Some UAE residents have unexpectedly faced extra expenses — up to over Dh1,400 — or spent precious holiday time in Nepal dealing with paperwork, due to newly enforced travel regulations.
Recent travellers to Nepal are advising Indian residents in the UAE to be aware of the new, stricter travel rules.
One such traveller, Dubai resident Manu Palerichal, faced a stressful situation during his recent Eid break trip to Nepal with his family. What was supposed to be a relaxing vacation quickly turned into a logistical headache.
“As soon as we landed in Nepal on Thursday, an immigration officer informed us that we need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Indian embassy when returning to the UAE,” he said.
“It caught us off guard because no one had informed us about this beforehand. We asked our fellow travellers if they had been told the same but no one else knew about it. They asked us to ignore the advice," he added.
Manu with his family
Manu, who works as the CEO of auditing firm CLA Emirates in Dubai, then decided to double-check with his travel agent. He learned that the NOC requirement had been strictly enforced recently due to concerns over system misuse, such as "human trafficking and tax evasion".
However, by the time he received this information, Manu and his family had already traveled to Pokhara, nearly 200km from Kathmandu, where the Indian embassy is located. “So, it was impossible for us to secure (the) NOC," he said.
"We spent two days in Pokhara, anxiously wondering what to do if the embassy was closed on Saturday and Sunday. We even came up with alternate plans to return to Dubai in case we couldn’t get the document," he added.
According to Safeer Mohammed, general manager of Smart Travels, the NOC requirement has been in effect for a long time, but it has been very strictly enforced recently. "Authorities found people misusing the system, and that may have prompted this change," he explained. “Instances of human trafficking and tax evasion were discovered and that may have been one of the reasons why the rule is now being enforced strictly."
Safeer Mohammed
"We are aware that an existing rule has been very strictly enforced for the last few months," he noted. "We’re advising all travellers to Nepal to have the NOC sorted to ensure a smooth journey.”
'Lost over Dh,1400'Dubai resident Thabseer Ahmed lost over Dh1,400 after being informed about the No Objection Certificate (NOC) requirement at the airport when he travelled to Nepal last month. "We found out about the NOC only at the airport (in Nepal) while heading back from our holiday," he said.
Thabseer with friends at Kathmandu airport
All his friends traveling back to India had no issues while others travelling to the GCC countries were prevented from boarding their flights. “We tried to get to the Indian embassy, but the flight was at 3am on a Sunday and no one was available to help us,” he recalled.
“A lot of documentation was also needed, none of which we could manage at that last minute. I tried booking my flight transiting through New Delhi but even that didn't work. You have to check out at India, collect your luggage and then check back in. So once I arrived in New Delhi, I had to book a new flight back to the UAE.”
He said he lost over Dh1,400 in ticket prices due to this issue. “My friend from Kuwait also lost the equivalent of almost Dh2,000 when he rebooked his tickets,” he said. “My other friend from Qatar also lost money on rebooking.”
Documents neededManu said he returned to Kathmandu on Saturday with his family and then drove for 30 minutes to the embassy to get the NOC. “Thankfully the embassy works through the weekend,” he said. “I did not have to wait much but staff told me that there was a huge rush on Thursday and Friday with people having to wait hours for their documents.”
To get the NOC, Manu said that he had to submit a passport-size photo, copies of passport and UAE residence visas, immigration stamp, air ticket, Emirates ID, and application form. He also had to pay 3,100 Nepali rupees for each family member, which amounted to over Dh300 for his four-member family.
He said he was lucky enough to get to know the requirement ahead of time and warned other UAE residents to be careful when planning their trips. “Since Nepal is just a short distance away, a lot of Indians from GCC countries plan short trips here,” he said. “Travel agents must give clear directives about these new requirements to avoid complications.”
Manu emphasised that while he was lucky to find out about the requirement ahead of time, many others might not be as fortunate. "Since Nepal is just a short distance away, many Indians from GCC plan short trips here," he said. “Travel agents must give clear directives about these new requirements to avoid (unnecessary) complications.”
Safeer also warned that UAE residents planning to visit India this summer should be aware of the updated regulations. “Those traveling to Nepal and then going to India will not have any issue,” he said. “However, those planning to return to the UAE via Nepal must have the NOC before travelling.”
