Indian citizens travelling to and out of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must have both a primary and secondary name in their passport to be permitted to travel.
Indians with only their first names on their passports are banned from travelling from the country’s airports after airlines reportedly implemented the new rule.
This rule has been implemented from Monday, November 21, itself.
A number of Indian airlines, including Spicejet, Air India Express and Indigo have sent information to travel agents advising them of the rules.
A circular sent by IndiGo to travel agents on Monday states, “As per instructions from the UAE Authorities, effective 21st November, passengers with a single name on their passports travelling on tourist, visit or any other type of visa shall not be allowed to travel to/from UAE.”
This new naming policy does not apply to people with a valid residence permit or work visa, and the same name in the first columns and surname are updated.
Meanwhile, travellers with one name on their passports on a tourist/visit visa or any other visa are not allowed to travel.
The new rule applies to all airlines, including international.
Although the new rules are effective immediately, travel agents are asking people to wait for more information before applying for a visa, or making any changes to their existing documents.
“We are still awaiting information from the embassy regarding this issue. So currently, we are advising people to wait 48 hours before applying for a visa,” a representative from Rayna Tours and Travels told Khaleej Times.
“As we are still waiting for details, we are asking people to wait before they make any changes to their documentation,” he added.
