You are all set for your dream Dubai holiday. Your tickets are booked, bags are packed, visas are approved, and you are really excited about this upcoming holiday. But suddenly you get an email from your airline enquiring about your Ok to Board status. Now, you are really confused! What is this Ok to Board? You have a valid Dubai visa. Isn’t that enough? In reality, it is not! In fact, your airline would not allow you to board the flight if you do not have the Ok to Board status on your visa. Here is all you need to know about the importance of getting an Ok to Board while travelling to Dubai or anywhere in the UAE.
What is an Ok to Board Process?
Did you know? There are more than 200,000 passengers travelling to Dubai Airport daily. With such a big influx of people coming into the UAE, it becomes necessary to add filters on travellers for obvious security reasons. If you are planning a Dubai trip, apart from getting your Dubai visa, you have to go through one more formality in the process of completing your documentation work during your trip to Dubai known as OK to Board. This was introduced by the UAE immigration to prevent people from entering the country using fake visas. After getting your visa sanctioned, you must get an ‘Ok to Board’ approval from the airlines, without which you will not be allowed to board the flight to Dubai. However, not all travellers visiting Dubai need to get a Dubai visit visa OK to Board status. It applies mainly to visitors coming from the Indian Subcontinental countries of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. Those who have an ECR status on their passport, also have to get this added security of OK to Board Dubai visa status to get approval to fly on a flight bound to Dubai. The OK to Board verification applies only to short-term UAE travel visas hence, it applies to travellers arriving in Dubai on paper or digital visas with the intention of visiting as a tourist or staying in the UAE for a few days for social or professional visits. Long-term visas, like work or study visas, are not required to be verified with the OK to Board tag because their UAE sponsors thoroughly verify them and have the visas stamped in the passport.
How to Get an ‘Ok to Board’ Approval?
The OK To Board Dubai visa check is carried out after the traveller receives a valid Dubai visa. Furthermore, the airline with which the traveller has booked the flight tickets to Dubai verifies the visa validation and tags it as ‘OK to Board’ confirming that the flyer has a genuine Dubai visa. After getting your visa sanctioned, you have to submit your Dubai visa copy, and confirmed return tickets to the airlines. After a thorough check, the airlines will mark your PNR as ‘Ok to Board’. You have to apply for OK to Board Dubai visa process at least 48 hours before you board the flight. The flight staff has the authority to not give you an ‘Ok to Board’ due to which you may not be allowed to travel. You can directly approach the airline with which you are travelling to Dubai, or you can also apply for ‘Ok to Board’ online on various travel web portals. The airline could bill additional fees for the services, and these fees can vary from one airline to another.
Documents Needed for Immigration at Dubai Airport:
After you have been sanctioned a visa to Dubai, you have cleared the first step of completing the documentation formalities of the immigration process. You only need to carry a valid passport and the original copy of your visa.
You do not need a lot of documentation as OK to Board Dubai Visa requirements; all you need for this process is:
- A valid passport along with first and last page copies
- A valid Dubai Visa copy
- Confirmed return flight tickets
Why is ‘Ok to Board’ Necessary?
There has been an increase in fake visas and many passengers are deported back to their respective countries in the past. Ok to board Dubai visa status is important to minimize the issue of fake visas, which will smoothen the documentation process for both the passengers and also the government officials. It can be viewed as an added verification of short-term travel visas to the UAE to ensure that the traveller has a genuine Dubai travel visa.
Getting an Ok to Board on your Dubai visa may feel like a major inconvenience, especially after going through the entire visa application process. However, we need to remember that this additional work is only an extra security measure. If you do not have the time to contact your airline company to update your PNR status to OK to Board, you can get this done through a reliable travel or visa company. Getting this done would ensure that you have a smooth and hassle-free journey to Dubai.