Gulf News’ 19 September weekend briefing highlights several mobility-related updates of interest to expatriates and citizens alike. Chief among them is India’s amended passport regulation: ordinary 36-page passports issued to minors under 15 will now be valid for five years or until the holder turns 18, whichever comes first—an important change for the UAE’s 3.5 million-strong Indian community managing school-holiday travel. The digest also summarises the latest Passport Reports index, which lists 25 countries offering visa-free entry to Indian passport holders and 40 issuing visas on arrival. UAE residents planning winter getaways should note new eTA access for Sri Lanka and a reinstated visa-on-arrival facility in the Maldives for travellers with at least six months’ UAE residency validity. Closer to home, Abu Dhabi has reduced the speed limit on a key section of the E311 to 100 km/h, a measure expected to improve road-safety metrics for daily cross-emirate commuters and corporate shuttle services. Though not a border-control issue, ground-transport changes form a critical part of end-to-end mobility planning for assignees. HR and global-mobility teams are advised to update employee travel portals to reflect the latest visa-free options and to remind parents of the shortened validity for new child passports, which could affect destination-country entry-rules requiring six months’ passport validity beyond travel dates.
Source: Gulf News
