The United Arab Emirates has ended the five-month suspension on issuing new entry visas to Ugandan passport holders that was imposed on 6 June 2026 as a precaution against the spread of Ebola in Central and East Africa. In a statement released on 11 November, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) confirmed that tourist, visit and work-permit applications from Uganda are once again being accepted at UAE embassies, consulates and through licensed visa agents. The move follows an improving epidemiological picture in the Great Lakes region and coordination between the UAE Ministry of Health and Ugandan health authorities. Ugandan job-placement agencies told Gulf News that more than 16,000 employment contracts had been on hold since June; they now expect processing to resume within a week. Airlines serving the Entebbe–Dubai corridor (flydubai and Emirates) have already reinstated normal booking classes after months of limited inventory. For UAE employers the decision widens the recruitment pool at a time of acute labour shortages in logistics, hospitality and healthcare. Multinationals operating GCC-wide can again mobilise staff from Kampala without routing them through third-country processing centres such as Nairobi or Addis Ababa. UAE companies that issued electronic work permits to Ugandan candidates during the freeze will need to re-submit medical-fitness certificates, as the 90-day validity has lapsed for many applicants. Travellers should note that the ICP has introduced a 21-day validity rule for first-time entry visas issued to Ugandan nationals. Holders must enter the UAE within three weeks of approval or the visa will auto-expire without refund. The same rule is already applied to several high-risk health jurisdictions and is designed to allow immigration officers to reassess the situation quickly if necessary. Immigration advisers recommend that businesses update internal mobility alerts and resume onboarding timelines while ensuring that health-insurance arrangements and accommodation letters are ready before applications are filed. Ugandan expatriates who remained in the UAE during the suspension and whose residence visas have since expired may now regularise their status without the need to exit the country.
Source: Gulf News
