The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has announced that it will open a fully digital Electronic Visa Centre in Beirut next month, allowing Lebanese residents to complete UAE visa formalities without travelling to a third country. According to Under-Secretary Omar Obaid Al Shamsi, the move is designed to ‘enhance fraternal ties’ and make travel for business, tourism and family visits more convenient. Applicants will be able to upload documents, provide biometrics and track their application online, cutting processing times that currently run to several weeks when handled through external providers. For UAE-based employers the centre offers a new recruitment pipeline: Lebanese professionals hired remotely will be able to secure entry permits and work visas faster, reducing onboarding times for regional projects based in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Mobility managers should update hiring playbooks to include the Beirut option and brief candidates on required documentation. The Beirut facility is MoFA’s fourth overseas e-centre after Manila, Islamabad and Addis Ababa, underlining the Emirates’ strategy of exporting digital consular services to key labour-supply markets. More centres are expected in Africa in 2027 as the government pursues its talent-attraction agenda.
Source: UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs
