Special approval for residents who are trying to return to the UAE will no longer be needed, the government said on Wednesday.
All UAE residents abroad, who have a valid visa, had to apply for approval to return to the country from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship – if they were planning to travel into any emirate except Dubai.
From today, this procedure has been removed and travel will be permitted into the country, provided travellers carry out specific procedures.
These include updating their data, including a valid Emirates ID, passport number and citizenship, at uaeentry.ica.gov.ae. This will allow residents to travel and no approval process is needed.
The ICA portal appeared to be down on Wednesday morning, possibly due to demand.
In order to facilitate returns, the @ICAUAE has developed the current procedures by replacing registration and waiting for approval, to automatically granting pre-approval without the need to submit an application and start the procedures for the return trip.
— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) August 12, 2020
Tourists are not yet permitted to travel to Abu Dhabi but can land in Dubai with a negative PCR nasal swab or DPI blood test.
Dubai, which has its own procedures, requires its residents to apply to its General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs immigration service to return to the country, as well as a negative Covid-19 test.
Tourists travelling to Dubai do not need approval but must be tested in advance, in their home country.
Only then will tourists or returning residents be allowed to leave quarantine in Dubai, if the test is negative. A 14-day quarantine is mandatory elsewhere in the UAE, regardless of the result.