UAE bars entry to ‘single name Pakistani passengers’

The UAE government has revised the naming guidelines for allowing entry into the Emirates

Pakistan passengers with a single name on their passports will not be allowed to enter the UAE, said Pakistan’s private airline quoting revised naming guidelines.

“The UAE government has revised the naming guidelines for allowing entry in the Emirates. As per the guideline update, passengers holding passports with [only] a single name and no other name – including, father name/family name – will not be accepted,” Serene Air said.

The carrier said travellers with a single name, either in the ‘first name’ or the ‘last name’ category on the passport, will not be permitted to enter the UAE.

Pakistan-UAE is one of the busiest air routes as South Asian nationals account for the second largest expatriate community in the UAE, totalling around 1.6 million.

Earlier, Indian airlines also told passengers to correct their names on their passports as travellers with single names were not allowed to enter the UAE.