31,000 expats approved to return to UAE, 200,000 returnees eyed

  DUBAI – An official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that 31,000 expatriates stranded abroad have been approved to return to the UAE. The approvals for the expats with valid residence visa were given between March 25 and June 8, according to Khaled Abdullah Belhoul, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Belhoul said the UAE is targeting the return of approximately 200,000 residence visa holders to the UAE. He said that the next phase will focus on the return of families. Currently, residency holders who want to return to the UAE must register for approval through the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) website in order to get an ICA approval number that is needed to book flight tickets and re-enter the UAE.
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All passengers arriving in the UAE are given mandatory Covid-19 testing on arrival and will be required to stay in quarantine for 14 days. On May 18, the ministry and ICA announced that expatriates who wish to return to the UAE must have a valid residency visa and a family in the UAE to apply for approval to return to the emirates. The service is available to expatriates with a valid residence visa but are currently outside the country due to the coronavirus pandemic and need to return to the UAE for urgent work or emergency. The free service aims to facilitate their safe return to the UAE in emergency situations, particularly during the pandemic. The Ministry advised applicants not to book their travel tickets in advance unless they have received approval of their application. “After getting the application approvals, please proceed to book your travel tickets as per your actual traveling dates,” the Ministry added. Those without emergencies or urgent reasons to return to the UAE amid movement restrictions due to the pandemic are urged to wait until immigration and travel policies return to normal.

Expats plead to return to UAE

Amid ongoing travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 crisis, UAE residents stuck abroad have taken to social media to ask the UAE government for help in returning to the emirates. Hundreds of expats have left messages for help on Expat Media’s Facebook page and several posts related to limited flights into the country. The distressed expats include Indian national Mary C. whose elderly mother is alone in UAE while her father is in Al Aweer prison; Princess Violeta, who is running out of money to support her family in the Philippines, and a South African couple who flew home to get married only to have their wedding cancelled by the Covid-19 crisis. Read their full story Many expressed distress at having their application to re-enter the country rejected. Currently, only those with approval from the ICA can book flights to return to the UAE.

How to register for ICA approval to return to UAE

1. Go to the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship website https://smartservices.ica.gov.ae or click here   2. Key in your information, including Emirates ID number, passport number and the reason you left the UAE. 3. Attach supporting documents: - Coloured photo - Copy of residence visa - Passport copy - Proof of reason you left the UAE (letter from company in case of business trip, or flight tickets) - Return ticket to UAE (optional) Residents stranded abroad when flights were grounded in March have received permission to return to the UAE. On May 9, Etihad has started limited flights to Abu Dhabi for those who received permission to return to the country. Emirates also announced that it has opened flight bookings for similar flights back to Dubai. https://www.expatmedia.net/emirates-etihad-open-flights-allow-expats-return-uae/2020/05/ Those with exceptional cases have been flown into the UAE since the coronavirus pandemic disrupted travel around the world, as in the case of a couple who were stranded in South Africa when borders closed. Dubai-based expats Mark and Chiara Hill arrived in the emirate on a special flight arranged by the UAE government so they can be reunited with their daughter. ICA/Expat Media
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