Pilot project to start in Karachi, allowing passengers to bypass arrival immigration at UAE airports
Meeting between the Minister of the Interior, Mohsin Naqvi, and the Director General of UAE Customs and Port Security, Ahmed bin Lahij Al Falasi. Source: Radio Pakistan
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to introduce a pre-immigration clearance system that will allow passengers to complete immigration formalities before departure, allowing them to avoid lengthy procedures upon arrival at UAE airports.
The decision was made during a meeting between a UAE delegation led by Director General of Customs and Port Security Ahmed bin Lahij Al Falasi and Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The talks focused on bilateral relations, cooperation and simplification of travel and immigration processes.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Talal Chaudhry and Federal Secretary for Home Affairs Khurram Agha were also present at the meeting.
Under the new system, immigration and related formalities will be completed in Pakistan before departure, Naqvi said. As a result, passengers arriving in the UAE will be treated as domestic arrivals and will be able to leave airports without going through standard immigration checks.
He said the initiative would facilitate travel, save time, reduce congestion at airports and significantly improve the overall passenger experience.
The system will initially be launched as a pilot project in Karachi. Both sides agreed that relevant authorities would continue coordination to finalize the administrative and technical framework, and that the system would gradually expand to other cities after successful implementation.
Read: Pakistan and UAE sign MoU on mutual exemption from entry visa requirements
The UAE delegation described the initiative as beneficial for the people of both countries and expressed its willingness to cooperate fully.
The UAE delegation also included Chief Executive Officer of Digital Transformation Juma Abdullah Al-Qabi, Chief Executive Officer of Airports Hammad Saif Al-Mashghouni and other senior officials.
The announcement comes amid recent concerns over visa processing between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Media reports have said that Pakistani citizens have faced a rise in visit visa rejections in recent months, with travel agents citing high rejection rates for first-time applicants despite complete documentation.
The issue was also raised in Pakistan’s parliament, where officials claimed that visa issuance had been restricted for many Pakistani passport holders. UAE authorities have denied any blanket ban, saying applications are being processed based on revised criteria.
