The United Arab Emirates has introduced stringent visa regulations for Nigerian travellers, including a complete suspension of transit visa applications and stricter requirements for tourist visa seekers.

According to travel agents who confirmed the development on Tuesday, new directives from Dubai immigration now restrict Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 45 from obtaining tourist visas unless they are accompanied. Solo travellers within that age bracket will no longer be eligible under the tourist visa category.

Furthermore, Nigerians aged 45 and above seeking entry into the UAE must now present a personal bank statement covering the last six months. Each month’s end balance is required to reflect a minimum of $10,000 or its naira equivalent.

“For Nigerian nationals, please bear in mind that an applicant aged 18 to 45 years travelling alone is not eligible for the tourist visa category,” a visa notification issued to agents stated. “An applicant who is 45 years or above must provide a single Nigerian personal bank statement for a period of the last six months, with each month’s end balance reflecting a minimum ending balance of USD 10,000 or its naira equivalent.”

Other standard visa requirements—such as hotel reservations, passport biodata pages, and return flight bookings—must still accompany applications.

The new policy is expected to significantly reduce travel from Nigeria to Dubai, a city long popular for business, medical, and leisure trips.

Industry stakeholders have described the move as a blow to travel and tourism operators who rely heavily on the UAE route. There has been no official statement from the UAE Embassy in Nigeria as of the time of filing this report.