United Arab Emirates has denied imposing a $10,000 bank balance and a document verification fee on Nigerian visa applicants.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed that the UAE authorities agreed to lift travel restrictions on Nigerians.
Applicants are required to obtain a document verification number from documentverificationhub.ae, which incurs a non-refundable fee of N640,000 excluding VAT for each application. This fee does not cover the visa fee. Additionally, applicants must provide a six-month bank statement with a minimum balance of $10,000.
However, inquiries by TheCable to the UAE’s Department of Economy and Tourism clarified that the DV hub website is not affiliated with the UAE government. Document verification inquiries should be directed to Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFAD).
The GDRFAD outlined that the visa application process requires a personal photo and a passport valid for at least six months. The cost of a tourist visa ranges from 200-300 dirhams (N60,000 – 90,000) depending on the length of stay. Applicants also need to provide a travel ticket and valid medical insurance for the UAE.
When asked about the $10,000 bank balance requirement, the GDRFAD stated that they are not aware of such requirements and advised applicants to make visa applications through the GDRFAD.
The spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that further clarification on the matter would be sought from the ministry’s office in the Middle East.
Gatekeepers News reports that the UAE imposed a visa ban on Nigeria two years ago due to diplomatic disputes. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s failure to remit an estimated $85 million in revenue to the UAE also led to Dubai’s Emirates Airline halting flights to Nigeria.
After discussions with the UAE government, the Nigerian government assured that the visa ban would soon be lifted.
In June, the Nigerian government also announced that it had paid 98 percent of $850 million.
