Residents of Dubai will first need to get permission from government officials before they are allowed to enter the emirate under updated rules from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs – even if they are only leaving the UAE for a short holiday. Dubai had banned expat residents who were out of the country from returning as part of its Coronavirus lockdown restrictions but has recently started to allow residents who were stranded abroad to return so long as they get approval first.
But as Dubai gets set to once again welcome tourists beginning July 7, it’s been revealed that residents who currently live in the country will also need to get permission to reenter if they happen to leave for any reason. The GDRFA says an application could be rejected as a “precautionary measure” but does not list what countries could trigger a rejection.
Unlike tourists who can travel to Dubai with a negative COVID-19 test certificate dated within four days of travel, returning residents will need to have a test on their arrival in Dubai. They will then have to self-isolate until the test results are returned. A positive test result could end up with residents being placed into a government quarantine facility.
Residents must agree as part of their application to bear the cost of any COVID-19 treatment should their test result come back as positive on their return.
Emirates notes on its website that residents do not need to get approval before leaving Dubai but it would be wise to get approval before leaving the country and then finding out your reentry application has been rejected.
Within the last few days, Emirates has announced the addition of seven new routes, bringing its total post-COVID network to 48 destinations. Throughout July, Emirates will add flights to Khartoum, Amman, Osaka, Narita, Athens, Larnaca, and Rome. The airline will also bring its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft back into service on flights to London Heathrow and Paris.
Flights from Pakistan, however, remain grounded after a string of passenger tested positive for COVID-19 after connecting through Dubai and ending up in Hong Kong. Emirates says it is hoping to restore service as soon as it is safe to do so.
