Travellers from Nigeria heading to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must now pay a non-refundable document verification fee of N688,000.

Paying the document verification fee is a requirement set by the Arab country to lift the visa ban on Nigerians.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, declared on Monday that the ban has been lifted starting from July 15, allowing Nigerians to travel to the UAE.

The ban was lifted with conditions, including a mandatory document verification process for Nigerian travellers aged 13 and above before applying for a visa.

The UAE said Nigerian travellers must first obtain a Document Verification Number (DVN) upon successful review.

The DVN is expected to serve as proof that all submitted documents are genuine and should be emailed to the Nigerian passport holder applicant within 5 working days of the application process payment. Once the DVN is received, the applicant can proceed with their UAE visa application.

It provided a Document Verification Hub where Nigerians must authenticate and verify documentation essential for visa applications at a non-refundable fee of N688,000.

As part of the verification process, applicants are expected to provide information including their name, country of residence, date of birth, NIN, passport information, email address, travel arrival and departure dates, and passport data page.

The DVN is valid for 14 days from the date of issuance or until the visa application is processed by the visa application department, whichever comes first.

Other conditions Nigerian passport holders must fulfil to be eligible for the UAE visa include Proof of Bank Account: A six-month bank statement showing a minimum balance of USD 10,000; Round-Trip Flight Tickets: Evidence of booked round-trip flight tickets; Hotel Booking: Proof of a confirmed and paid hotel booking; and Visa Fee Payment: The visa fee must be paid by credit card at the UAE Visa Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. For Nigerians residing abroad, the fee can be paid at the nearest UAE Visa Centre.