In a revised guideline, the United Arab Emirates has put an embargo on the the entry of travellers without their full name on an Indian passport.
The circular jointly issued by Air India and AI Express has notified that any passport holder with a single name will not be accepted by UAE immigration.
"Any passport holder with a single name (word) either in surname or given name will not be accepted by UAE immigration and the passenger will be considered as INAD," a circular on Air India's website read.
"Then such a passenger will not be issued a visa and in case the visa was issued previously then he will be INAD by immigration," it added.
IndiGo airlines also issued a circular for travel agents on Monday stating, “As per instructions from the UAE Authorities, effective 21st November 2022, passengers with a single name on their passports travelling on tourist, visit or any other type of visa shall not be allowed to travel to/from UAE.”
The new rule that came into effect on Monday applies only to passengers with visit visa/visa on arrival/employment and temporary visas and is not applicable to existing UAE Resident card holders.
“However, passengers with a single name on passports and in possession of a residence permit or employment visa shall be allowed to travel provided the same name is updated in the “First Name” and “Surname” columns,” Indigo airlines' statement added.
The aviation term INAD refers to 'inadmissible passenger'. It is used for people who are not allowed entry in the country they want to travel to.
According to the circular, those passengers identified as INAD are taken back to their country by the airline.
