Tajik citizens complain on social media that they face difficulties in the process of obtaining a visa to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Foreign Ministry promises to resolve the issue.

Many people on social networks report that over the past two weeks they have been denied a visa without explanation. Representatives of several travel companies also confirmed the existence of this problem.

Men are not allowed?

In particular, a representative of the “Prestige Tour” travel company told “Asia Plus” that currently only men are denied a visa.

"Tajik citizens have been facing this problem for 15 days now. If a visa is requested for the whole family, it is issued, but if men apply separately, their applications are rejected. The reasons for the refusals have not yet been clarified, however, the embassy informed us that citizens who have exceeded the validity period of the visa by even one hour will be refused," - said a representative of the company.

The “Atlas Tour” travel company also stated that visas are not issued to men, and women and families receive them without problems. Representatives of the company also reported that the authorities did not explain the reasons for the refusals of visas for men.

"Today, a man with his wife and children applied for a visa, and even they were told that they could not guarantee its receipt. As far as we know, Tajik citizens working illegally have been identified in Dubai, and therefore visas are not issued to men. We have not received an official explanation yet," - the company said.

The authorities are aware

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan informed “Asia-Plus” that they are aware of the problem with obtaining visas to the UAE and are dealing with it.

"We are aware of this problem and have contacted representatives of the UAE for clarification, we are waiting for their response," - said the ministry.

It should be noted that the cost of a visa to the UAE for Tajik citizens is 1067 somoni (100 US dollars).

Since January 1, 2022, Tajikistan has introduced a unilateral visa-free regime with 52 foreign countries, including the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain, which allows citizens of these countries to stay in Tajikistan without a visa for 30 days.