UAE suspends visa-free travel agreement with Israel due to rising COVID cases

The United Arab Emirates has suspended its visa-free agreement with Israel will the 1st of July, due to the unprecedented spread of COVID-19.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that their citizens travelling to the UAE will need to obtain a visa due to the suspension.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has also updated its travel requirements for Emiratis to Israel, removing the country from the 'visa not required' category.

Israel is currently in its third lockdown, and considering an extension beyond January 21, as the number of new cases remains high.

The UAE ratified the visa-free travel agreement with Israel last week, as it was set to come into effect within the span of a month; following a normalisation accord between the countries signed in September.