The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has confirmed that a dedicated Electronic Visa Issuance Centre will open in Beirut “within weeks”, marking the Emirates’ first full-service visa hub outside the country.
The Beirut facility will allow Lebanese nationals—as well as third-country residents who find it easier to reach Beirut than travel to an existing UAE mission—to complete every step of the UAE visa process at home. Applicants will be able to submit documents, give biometrics (fingerprint, facial and iris scans) and sit any required interviews in one visit; passports will be courier-returned with visas affixed, removing the need to make multiple trips or wait on arrival in the UAE.
Travellers who prefer professional assistance can also use the global visa platform VisaHQ, which offers step-by-step guidance, document checks and secure submission for all categories of UAE visas; more details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/ By coordinating courier pick-ups and real-time status alerts, VisaHQ complements government initiatives like the Beirut centre and further reduces the legwork for applicants.
![UAE to open first overseas e-visa hub in Beirut to speed up visitor processing]()
Major-General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director-General of the ICP, said the centre is part of a wider programme to modernise and “export” UAE government services. It joins 18 smaller document-verification outposts already operated by the Authority, but is the first to integrate directly with the ICP’s end-to-end e-visa platform. Upgraded systems mean most tourist, study, medical-treatment and work visas should be issued in 48 – 72 hours.
For UAE employers, the hub promises quicker mobilisation of Lebanese talent and reduced lead times on short-term project visas; mobility managers can now complete the immigration cycle without flying candidates to Dubai or Abu Dhabi for biometrics. Travel industry analysts also see the move as a goodwill gesture that could help revive Lebanese outbound travel—which collapsed to 45 % of pre-COVID levels—by providing a friction-free gateway to popular Gulf destinations.
Longer-term, the Beirut pilot will be used to test remote biometric capture, with a view to opening similar centres in Cairo, Manila and Lagos by 2027. ICP officials said the model supports the UAE’s ambition to hit 40 million annual visitors by 2030 and positions the Emirates as “a net exporter of government digital-service expertise” across the Middle East and Africa.
The Beirut facility will allow Lebanese nationals—as well as third-country residents who find it easier to reach Beirut than travel to an existing UAE mission—to complete every step of the UAE visa process at home. Applicants will be able to submit documents, give biometrics (fingerprint, facial and iris scans) and sit any required interviews in one visit; passports will be courier-returned with visas affixed, removing the need to make multiple trips or wait on arrival in the UAE.
Travellers who prefer professional assistance can also use the global visa platform VisaHQ, which offers step-by-step guidance, document checks and secure submission for all categories of UAE visas; more details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/ By coordinating courier pick-ups and real-time status alerts, VisaHQ complements government initiatives like the Beirut centre and further reduces the legwork for applicants.
Major-General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director-General of the ICP, said the centre is part of a wider programme to modernise and “export” UAE government services. It joins 18 smaller document-verification outposts already operated by the Authority, but is the first to integrate directly with the ICP’s end-to-end e-visa platform. Upgraded systems mean most tourist, study, medical-treatment and work visas should be issued in 48 – 72 hours.
For UAE employers, the hub promises quicker mobilisation of Lebanese talent and reduced lead times on short-term project visas; mobility managers can now complete the immigration cycle without flying candidates to Dubai or Abu Dhabi for biometrics. Travel industry analysts also see the move as a goodwill gesture that could help revive Lebanese outbound travel—which collapsed to 45 % of pre-COVID levels—by providing a friction-free gateway to popular Gulf destinations.
Longer-term, the Beirut pilot will be used to test remote biometric capture, with a view to opening similar centres in Cairo, Manila and Lagos by 2027. ICP officials said the model supports the UAE’s ambition to hit 40 million annual visitors by 2030 and positions the Emirates as “a net exporter of government digital-service expertise” across the Middle East and Africa.
