Dubai Visa for Pakistani Travelers: Solo Visa Rules & Approval Tips

Why Dubai Made the Solo Visa Rules Harder for Pakistanis

If you have asked about the Dubai tourist visa for a solo traveler from Pakistan in the few months; I highly doubt that you would have gotten a positive answer. While there isn't a stop on tourist visas for Pakistani citizens it is true that Dubai's immigration authorities have made the process much harder especially for single young male travelers (under 40).

Here is a simple guide explaining what happened the reasons behind it and how you can still get your visa approved without any trouble.

Why did Dubai make the visa rules harder?

Dubai did not stop giving visas to citizens. There are still some ways to get your tourist visa approved; the authorities just started being more careful with the selection process.

Here are the main reasons why:

1. "Visit visa to job search"

Recently there has been a lot of solo travelers who use a 90-day or 60-day tourist visa to enter the United Arab Emirates and try to find a job. Naturally many of them can't keep their budget for that 3-month trip. As a result they end up overstaying their visa or working illegally in the UAE. Therefore Dubai's immigration authorities are trying to stop these "visit visa to job search" scams by making the requirements harder for travelers.

2. Big fines for agents

If a tourist who has a visa from Dubai stays too long or disappears the travel agent who processed their application gets fined thousands of dirhams and risks losing their license. Because of this many Pakistani agents are now refusing to take travelers or asking for very high amounts of money as a deposit for an application that might not be approved.

3. Airport security screening

Dubai authorities are now more strict and careful during the security screening process especially with Pakistani visitors. If it seems to them that the applicant has money for a long stay in the UAE but doesn't have enough information about official work they will refuse them entry into the country.

 What should we do? 

Before you apply make sure your passport is valid for least 6 months you have a scanned copy of your Smart CNIC (both sides) and a bank statement. Always apply through airlines or travel agencies if you want to have, at least some chance that your visa will be approved.