Over 300 Pakistanis Holding Tourist Visas Denied Entry at Dubai Airport

Over 300 Pakistanis holding tourist visas were left stranded at Dubai International Airport (DXB) on Wednesday for not fulfilling the requirements.

According to the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai, 304 passengers landed in Dubai on Tuesday on flights operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and flydubai.

The confirmation comes from the Pakistan General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai. 

In a statement, GDRFA said that the travellers were denied entry at DXB over non-compliance with entry requirements for tourist visa-holders. 

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The statement further clarified that the passengers from Pakistan did not have a valid hotel reservation or a relative’s reference, nor did they have a return ticket booking, as required by the UAE’s immigration rules.

According to the instructions, passengers traveling to Dubai on a visit or tourist visas are required to have funds of at least Dh2000 and hotel booking or relative’s reference to show their place of stay during their visit.

Meanwhile, Shahid Mughal, regional manager of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) in the UAE,  has said that the “Passengers who have (the required) funds would be able to enter the country or their PROs can arrange their entry. The rest of the passengers will be flown back to Pakistan”.

“We received a circular from the local immigration authorities yesterday. Visitors on tourist visas have to show they have Dh2,000 [to support their stay] and hotel booking or prove they have relatives whom they are visiting”, he added.

“PIA team and a team from the Consulate General of Pakistan are in touch with the local authorities to see if they will be allowed to leave the airport,” he said.