Visa-free entry to Japan for Emiratis from November 1

Emadeddin Khalil, Staff Reporter

Shehab Ahmed Al Fahim, the UAE ambassador to Japan, announced that the UAE citizens who hold normal passports would be able to enter Japan without a prior visa as of Nov.1. The period of each visit is 30 days, he added.

The UAE ambassador stressed the need for Emirati citizens to adhere to the requirements for entry to Japan among which are a negative COVID-19 PCR test of not more than 72 hours before departure, or a vaccination certificate with 3 doses of the vaccines approved by Japan.

There are five vaccines approved for entering Japan: PfizerK, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and BioNTech.

In September, Japan announced that UAE citizens holding normal passports would be exempted from visa requirements to enter Japan.

This was revealed on the sidelines of the signing of a UAE-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership agreement document.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the UAE Special Envoy to Japan, and Hayashi Yoshimasa, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Dr. Al Jaber underscored the deep-rooted and distinguished friendship and cooperation between the two countries, which are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.  He also said that Japan’s exemption of UAE citizens from visa requirements is the fruit of the UAE’s diplomatic efforts, led by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

He further noted that the step would foster the cooperation and travel, which in turn would beef up the increase in exchanging tourist, cultural and academic visits, and enhance the prospects for cooperation to establish new businesses and start new investments.

Al Jaber affirmed that the UAE and Japan share strong and advanced strategic ties, which are backed by their leadership, serving the aspirations of both nations for further development and prosperity. The UAE-Japan strategic partnership agreement aims to boost the relations between the two countries to advance their common interests, by encouraging further diplomatic, economic, political, trade and investment collaborations.

The key areas of the partnership focus on enhancing diplomacy, international development and efforts of humanitarian aid. It is also keen on increasing the cooperation in business, trade, energy and industry by enhancing the business environment to foster trade and investment in technology, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, healthcare, and SMEs, as well as other high-priority sectors, such as agriculture, environment preservation, climate change solutions, education, science and technology, defence and security.