Following the recent lifting of the visa ban on Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has significantly increased its visa fee for Nigerians by over 300%.
This development has sparked outrage among air travellers in the country.
At the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Rose Aikigbe expressed her frustration, stating, “This is a clear indication that the UAE government doesn’t want Nigeria in their domain. How much is the United Kingdom taking? Why is the amount so out of reach? I think the Nigerian government needs to do more engagement with the government of the United Arab Emirates; please let them do something about this hike.”
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Adejare Adebukola, a father of three with two children aspiring to study in Dubai, also voiced his concerns, urging the government to address the fee increase. “If the government refuses to do something about this hike and the UAE government also remains adamant, I am sorry my children whose dreams are to study in Dubai will have to have a change of thought,” he lamented.
On social media platform X, users have also expressed their discontent. MAYOR (@Enokeran2016) commented, “You think FG constant solicitation was for mere Nigerians? The constant appeal from the Nigerian government to lift travel bans to the UAE appears to primarily benefit wealthy individuals and politicians seeking a haven for their ill-gotten wealth, rather than ordinary Nigerians.”
NEFERTITI (@firstladyship) tweeted, “It is obvious the UAE don’t want Nigerians. They reluctantly unbanned the Nigerian passport but slammed a hefty N640,000 on Nigerians. Guess what? The money is nonrefundable & has an expiration date. This is see finish.”
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the lifting of the visa ban during a briefing with State House correspondents on Monday, following a Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu. Idris confirmed that an agreement had been reached with UAE authorities to remove travel restrictions on Nigerians immediately.
He stated that Nigerian passport holders could now travel to the UAE without any hindrance and advised those seeking information on the updated visa conditions to visit documentverificationhub.ae.
“I can tell you that the agreement has been reached and effective from today (Monday), Nigerian passport holders intending to travel to the UAE are able to do so,” Idris stated.
However, on the UAE document verification website, applicants are now required to pay N640,000 as non-refundable application fees for visas. Prior to the visa ban, the fee was $100, equivalent to N155,500 at an exchange rate of N1,555/$, making the new fee a 311.58% increase to N484,500. This new fee does not guarantee a visa, as the issued Document Verification Number is only valid for 14 days or until the visa application has been processed.
The UAE imposed a visa ban on Nigeria due to several diplomatic disputes. Additionally, Dubai’s Emirates Airline suspended flights to Nigeria because the Central Bank of Nigeria failed to remit approximately $85 million in revenue to the UAE. In June, after multiple meetings with UAE officials, the Nigerian government assured its citizens that the visa ban would soon be lifted and announced that it had paid 98% of the $850 million owed.
