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India has started issuing five-year multiple-entry business and tourist visas for UAE citizens, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri announced on Thursday.
Speaking at the 73rd Indian Independence Day celebrations held at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Suri said the embassy has also started implementing a new biometric system for facilitating the five-year multiple entry visa applications.
“The new biometric system for visa applicants and the introduction of five years’ multiple-entry tourist and business visas for the UAE citizens are aimed at further strengthening trade and investment and people-to-people links between the two countries,” he said during his speech after hoisting the Indian national flag at the mission.
The ambassador said that the infrastructure to issue five-year multiple-entry business and tourist visas for Emiratis had been recently installed at all centres of the service provider in the UAE [BLS International].
Though the embassy had announced plans to implement the five-year multiple-entry business visa scheme for Emiratis in 2017, he explained that the scheme could not be comprehensively implemented due to the lack of infrastructure facilities for recording biometric details of the applicants.
“Now it is easier as it is all done over the biometric system. Any Emirati who is willing to provide biometrics for the first time for these two visas can apply. This will further boost the trade, investment and tourism links between the two countries.”
Bilateral trade between the UAE and India recently crossed $60 billion. The two nations have set $100 billion trade target by 2020.
He informed the community members about the ‘Open House’ policy of the mission in which any Indian national can meet any official of the Embassy without appointment between 9am to 12:30pm every working day.
The Ambassador thanked the community in Abu Dhabi for commemorating the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in a befitting way by arranging blood donations by 550 people in coordination with Abu Dhabi Blood Bank.
He also invited everyone to join the celebrations at Indian Social Centre Abu Dhabi on August 23.
The flag hoisting ceremony was witnessed by more than 800 people including members of Indian community and friends of India. Children dressed in traditional Indian attires reflecting the diversity of India sang the National Anthem.
