Dubai authorities have imposed a new set of visa restrictions on Nigerians, stating that intending tourists between 18 and 45 years can no longer visit the Emirati city alone unless accompanied.

The new restrictions are coming months after President Bola Tinubu’s government announced that Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, accepted Mr Tinubu’s invitation to visit Nigeria this year.

Mr Tinubu met with Mr Nahyan in 2023 to mend the strained relations between both states and reverse the visa ban on Nigerian passport holders.

The restrictions stemmed from a diplomatic row during the tenure of Mr Tinubu’s predecessor. 

In a new memo sent to travel agents on Tuesday, Dubai immigration officials stated that Nigerian visa applicants over 45 years of age must also provide a six-month bank statement with a minimum balance of $10,000 for each month.

It said, “For Nigerian nationals, please bear in mind that an applicant aged 18 to 45 years travelling alone is not eligible for TOURIST VISA CATEGORY,” stated the travel memo. 

“An applicant who is 45yrs or above must provide a Single Nigerian personal bank statement for a period of last six months, with each month’s end balance reflecting a minimum ending balance of USD 10,000 or its naira equivalent.”

The memo added, “Kindly note that the above points must be taken into consideration before sending your applications with other existing documents such as hotel reservation, data page, etc.”

The UAE revised its travel restrictions on the same day that the U.S. reduced the multiple-entry non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visa for Nigerians from five years to a single-entry, three-month visa.