UAE postpones start of visa waiver with Israel to July by COVID-19

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) postponed the entry into force of its visa waiver agreement with Israel until July to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Israeli Foreign Ministry reported today, after receiving a notification from the Emirate.  

The exemption for citizens of both countries -which normalised relations four months ago- to travel to Israel or the UAE without a visa was due to begin on 12 February, after the Emirate government ratified the pact last week.  

However, its implementation has been postponed to the beginning of July following the latest emirate decision.  

Under the terms of the agreement, each party may suspend its implementation, "among other things for public health reasons", an Israeli foreign affairs spokeswoman said.  

Until July, "Israeli citizens must obtain an entry visa before flying" to the UAE, and the emirates must also obtain one in advance before travelling to Israel, she added.  

Tens of thousands of Israeli tourists have already visited the UAE in recent months, according to the local press.  

The Jewish state and the Emirates have forged very close ties since their normalisation of relations was announced in August, a pact mediated by the US and forged with the signing of the Abraham Agreements in Washington last September. 

Since then they have reached many bilateral agreements in the field of tourism, trade and finance, with which they hope to reap significant economic benefits.  

In recent months Israel has also formalised diplomatic ties with Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, reinforcing its position in the Middle East and the Arab world.