Indian expats caught unawares as Nepal enforces travel rule

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.

- Nasreen Abdulla

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.