UAE announces visa-free entry for Ukrainians

The Foreign Ministry of the UAE announced on Thursday that Ukrainian citizens would continue to have visa-free entry into the country.

The UAE is also now offering Ukrainians who arrived before March 3, 2022 the ability to stay in the country for up to a year without being subject to fines. Those arriving after March 3 will have visa-free entry for 30 days, as was the policy previously.

“The UAE also provides critical services to Ukrainian nationals in the UAE who require assistance, in coordination with the Embassy of Ukraine in the UAE,” the UAE’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday also announced it would send Dhs18 million ($4.9 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The tourism authority of the UAE’s northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah said on the same day that Ukrainian tourists there, who are now stranded outside their home country, could remain in their hotels free of charge. Some 15,000 Ukrainians live in the UAE and about 250,000 visit the country as tourists yearly, according to Ukraine’s government.