Pilot project begins in Karachi, allowing passengers to avoid immigration on arrival at UAE airports
Meeting between Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi and Director General of UAE Customs and Port Security Ahmed bin Lahij Al Falasi. Source: Radio Pakistan
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and the UAE have agreed to introduce a pre-immigration screening 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 taken during a meeting between a UAE delegation led by Director General of Customs and Port Security Ahmed bin Lahij Al Falasi and Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The talks focused on bilateral relations, cooperation and the simplification of travel and immigration processes.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Federal Secretary for Interior Khurram Agha were also present in the meeting.
Under the new system, immigration and associated clearances will be carried out 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 undergoing 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 the system would be gradually extended to other cities after successful implementation.
Read: Pakistan, 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 readiness to fully cooperate.
The UAE delegation also included Executive Director of Digital Transformation Juma Abdullah Al-Qabi, Executive Director 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 reported that Pakistani nationals have faced an increase in visit visa refusals in recent months, with travel agents citing high refusal rates for first-time applicants despite full documentation.
The issue was also raised in Pakistan’s Parliament, where officials said the issuance of visas had become restricted for many Pakistani passport holders. UAE authorities denied any blanket ban, saying applications were being processed according to revised criteria.
