UAE takes back condition of Covid-19 vaccine attestation for Pakistani travellers

(Karachi) Hours after making it mandatory, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has withdrawn its requirement of Covid-19 vaccination certificates being attested by the Foreign Office and the UAE embassy starting August 1.

The order was withdrawn after the Foreign Office took up the matter with UAE authorities, reported Dawn.com.

Both FO spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri and UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi confirmed that the condition had been reversed.

Attestation of vaccination certificates by the FO and the UAE embassy will not be mandatory for Pakistani travellers, Al-Zaabi was quoted as saying.

He said travellers would be required to carry only the vaccination certificate issued by the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) once the flight operation from Pakistan is resumed.

Meanwhile, the UAE embassy in Islamabad in a tweet said "the vaccination certificate of Covid-19 is not considered currently a requirement for travel to the UAE."

Earlier, the UAE had announced that it has made it mandatory for people intending to travel to the Gulf country to carry UAE-attested Covid-19 vaccine certificates issued by NADRA.

The document said that the coronavirus certificates issued by NADRA will be first attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan and then by the UAE diplomatic mission in Pakistan.

However, in a few hours, the condition was relaxed.