The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has announced an immediate end to the prohibition on Emirati nationals travelling to Lebanon, a restriction first imposed in 2022 amid security concerns and then tightened during the 2025 Gulf crisis. Effective Wednesday, 8 July 2026, Emiratis may once again visit Lebanon subject to mandatory pre-departure registration in the Ministry’s ‘Twajudi’ traveller database. Under-Secretary Khalid Belhoul said the decision followed “extensive coordination with Lebanese authorities and partner security agencies” and was based on fresh guarantees regarding airport perimeter security, VIP movement protocols and intelligence-sharing. MoFA will maintain a four-tier advisory system; Lebanon has been upgraded from Level 4 (‘Do Not Travel’) to Level 2 (‘Exercise Increased Caution’). Passengers must file itineraries and contact details online before departure and reconfirm plans if staying longer than 15 days. The move re-opens a lucrative short-haul market for UAE carriers. Emirates, Etihad and flydubai have already scheduled a combined 21 weekly frequencies to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport from 15 July, reinstating 60 per cent of the seats removed during the ban. Corporate travel managers in energy, construction and banking—sectors with heavy exposure to Lebanon—expect travel costs to drop by a third as direct flights replace multi-leg routings via Amman and Cairo. For Lebanese tourism operators, the decision could spark a welcome influx of high-spend Gulf visitors during the summer festival season. Dubai-based destination-management companies report a surge in inquiries for executive retreats in the mountains above Byblos and Batroun. To capitalise on the rebound, Lebanon’s Directorate-General of Civil Aviation has pledged additional security personnel and a new fast-track lane for passengers arriving on GCC airlines. MoFA stressed that the policy will be reviewed quarterly. Should regional tensions flare again, Twajudi registrants will receive SMS alerts and, if necessary, assisted-departure options. Firms with staff who travel frequently to Beirut should therefore integrate Twajudi confirmation into their duty-of-care checklists and ensure travellers hold comprehensive medical and evacuation cover.
Source: The Gulf Time
