Since 1 January, over 5,000 UK Electronic Visa Waivers (EVW) have been completed, allowing Emirati, Qatari and Omani passport holders to travel to UK without a visa.
The scheme is proving to be extremely popular as travellers are no longer required to submit their fingerprints or pay a visa fee before travelling to the UK. Already 1,948 Emiratis, 1,369 Omanis and 2,184 Qataris have completed an EVW, however some customers are not yet familiar with how to complete an EVW form correctly.
Matt Heath, regional director for UK Visas and Immigration, said: “We are delighted by the uptake and interest in EVW. To ensure travellers enjoy a straightforward journey, we encourage them to check their EVW document against their passport as soon as they have completed it.”
He further added: “Those who travel frequently, at short notice or regularly change their travel plans, are advised to apply for a multi-entry visitor visa or longer term visa rather than an EVW. This offers more flexibility and can last up to ten years.”
A record 530,000 visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states went to Britain in 2012 (up six percent on 2011). In 2012, the UK enjoyed a record year for tourism where GBP18.6 billion was injected into the economy from overseas visitors, of which GBP1.2 bn came from the GCC countries, according to VisitBritain, Britain’s official tourist agency.
The UK is the second most visited destination by residents of UAE, with number of visits doubling in the last 10 years.
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