How Does The New Rule Issued By The UAE Impact Fresh Travellers? Is There Any Alternative? 

With several Indians looking to travel to the UAE for employment and other purposes this piece of information would come across as anything but pleasant. According to a new rule issued by the country that came into force on November 21, passengers travelling to the emirates are supposed to have both first and last names on their passports. This implies that those without their surname or just having a single name will be barred from entering the Gulf country. 

A circular issued by a prominent domestic and international airlines to travel agents on Monday specifies, “As per instructions from the UAE Authorities, effective 21st November 2022, passengers with a single name on their passports travelling on tourist, visit or any other type of visa shall not be allowed to travel to/from UAE.” 

However, passengers coming to the UAE on residential or employment visas will be spared from the rule. “Passengers with a single name on passports and in possession of a residence permit or employment visa shall be allowed to travel provided the same name is updated in the “First Name” and “Surname” columns,” the circular issued by the airline added further. 

This means from now on if you are planning to travel to the UAE then you must ensure that you have a surname on the passport. Those who don’t have a surname please read further to know how to add a surname to the passport: 

  • Firstly, you must register on the Passport Seva Portal to apply for a new or reissued passport through e-Form Submission 
  • Download the e-Form to apply for a new passport or a reissue 
  • Fill out the e-Form downloaded and click the Validate & Save button. It will create an XML file to upload to the system later 
  • Using the Upload e-Form, upload the XML file. Following this, you should submit only XML files, not PDF 
  • To schedule an appointment at Passport Seva Kendra, opt for the “Pay and Schedule Appointment” tab after downloading the paperwork for a new or reissued passport (PSK) 
  • Select your PSK from the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) locations list. 
  • You could pay online using a Credit/Debit Card (MasterCard & Visa), Internet Banking (State Bank of India (SBI) and Associate Banks Only), or SBI Bank Challan after making an appointment at a specified PSK 

Following this, you must go to the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) where an appointment has been fixed, along with original papers such as Proof of Date of Birth, Identity Proof with Photograph, Proof of Residence and Proof of Nationality 

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