Singapore makes travel easier for UAE visitors

The move will help accommodate the significant increase in visa requests due to the rise in travel to Singapore from the UAE, which has witnessed a steady 19 percent year-on-year growth in visitor arrivals.

'Singapore has always been a very desirable and convenient destination for travellers from the Middle East, and the launch of this new service will make it even easier to travel to the Lion City from 2008,' said Mr. Dileep Nair, Singapore's Consul General in Dubai.

The newly-appointed agencies, VSA Versatile Service Agency and Uranus Travel & Tours (LLC), will provide new service that will significantly facilitate the visa application process in Dubai.

Visitors can now submit their visa application at either of these agencies, and will benefit from a new user-friendly web-based application 'Submission of Application for Visa Electronically' (SAVE) which the agencies will use to forward the applications to the Consulate.

SAVE will also help boost security by enabling the Consulate to issue visa stickers with security embedded features that can pre-empt forgery and electronically link all stored information to Singapore checkpoints and Missions around the world.

'The Singapore Tourism Board is delighted by these positive developments in visa application procedures, which we believe will further drive our impressive visitor growth from the UAE,' said Jason Ong, Area Director, Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board.

While UAE nationals do not need visas to visit Singapore, citizens of a range of countries across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia require one. They are encouraged to visit the Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website at www.mfa.gov.sg/dubai to check the list of countries that require visas for travel to Singapore.

The Singapore Consulate will continue to offer emergency visa processing at its new central location in Al Satwa.