The United Arab Emirates has broadened its recent visa-on-arrival clamp-down to include Poland and more than forty other European states, travel news site TheTraveler.org reported on 22 February. While Polish passport holders remain formally eligible for a 90-day visa waiver, Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports have introduced extra secondary screening, biometric verification and proof-of-funds checks. Several Polish holidaymakers told reporters they were detained for hours or denied entry for failing to show hotel bookings or onward tickets.
The tighter regime coincides with the UAE’s rollout of an Advance Passenger Information (API) and facial-recognition platform designed to pre-clear arrivals. Officials say the measures target overstayers and illicit job-seekers, but European tour operators warn that inconsistent implementation is sowing confusion at the peak of winter-sun travel.
![UAE Quietly Tightens Visa-on-Arrival Checks—Polish Travellers Face Longer Queues and Sporadic Refusals]()
For Polish corporates, the impact is immediate: staff travelling to Gulf customer sites should carry invitation letters, confirmed accommodation and a minimum AED 3,000 in accessible funds. Frequent flyers may consider switching to the prepaid e-visa option until arrival procedures stabilise. Airlines, meanwhile, have begun gate-side document audits; failure to present printed confirmations can lead to denied boarding and rerouting costs borne by the employer.
Amid the uncertainty, VisaHQ can streamline travel preparations for both leisure and business visitors. The platform offers Poland-based users real-time updates on UAE entry rules, step-by-step e-visa assistance and downloadable document checklists—see https://www.visahq.com/poland/ for details.
Longer term, the episode illustrates a shift away from blanket visa waivers toward data-driven, conditional entry. Mobility teams should audit other “easy” destinations—such as Qatar or Oman—for similar pivot points, ensuring traveller-risk dashboards capture de facto as well as de jure entry barriers.
The tighter regime coincides with the UAE’s rollout of an Advance Passenger Information (API) and facial-recognition platform designed to pre-clear arrivals. Officials say the measures target overstayers and illicit job-seekers, but European tour operators warn that inconsistent implementation is sowing confusion at the peak of winter-sun travel.
For Polish corporates, the impact is immediate: staff travelling to Gulf customer sites should carry invitation letters, confirmed accommodation and a minimum AED 3,000 in accessible funds. Frequent flyers may consider switching to the prepaid e-visa option until arrival procedures stabilise. Airlines, meanwhile, have begun gate-side document audits; failure to present printed confirmations can lead to denied boarding and rerouting costs borne by the employer.
Amid the uncertainty, VisaHQ can streamline travel preparations for both leisure and business visitors. The platform offers Poland-based users real-time updates on UAE entry rules, step-by-step e-visa assistance and downloadable document checklists—see https://www.visahq.com/poland/ for details.
Longer term, the episode illustrates a shift away from blanket visa waivers toward data-driven, conditional entry. Mobility teams should audit other “easy” destinations—such as Qatar or Oman—for similar pivot points, ensuring traveller-risk dashboards capture de facto as well as de jure entry barriers.
