Following the new passport rules for passengers travelling to the UAE, national carrier Air India has reportedly issued amended guidelines as per NAIC-UAE.
The latest rules, revealed by Air India, include:
- Passport having one name only – Visa issued with more than one name, Passenger has Father’s or family name mentioned in the second page will be accepted.
- Passport has one name only, passenger eligible for visa-on-arrival (VOA) if the Father’s name or family name mentioned in the second page will be accepted.
The move comes as confusion gripped the travel services sector across the South Asian country on the fate of existing bookings for such passengers, as reported by Arabian Business on Thursday.
The new guidelines require all visitors travelling in to and out of the UAE to have both a primary and secondary name in their passport to be permitted to travel.
People without the standardised naming procedure will be banned from entering the country.
A number of Indian airlines, including Spicejet, Air India Express and Indigo have sent information to travel agents advising them of the rules.
A statement from Indigo sent to travel agents said: “As per instructions from the UAE Authorities, effective 21st November 2022, 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.
“However, passengers with a single name on passports and in possession of a residence permit or employment visa shall be allowed to travel provided the same name is updated in the “First Name” and “Surname” columns.”
It means that people travelling on residence or employment visas will be exempt from the rule change.
Any passport holder attempting to enter the country with either just a primary or secondary name will be classified as inadmissible. The rules are effective immediately.
The tradition of having just one name, known as a mononym, is common in many countries.
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