Media release

EU signs visa waiver agreement with the United Arab Emirates

   
Facebook Twitter Draugiem Google+
From left to right: Mr Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the EU and Ms. Ilze Juhansone, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU. © European Union4From left to right: Mr Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the EU, Ms. Ilze Juhansone, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU and Ms. Belinda Pyke, Director for Migration and Mobility, DG Migration and Home Affairs. © European Union4From left to right: Mr Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the EU, Ms. Ilze Juhansone, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU and Ms. Belinda Pyke, Director for Migration and Mobility, DG Migration and Home Affairs. © European Union4From left to right: Mr Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the EU and Ms. Ilze Juhansone, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU. © European Union4
06 May 2015

On 6 May the EU and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a short-stay visa waiver agreement at a ceremony that took place in Brussels. On behalf of the EU, the agreement was signed by representatives of the Latvian Presidency of the Council and the European Commission. For the UAE, Ambassador Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui, signed the agreement.

The new visa regime provides for visa-free travel for EU citizens when travelling to the territory of the UAE and for citizens of this country when travelling to the EU, for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period.

In order to benefit from visa-free travel, citizens from the EU and the UAE must be in possession of valid ordinary, diplomatic, service/official or special passport. Visa-free travel applies to all categories of persons and for any kind of purposes of travel (for instance tourism, cultural visits, scientific activities, family visits, business etc.), except to persons travelling for the purpose of carrying out a paid activity.

The agreement will now be sent to the European Parliament with a view to obtaining its consent before it can be concluded. However, it will apply on a provisional basis as from 6 May 2015.

Ireland and the United Kingdom will not be subject to the application of the agreement, in accordance with the protocols annexed to the EU treaties. The visa regime to these Member States remains subject to their national legislation.

Agreement between the European Union and the United Arab Emirates on the short-stay visa waiver data.consilium.europa.eu
Contact
Jānis Bērziņš
Spokesperson