On October 21, 2022, the UAE government announced a ban on 20 African countries, including Nigeria.

However, on July 15, 2024, Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, announced that the ban “had been lifted following a mutually beneficial discussion” between Nigeria and the UAE.

Also read: Applicants decry N640,000 UAE visa fee hike

Since this announcement, there has been a frenzy of information activities in the media.

Visa Fees and Banking Requirements:

Changes are imminent and reveal a source close to the UAE. Following the recent lifting of the visa ban, the UAE imposed more controls on the visa process, requiring document verification to ensure the authenticity of documents submitted by applicants.

The Document Verification Number (DVN) fee was structured at 640,000 NGN by the website managing the DVN process, documentverificationhub.ae. Additionally, a bank balance of 15 million naira was requested as a precondition to obtain a visa.

These stringent fees and banking requirements have caused significant concern and backlash among Nigerian travellers and stakeholders.

Potential Review and Reduction of Fees:

In response to the widespread concern, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) requested through official channels that the UAE reconsider these fees.

However, only the UAE has the power to lower these stringent conditions, something the Nigerian government has been actively pushing for.

Sources close to the UAE have revealed that a new and revised rate for DVN and the bank balance requirement is imminent. This potential review aims to make it more affordable for Nigerians to visit the UAE for tourism, business, and family visits.

The FG’s efforts appear to have been successful, with several sources confirming that the UAE is seriously considering revising the fee structure.

Impact on Nigerian Travelers:

A reduction in DVN and visa fees would alleviate the financial burden on Nigerian travellers, making it easier for them to visit the UAE. This move is expected to foster stronger ties between the two nations, encouraging more tourism, business engagements, and cultural exchanges.

Lowering the fees would likely increase the number of Nigerian visitors to the UAE, boosting tourism and economic activities. It would also provide an opportunity for more Nigerians to explore business and investment opportunities in the UAE.

Timeline and Implementation:

Although the exact timeline for the fee reduction has not been announced, changes are anticipated soon.

Detailed guidelines and updated fee structures are expected following the review.

The potential reduction of visa and DVN fees underscores the UAE’s commitment to maintaining strong bilateral relations with Nigeria.

This development signifies a positive step towards more inclusive and affordable travel policies, benefiting Nigerian citizens and enhancing diplomatic ties.

The DVN will improve Nigeria’s image in the UAE, hoping that more credible people will be able to travel & do business in UAE with ease and remove negative perception from the few Nigerians involved in crime

Following the lifting of the visa ban on Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates Government has increased its visa fee by over 300 per cent, which has been condemned by air travellers in the country.

Expressing anger over the development, a traveller at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Rose Aikigbe, said “This is a clear indication that the UAE government doesn’t want Nigeria in their domain. How much is the United Kingdom taking? Why is the amount so out of reach?

Also read: EU raises Schengen visa fee to €90

“I think the Nigerian government needs to do more engagement with the government of the United Arab Emirates, please let them do something to this hike.”

Also, a father of three, Adejare Adebukola, who claimed to have two children willing to study in Dubai, begged the government to act on the hike to save his children’s dream.

“If the government refuses to do something about this hike and the UAE government also remains adamant, I am sorry my children whose dreams are to study in Dubai will have to have a change of thought.”

On X, MAYOR @Enokeran2016 said, “You think FG constant solicitation was for mere Nigerians? The constant appeal from the Nigerian government to lift travel bans to the UAE appears to primarily benefit wealthy individuals and politicians seeking a haven for their ill-gotten wealth, rather than ordinary Nigerians.”

NEFERTITI with X handle @firstladyship stated, “It is obvious the UAE don’t want Nigerians. They reluctantly unbanned the Nigerian passport but slammed a hefty N640,000 on Nigerians.

“Guess what? The money is nonrefundable & has an expiration date. This is see finish.”

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the lifting of the ban while briefing the State House correspondents on Monday after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

Idris said the Federal Government and the UAE authorities had reached an agreement vacating travel restrictions imposed on Nigerians with immediate effect.

The minister revealed that Nigerian passport holders can now travel to the UAE without any form of hindrance. He also asked Nigerians seeking information on the updated UAE visa conditions can visit documentverificationhub.ae for further details.

He said, “I can tell you that the agreement has been reached and effective from today (Monday), Nigerian passport holders intending to travel to the UAE are able to do so.”

Our correspondent observed on the United Arab Emirates document verification website

that applicants were required to pay N640,000 as non-refundable application fees for visas.

Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that before the visa ban, the fee was $100, amounting to N155,500, using the currency exchange of N1,555/$.

The hike of the visa fee to N484,500 indicates a 311.58 per cent rise.

The N640,000 fee does not guarantee a visa to UAE as the issued Document Verification Number will only be valid for 14 days of issuance or once the visa application has been processed by the visa application department.

It will be recalled that the UAE imposed the visa ban on Nigeria in connection with several diplomatic disputes.

Additionally, Dubai’s Emirates Airline halted flights to Nigeria because the Central Bank of Nigeria couldn’t remit an estimated $85 million in revenue to the UAE.

In June, following several meetings with the UAE government, the Federal Government assured Nigerians that the visa ban would soon be lifted. During the same month, the Nigerian government announced that it had paid 98 per cent of $850m.

More expenses await African nationals seeking visas to enter the European Union as the EU plans to increase visa fees starting Tuesday, according to Schengen visa statistics released on Saturday.

The report stated that starting from Tuesday; African nationals would pay €90 instead of €80 for a Schengen visa application

Also read : UK new Visa rules and how they affect Nigerians, other immigrants

The report stated that the EU had earned €3.4m from rejected Schengen visa applications submitted by Nigerian citizens.

According to the data, in 2023, African nationals received 704,000 negative responses for their visa requests.

“This means that €56.3m went up in smoke, considering that visa application fees are not refundable,” it stated.

The report noted that a high number of rejected visa applications had caused African nationals to spend millions every year, with the fees known as ‘reverse remittances’ benefitting no one but the EU countries.

“African nationals spent €56.3m in visa application fees in 2023, representing 43 per cent of all expenses; rejection rates in 2023 were especially high for African and Asian countries, which bear 90 per cent of all expenses. Expenditures are to increase by 12.5 per cent starting next week as the EU raises visa fees for adults from €80 to €90 on 11 June, following a recent decision by the EU Commission,” it added.

Algeria was the country of origin for most rejected applications in 2023, representing 23.5 per cent of all amount spent on rejected applications.

The country also had the second-highest number of rejected applications compared to all – 289,000 out of 704,000, representing 42.3 per cent of all requests.

“This nationality group is especially impacted by visa rejections because it has high application rates and they are affected economically when placing visa applications” the report added.

It further explained that Moroccans, top visa applicants from Africa for the year, had the highest number of visas rejected.

“A total of 437,000 visa requests filed by this nationality group were rejected in 2023, representing 62 per cent of the total. As per expenses, Moroccans spent €10.9m on rejected visa applications in 2023,” the report indicated.

It added that Africans were heavily impacted by those expenses, considering that the majority of African countries have some of the lowest wages in the world.

According to the report, the amount of Africans rejected visas is 43.1 per cent of all the amount generated by rejected applications in 2023.

A recent study by EU Observer revealed that the Schengen visa rejections generated an amount of €130m in 2023.

“In the previous year, this amount stood at €105m, showing an upward trend of Schengen visa expenses as well as rejection rates,” the report stated.

The founder of LAGO Collective, Marta Foresti, said, “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences and the world’s poorest pay the price. You can think of the costs of rejected visas as ‘reverse remittances’, money flowing from poor to rich countries. We never hear about these costs when discussing aid or migration, it is time to change that.”