The US Mission to the United Arab Emirates has suspended all routine consular appointments from 13 to 15 July and warned American citizens to avoid visiting its Abu Dhabi embassy and Dubai consulate during the period. In a security alert cited by Gulf News, the mission said the pause is a response to the wider regional security crisis and reflects the ordered-departure status under which non-emergency US personnel were relocated earlier this year. While emergency passport assistance remains available via an online navigator tool, all routine US visa services – immigrant and non-immigrant – are “suspended until further notice.” Applicants with cancelled appointments will be contacted directly to reschedule once normal operations resume. The move adds a fresh layer of complexity for UAE-based companies that routinely send staff to the United States on B-1/B-2, L-1 or E-2 visas. For mobility managers the suspension has two immediate implications. First, work-around strategies such as third-country visa stamping (e.g., at the US Embassy in Manama or Doha) may face backlogs as demand shifts. Second, existing US multiple-entry visa holders should be advised to travel with extended lead times in case regional escalation triggers further service cuts or flight diversions. The alert follows a pattern of reduced consular capacity across several Western embassies in the Gulf since February, when hostilities between the US and Iran briefly closed large swathes of regional airspace. Although the interim ceasefire has revived commercial flight corridors, diplomatic missions continue to operate with tightened security protocols, leaving business travel subject to abrupt change. Companies should audit any US-bound travel scheduled for Q3 2026, reconsider critical-path assignments, and explore digital alternatives such as remote notarisation or virtual board meetings until full visa operations are restored. The US Mission recommends all nationals enrol in the Smart Traveller Enrolment Programme (STEP) to receive real-time updates.
Source: Gulf News
