UAE: Pakistan, other countries allowed transit flights from Aug 5

Earlier, the UAE had banned passengers from many South Asian and African countries for several months owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the NCEMA, a ban on entry to the UAE for passengers from these countries would also be lifted for those with valid residencies and who are certified by Emirati authorities as fully vaccinated.

In a tweet, the authority said passengers travelling from countries where flights had been suspended would be able to transit through its airports from coming Thursday as long as they present negative PCR tests taken 72 hours prior to departure.

The authority further said final destination approval would also have to be provided and that the UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers. The transit ban had also included Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Uganda.

However, those with valid residencies and certified by the Emirati authorities as fully vaccinated, would need to apply for online entry permits prior to travelling and would need to present a negative PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure.

Professionals working in the medical, educational or government sectors in the Gulf Arab state as well as those studying or completing medical treatment in the UAE besides humanitarian cases would be exempt from the vaccination requirement, the authority further said in the tweet.