UAE residents can now travel to Dubai without prior approval of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) or the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA), except for those arriving from 10 Asian and African countries.

Residents traveling from Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Indonesia will need to apply for a GDRFA and ICA approval before boarding their flights to Dubai.

“UAE Residence Visa holders must have GDRFA or ICA approval to enter the UAE. This does not apply to passengers who have other visas, such as newly issued residence or employment visas, short stay or long stay visa, visit visa or visa on arrival,” read a statement from a guidelines page issued by Emirates airlines.

Passengers arriving from the 10 listed countries above must present a negative COVID‑19 PCR test result with a QR code issued within 48 hours of the time the sample was collected at an approved health facility. They must also present a Rapid PCR test report with a QR code for a test conducted at the departure airport within six hours of departure.