UAE seeks visa-free access to Schengen countries

Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has said the UAE is making intensive diplomatic efforts with the European Union to exempt citizens of the state of the Schengen visa. The UAE has been working on this issue with the European Union for over a year, now.

"The UAE wishes to express its appreciation over the fact that its request to be included among the countries whose citizens do not require a visa to travel to the Schengen Area is currently under serious consideration by the European Union.

The UAE realises that this request is at the beginning of a complex internal debate and subject to internal EU-procedures."

Although a decision is pending, and will be pending for some time as the request is subject to scrutiny by various EU-institutions, the UAE is confident that a mutually beneficial outcome will be reached.

For the UAE, the main arguments that underpin its request are:

- Visa-free access will further facilitate a trade relationship between the UAE and the Schengen Area that currently stands at over $40 billion (over $60bn for the whole European Union);

- Exempting the UAE would send a positive signal for greater cultural openness towards the Arab and Muslim worlds.