UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Traveling to UAE, then you might have to check your passport. As per the new foreigner guidelines by the country, travelers are mandated to have their full name on their passports. The rule applies to passengers with a visit visa, visa on arrival, employment, and temporary visas.
“As per instructions from the UAE Authorities, effective 21st November 2022, passengers with a single name on their passports traveling on tourist, visit or any other type of visa shall not be allowed to travel to/from UAE”. Such a passenger would not be issued a visa and in the case was issued previously then he/ she will be INAD by immigration- the guidelines further read. INAD stands for inadmissable passenger- a term used by the aviation industry to categorize people who are not allowed in the country they want to travel to and will be taken back to their country of departure by the airline they arrived on.
However, passengers traveling to the UAE on residential or employment visas, are exempted from the rule. “However, passengers with a single name on passports and in possession of a residence permit or employment visa shall be allowed to travel provided the same name is updated in the “First Name” and “Surname” columns,” it said.
Several people with just their mononym on their passports are fervently reaching out to airlines about their issue. The sudden change in plans could affect the country’s tourist ahead of the holiday season.