The lifting of the visa ban on Nigerian passport holders by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government comes with updated controls and conditions for obtaining a UAE visa.
A major requirement is a compulsory document verification process for all Nigerian travellers above 13 years before they can proceed with the visa application process. Travelers must first obtain a Document Verification Number (DVN) upon successful review.
The Document Verification Hub, a specialized service designed to authenticate and verify documentation essential for visa applications, is where Nigerian travellers must verify their documents. This mandatory verification process requires a non-refundable fee of N688,000.
Nairametrics visited the Document Verification Hub to confirm the exact cost of document verification for Nigerian passport holders.
In the first step of the application process, the following information is required: given names, surname, country of residence, date of birth, NIN, passport information (of a valid Nigerian standard passport), email address, travel arrival and departure dates, and passport data page.
After providing the required information, the next step is the “Payment” section, which involves choosing a payment option from the available ones, including OptimusPay and Flutterwave.
Using the former option, the total charge amounted to N688,000, which includes N640,000 for the document verification fee and N48,000 for the 7.5% Value Added Tax.
More insight
The Document Verification Number (DVN), which serves as proof that all submitted documents are genuine, should be emailed to the Nigerian passport holder applicant within 5 working days of the application process payment. Once the DVN is received, the applicant can proceed with their UAE visa application.
It is important to note that the DVN will be valid for 14 days from the date of issuance or until the visa application is processed by the visa application department, whichever comes first.
To obtain a UAE visa, Nigerian passport holders must fulfil five requirements:
- Document Verification Number (DVN): A valid DVN confirming the authenticity of submitted documents.
- Proof of Bank Account: A six-month bank statement showing a minimum balance of $10,000 USD.
- Round-Trip Flight Tickets: Evidence of booked round-trip flight tickets.
- Hotel Booking: Proof of a confirmed and paid hotel booking.
- Visa Fee Payment: The visa fee must be paid by credit card at the UAE Visa Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. For Nigerians residing abroad, the fee can be paid at the nearest UAE Visa Centre.
What you should know
On Monday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced that the Federal Government has secured an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), allowing Nigerian passport holders to obtain visas for travel to the UAE from July 15, 2024.
The Minister noted that this resumption of travel is the result of successful talks and extensive negotiations between the UAE and Nigeria, leading to updated requirements and conditions for obtaining a UAE visa.
The UAE government has confirmed that Nigerian passport holders can now visit the UAE, provided they first obtain a Document Verification Number (DVN) before applying for their visa.