UAE activates visa waiver for Pakistani diplomatic, official passport holders
Pakistan and the UAE signed an agreement on mutual visa exemption for the holders of diplomatic and official passports of the two countries on June 25. The agreement was signed at the conclusion of the 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had said.
'His Excellency Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salim AlZaabi, the ambassador of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates Islamabad feels immense pleasure to announce that the visa waiver for diplomatic and official passports entering the United Arab Emirates has been activated, effective July 25, 2025, at all UAE airports,' the UAE embassy in Islamabad said in a message to reporters.
The two countries discussed collaborations in trade, investment, food security, aviation, IT and energy at the 12th JMC last month, Pakistan's state broadcaster reported.
Islamabad considers the UAE a vital economic ally as it is Pakistan's third-largest trading partner after China and the United States.
Bilateral trade between the two nations reached approximately $10.9 billion in fiscal 2023–24, including $8.41 billion in goods and $2.56 billion in services. Exports from Pakistan to the UAE were around $2.1 billion in FY25, compared to $8 billion in imports.
The UAE is also a major source of remittances. In 2024, money sent home by the Pakistani diaspora was $6.7 billion, which is projected to exceed $7 billion in 2025.
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