UK gives visa-free travel to Emiratis

ABU DHABI: Emiratis will be able to visit the UK without a visa from early next year.

The new electronic visa waiver will be free, and can be obtained up to 48 hours before departure.

It will be available online and replaces the existing time-consuming system of providing biometric information, booking an appointment at a visa application centre and handing over your passport.

“I am very pleased that the British government is enabling easier access to the UK for Emiratis,” said Dominic Jermey, the British ambassador to the UAE.

“As you know, the UK is sometimes known as the ‘Eighth Emirate’. The UK and UAE share many close ties and our nationals are frequent visitors to each other’s shores. I look forward to welcoming many more Emiratis to the UK.”

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the visa waiver would strengthen relations between the two countries, especially in the areas of economy, health, tourism and culture.

The breakthrough means Britain has overtaken the 26 Western European nations in the Schengen area in offering visa-free travel to Emiratis. That process has been approved by various committees of the European Parliament, but awaits a vote by the full parliament and the Council of Ministers, which is not expected before the middle of next year.

The new visa waiver was announced by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, at the Lord Mayor of London’s annual banquet. It is expected to become available early next year to citizens of the UAE, Oman and Qatar, and to Kuwaitis later in the year.

Last year, 530,000 visitors from the GCC travelled to the UK, up 6 per cent on the previous year. Gulf visitors are the biggest spenders, parting with more than Dh12,000 per person per visit, according to VisitBritain.

The number of visits to the UK by Emiratis has doubled in the past decade.