UAE tourism and business travel to Schengen countries in the European Union will be easy and without visa soon. UAE diplomacy has achieved another victory towards realizing a Schengen visa waiver, which will allow Emiratis visa-free travel to any of all 28 Schengen states, said Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister.
“UAE Schengen waiver soon,” Shaikh Abdullah tweeted on Friday, attaching a video produced by the Foreign Ministry showing an animation of the Schengen countries UAE citizens will be allowed visa-free access to.
UAE citizens will be allowed access to 34 European countries [including 28 Schengen states. Countries include popular destinations such as Malta, Belgium, Germany,Greece, Sweden, and Finland. UAE citizens will be allowed to stay for 90 uninterrupted days, or 6 months with interruption. In emergencies, citizens need to coordinate with the UAE missions in these countries to negotiate longer stays.
Shaikh Abdullah thanked Sulaiman Al Mazroui, UAE Ambassador to the European Union, for his efforts and his team’s towards attaining this achievement.
The ambassador to the EU said the proposal to grant the UAE Schengen visa-free status was passed by the European Parliament in June last year, with 523 out of 577 votes.
Emiratis will in the next few days no longer require a visa for short stays (up to 90 days) in the Schengen area, whether for business, tourist or family visit purposes.
The UAE is the first Arab country, second in the Middle East, and third among Islamic countries whose citizens receive this visa waiver, said Al Mazroui, a diplomat who has been hard at work towards abolishing the travel restrictions imposed on UAE citizens.
Trade between the 28 members of the EU states and the UAE rose in 2012 by 9.7 per cent year-on-year and hit €45.4 billion, according to EU data.
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