The United Arab Emirates banned travel for Emirati nationals to Lebanon on 30 April [GETTY]
The United Arab Emirates has said its nationals can travel to Lebanon, effective on Monday, lifting a weeks-long ban in place because of the war on Iran and concerns over Tehran’s influence.
The foreign ministry said “it will allow UAE citizens to travel to the sisterly Lebanese Republic, starting from Monday, 29 June, 2026,” the official WAM news agency reported.
UAE citizens planning to visit Lebanon must register through an official service, an emergency and support platform by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before their departure, the agency added.
Nationals will not be allowed to depart until registration is complete.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam thanked President Sheikh Mohamed for lifting the ban, saying it “embodies the strength of the fraternal relations and the deep-rooted ties that unite our two countries”.
“I have no doubt that this decision carries clear implications for renewing the United Arab Emirates’ confidence in Lebanon and its commitment to strengthening cooperation between us, thereby achieving the good and prosperity of our brotherly peoples,” Salam wrote on X.
The ministry asked citizens to register with its consular services platform before travelling to Lebanon.
The UAE banned travel for Emirati nationals to Lebanon on 30 April as well as to Iraq and Iran, citing regional developments including the Middle East war.
The Gulf state urged Emiratis in those countries to leave immediately and return home, citing regional developments.
The UAE also banned its nationals from travelling to Lebanon between 2021 and 2025; the ban was lifted in May last year.
During the war, halted by an April ceasefire, Gulf states bore the brunt of Iran’s retaliatory aerial campaign following US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic in February.
Earlier on Monday, flights resumed between Tehran and Dubai, Iranian state TV and other media reported, for the first time since the war.
However, the ban on Emirati nationals travelling to Iran was not lifted.
This comes after the leaders of the UAE and Lebanon held a call on Saturday to boost cooperation between the two nations. Sheikh Mohamed and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also spoke about the importance of peace efforts across the region.
(Agencies contributed to this report)
