Pilot project to begin in Karachi, allowing passengers to skip arrival immigration at UAE airports
Meeting between Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi and UAE Director General 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, enabling them to bypass lengthy procedures on 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’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The talks focused on bilateral relations, cooperation and simplifying travel and immigration processes.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Federal Secretary for Interior Khurram Agha were also present at the meeting.
Under the new system, immigration and related clearance will be completed in Pakistan prior to 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 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 finalise the administrative and technical framework, and that the system would be gradually expanded to other cities after successful implementation.
Read: Pakistan-UAE sign MoU on mutual exemption of entry visa requirements
The UAE delegation termed the initiative beneficial for people of both countries and expressed readiness to cooperate fully.
The UAE delegation also included Executive Director for Digital Transformation Juma Abdullah Al-Qabi, Executive Director for 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 Pakistani nationals have faced increased visit visa rejections in recent months, with travel agents citing high refusal rates for first-time applicants despite complete documentation.
The issue has also been raised in Pakistan’s parliament, where officials claimed visa issuance had become restricted for many Pakistani passport holders. UAE authorities have denied any blanket ban, saying applications are being processed under revised criteria.
