The United Arab Emirates has not officially announced a ban on visas for Pakistani citizens, but the situation on the ground has resulted in what many are calling a near-ban. While the UAE Consulate in Karachi insists that “every type of visa is being processed,” travel agents and Pakistan’s own interior ministry report that almost all first-time and single-entry applications from ordinary Pakistani passport holders are now being rejected — in some cases at rates as high as 80%. Only blue (official) and diplomatic passport holders are currently receiving visas without difficulty, while family-linked applications have a comparatively higher approval rate than tourist or visit visas.
The situation appears to stem from concerns in the UAE about a rise in criminal activities involving Pakistani nationals — including overstaying, begging networks, and organised crime. Similar issues have caused temporary visa restrictions in the past. The freeze was disclosed to Pakistan’s Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, where officials described it as the strictest measure ever taken by the UAE short of a formal, public ban.
The impact on Pakistan’s global mobility is also reputational. The country already holds one of the weakest passports in the world. Widespread rejections from Dubai reinforce the perception that ordinary Pakistani travellers are high-risk, making future visa liberalisation harder to negotiate. This comes alongside a recent wave of high-profile arrests of Pakistani nationals for begging and organised crime across Gulf states — including the detention of more than 4,000 Pakistani beggars in Saudi Arabia during the Umrah and Hajj seasons.
Diplomatically, the freeze risks becoming a long-term strain if not resolved quickly. While the UAE government insists that record application volumes — not official restrictions — are causing more refusals, Pakistani Foreign Office sources say “quiet diplomacy” is underway with no clear timeline for relief. The situation has reinforced demands from Gulf nations for Pakistan to introduce stronger police verification and crackdowns on trafficking and begging networks to prevent the same measures being adopted by other regional partners.
In short, the UAE has not declared a formal ban — but for ordinary Pakistani passport holders seeking tourist, work, or visit visas, the door to Dubai has almost fully closed for now.
