Pilot project begins in Karachi, allowing passengers to skip arrivals immigration at UAE airports
Meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and UAE Director General of Customs and Port Security, Ahmed bin Lahij Al Falasi. Source: Radio Pakistan
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and the UAE have agreed to introduce a pre-immigration clearance system that will allow passengers to complete immigration formalities before departure, enabling them to bypass lengthy procedures on arrival at UAE airports.
The decision was taken during a meeting between a UAE delegation led by the Director General of Customs and Port Security Ahmed bin Lahij Al Falasi and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The talks focused on bilateral relations, cooperation and simplification of travel and immigration processes.
Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry and Federal Interior Minister Khurram Agha were also present at the meeting.
Under the new system, immigration and related clearance 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 exit airports without going through standard immigration checks.
He said the initiative would make travel easier, 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 be gradually expanded to other cities after successful implementation.
Read: Pakistan-UAE signs MoU on mutual waiver of entry visa requirements
The UAE delegation termed the initiative as beneficial to people of both countries and expressed willingness to cooperate fully.
The UAE delegation also included CEO of Digital Transformation Juma Abdullah Al-Qabi, CEO of Airports Hammad Saif Al-Mashghouni and other senior officials.
The announcement comes amid recent concerns over visa processing between Pakistan and the UAE. Media reports have said that Pakistani nationals have faced increased refusals of visit visas in recent months, with travel agencies citing high rejection rates for first-time applicants despite complete documentation.
The issue has also been raised in Pakistan’s parliament, where officials claimed that visa issuance had been restricted for many Pakistani passport holders. UAE authorities have rejected a blanket ban and say applications are being processed according to revised criteria.
