggling is suspected. Pakistan's Interior Minister has said that no passenger with genuine and complete documents should be stopped from travelling.
Pakistan and the UAE have also agreed a Pre-Immigration Clearance arrangement, under which UAE immigration would be completed in Pakistan so that passengers can leave the airport on arrival as domestic passengers. A pilot is planned at Karachi; until it is announced as live, the usual immigration process applies on arrival in the UAE.
Sources: The Express Tribune (Talib Fareedi, 1 October 2026); Dawn (News Desk, 27 November 2025); Gulf News (A Ahmed, 30 November 2025); Arab News Pakistan (Staff report, 13 January 2026).
Passports: the move to e-passports
Since 15 October 2026, Pakistan no longer issues machine-readable passports, and all new applicants receive e-passports. Machine-readable passports issued before that date remain valid for travel until the expiry date printed in them.
Sources: Gulf News (Ashfaq Ahmed, 28 September 2026).
Flights and the regional situation
Since late February 2026, hostilities involving the United States and Iran have disrupted air travel across the Gulf. In March 2026, Pakistan's Foreign Office advised its nationals in the Gulf to exercise caution, avoid unnecessary travel and follow the instructions of the host government, and opened a crisis management unit, reachable around the clock on +92 51 9207887.
UAE airports are open, but cancellations still occur at short notice on some Pakistan routes. On 14 October, Air Arabia cancelled its Sharjah flights to and from Karachi and Quetta, and Etihad listed an Abu Dhabi to Multan flight as cancelled. On 11 October, Air Arabia had cancelled its Sharjah flights to and from Karachi and Islamabad and its Abu Dhabi flights to and from Faisalabad, and an airblue Dubai to Lahore flight was cancelled on 9 October. flydubai has also suspended its Dubai services to Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar since May; its office in Pakistan gave 26 October as the end date, while its Karachi flights continue, so travellers from those three cities should confirm the restart with flydubai or choose another airline. Flights between the UAE and Saudi Arabia are more widely disrupted after attacks on Riyadh's airport. Airlines ask passengers to check their flight status before travelling to the airport and to arrive at least three hours before departure, or four hours for flydubai.
Sources: Dawn (News Desk, 1 March 2026); Gulf News (Lekshmy Pavithran, 14 October 2026); Gulf News (Lekshmy Pavithran, 11 October 2026); Gulf News (Dhanusha Gokulan, 9 October 2026); Dawn (Mohammad Asghar, 14 May 2026); The National (David Tusing and Farah Andrews, 13 May 2026).
Customs: money and medicines
Each traveller over 18 may bring up to AED 60,000, or the equivalent in other currencies, without declaring it. Cash, financial instruments, precious metals and stones above that amount must be declared, which can be done in advance through the Afseh app.
Prescribed medicines can be brought in for personal use in normal quantities. Narcotic, psychotropic and other controlled medicines cannot be imported freely: carry the prescription and the medical report, and keep to the quantity the Ministry of Health and Prevention allows, which is up to three months' supply. The Ministry's online permit service lets you obtain approval for your medicines before you travel.
Sources: Khaleej Times (Ismail Sebugwaawo, 14 February 2023); UAE Government portal (u.ae) (Official information page); UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (Official service page).
Overstaying a visit visa
Overstaying a visit or tourist visa is fined at AED 50 a day. Pakistan's Foreign Office has said that overstaying after a visit visa expires is one of the most common reasons Pakistanis are sent home from the UAE, so plan your return within the validity of your visa.
Sources: Khaleej Times (Ruqayya Al Qaydi, 13 August 2023); Arab News Pakistan (Waseem Abbasi, 10 September 2026).
Travel advisories for other destinations. This advisory is general information, not legal advice. Entry and exit requirements are set by the UAE and Pakistani authorities and can change without notice. Before you travel, confirm the requirements for your own trip with your airline and with our team.