Germany mulls Schengen visa; citizens can travel to Lebanon

Yamina Soufou, Director of Marketing and Sales at the German National Tourist Office for the GCC, revealed that Germany is considering granting five-year multiple-entry Schengen visas to residents of the UAE, particularly those who have visited the country multiple times, aiming to address the high demand for travel from the UAE to Germany.

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Speaking to Gulf Today newspaper, a sister publicaton of Al Khaleej, on the sidelines of Germany's 10th participation in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Soufou said, “We are facing significant demand from UAE residents for Schengen visas. We have proposed granting frequent travelers to Germany a five-year multiple-entry visa, similar to what is offered to GCC citizens, and we hope this will be announced soon.” Soufou added that over 10,000 Schengen visas were issued to UAE residents in the first quarter of 2025.

In 2024, more than 36,000 visas were is-sued to UAE residents, marking a 26% increase compared to 2023.

She emphasised that tourists from the UAE rank first among GCC countries, followed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait.

On the other hand, under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and in line with the unwavering endeavours to enhance fraternal ties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has on Sunday announced the lifting of the travel ban on UAE nationals to the Republic of Lebanon. Travel will be permitted as of May 7, 2025.

The announcement follows the official visit of Joseph Aoun, President of Lebanon, to the UAE and his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed.

Sheikh Mohamed and Aoun agreed to rein-state travel for citizens after taking necessary procedures and mechanisms to ease movement between the two nations.