UAE-UK travel: No visas required for citizens from 2023

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UAE citizens will no longer require a visa prior to travel to the United Kingdom from next year, said Mansoor Abulhoul, UAE’s ambassador to the UK.

The Emirates will be one of the first countries to enjoy this facility under the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, which will be rolled out in 2023.

“It’s important that I follow up a very exciting announcement that we have had by the UK government on visas, particularly on the Electronic Travel Authorisation system which is coming into place early next year whereby UAE will be granted access in the system, making it easier to travel for Emirati nationals to the United Kingdom,” Abulhoul said in a video message on Twitter.

“It is a country which is loved so much and so much time spent in, invested so much money in. I think this is a wonderful development and just wanted to express thanks to the UK government and tireless work of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy in London,” he said, adding that this development will bring much more opportunities in the relationship.

“Reducing travel restrictions for Emiratis has been a top priority for me. I'm proud our efforts now mean Emiratis seeking to visit the UK can now achieve greater ease of travel,” Abulhoul said in a tweet on Monday.

In addition to the UAE, other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are reported to be part of the ETA scheme as well.

The UAE passport has been ranked one of the strong in the world, ranked 15th in the Henley Passport Index earlier this year globally and first in the Arab World. This enable UAE citizens to travel with ease to different to different countries and visa-on-arrival score of 175.