Published August 24, 2026 · by Hijrat — visa consultants, Islamabad & Rawalpindi
If you have been waiting months on a Dubai visit visa, there is finally real movement. Since the start of August 2026, the UAE has resumed issuing visit visas to Pakistani passport holders — but with one condition that matters more than any other: the application has to go through a registered travel agency.
Travel industry representatives and an official at the UAE embassy in Pakistan confirmed in early August that visit visas are again being issued to ordinary Pakistani passport holders applying through registered travel agencies. There was never a formal ban — both Islamabad and Abu Dhabi said so repeatedly — but for months applications sat in limbo under heavy scrutiny and long silences. That backlog has started to clear.
The clearest improvement is for families. Applicants travelling with a spouse and children, or joining relatives already living in the UAE, are now receiving decisions in reasonable time. Solo applicants — particularly young men travelling alone with thin paperwork — still face the toughest screening. If you can travel as a family, or you have close relatives in the UAE who can provide an invitation along with their Emirates ID and visa copy, your file is meaningfully stronger.
Daily passenger traffic from Pakistan to Dubai rose from around 170 a day earlier this summer to roughly 400 by the final week of July, according to Pakistani immigration figures. That is encouraging — but still well below the roughly 1,000 a day recorded two years ago. Treat this as an easing, not a full reopening.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry told parliament that some applicants had submitted forged degrees, diplomas and employment contracts, while others had faced legal action in the UAE. That is the honest reason behind the stricter background checks. One fabricated document does not just cost you this visa — it can follow you into future applications. If your file includes educational or employment records, get them properly attested rather than “arranged”.
None of this is new, but every item is being checked properly again: a passport valid at least 6 months plus a scan of the external cover as well as the data page; your CNIC copy; a confirmed return ticket and a verified hotel booking (or your host’s documents for a family visit); mandatory travel insurance covering the full stay; six months of clean bank statements with proof of employment or business; and the ability to show around AED 3,000 in cash or on a valid credit card.
Overstay fines still run at AED 50 per day from day one — the informal grace period is gone. Most 30- and 60-day visas can be extended online through the ICP portal without leaving the country. Full detail is in our UAE visit visa guide and our breakdown of the most common rejection reasons.
If your documents are genuine and complete — yes. This is the best window Pakistani applicants have had in months. If your file is thin, fix it before you submit rather than after a refusal: UAE visa fees are not refunded when an application is rejected. Browse all our visa services to see what we handle, or start with our Umrah packages if Saudi Arabia is your next trip.
Hijrat handles this end-to-end from Islamabad — serving Rawalpindi and overseas Pakistanis too. Fees always itemised before you pay.
Visa rules change frequently. This article reflects information available on the date of publication — always confirm current requirements with Hijrat or official sources before applying.
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