Canadian to pay up to $1,000 for UAE visa

The UAE will require Canadian visitors to buy a visa for the first time to enter the country, paying as much as C$1000 ($1000) when applying from January 2.

Canadians must apply for a visa 15 days prior to departure, reversing the current regulation allowing them to enter the oil- rich country without a prior visa and at no cost.

The move is the latest in a dispute over landing rights between the two countries.

A short-term 30-day visa will cost C$250 and a three-month visa will cost C$500, the UAE. Embassy in Ottawa said on its website.

A multiple-entry visa will cost C$1000 and is valid for six months for a maximum stay of 14-days per visit.

The UAE embassy announced in November it will require Canadians to apply for visas after an aviation dispute between the two countries over landing rights for commercial flights.

UAE carriers, including Emirates, have been seeking dozens of new landing slots in Canada, contending that the six weekly flights currently allowed are not enough to meet demand. Transport Canada, the government agency that oversees the airline industry, and Air Canada opposed granting more slots on concerns that UAE carriers may eat into Air Canada’s traffic to cities such as Frankfurt.

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