Latest news with #ManuPalerichal
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Nepal's new NOC rule for UAE travellers: How Indian expats lost Dh1,400 during trip
Indian expats lose over Dh1,400 due to Nepal's sudden enforcement of NOC rule for UAE-bound travellers. Some Indian residents of the UAE have unexpectedly lost more than Dh1,400 each or faced significant travel stress after Nepal began strictly enforcing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) requirement from the Indian embassy for re-entry to the Emirates. As reported by Khaleej Times, this rule, though not new, has recently been implemented more rigorously due to concerns about human trafficking and tax evasion. Dubai resident Manu Palerichal, CEO of CLA Emirates, recounted a stressful experience during his Eid break trip to Nepal. 'As soon as we landed in Nepal on Thursday, an immigration officer informed us that we need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Indian embassy when returning to the UAE,' he told Khaleej Times. 'No one had informed us about this beforehand… fellow travellers weren't aware either and told us to ignore it,' he said. Enforced due to system abuse After reaching out to his travel agent, Manu learned that the rule had started being strictly applied to prevent abuses of the system. However, the family had already travelled to Pokhara, nearly 200km from Kathmandu, where the Indian embassy is located. 'We spent two days in Pokhara, anxiously wondering what to do if the embassy was closed on Saturday and Sunday,' Manu said. 'We even came up with alternate plans to return to Dubai in case we couldn't get the document.' Safeer Mohammed, general manager of Smart Travels, confirmed to Khaleej Times that the rule has existed for a while but is now enforced more tightly. 'Authorities found people misusing the system, and that may have prompted this change,' he explained. 'Instances of human trafficking and tax evasion were discovered and that may have been one of the reasons why the rule is now being enforced strictly.' He also clarified that travellers heading from Nepal to India won't have any problems, but those returning to the UAE via Nepal 'must have the NOC before travelling.' Travellers denied boarding, incur losses Dubai resident Thabseer Ahmed faced financial setbacks of over Dh1,400 after discovering the NOC requirement only at the airport while returning from Nepal. 'We found out about the NOC only at the airport (in Nepal) while heading back from our holiday,' he told Khaleej Times. His friends flying back to India had no issues, but those heading to the GCC were denied boarding. 'We tried to get to the Indian embassy, but the flight was at 3am on a Sunday and no one was available to help us,' he said. Thabseer tried to reroute via New Delhi, but it didn't help. 'You have to check out in India, collect your luggage and then check back in. So once I arrived in New Delhi, I had to book a new flight back to the UAE,' he said, adding that a friend from Kuwait lost around Dh2,000, while another from Qatar also faced losses in rebooking. Embassy process, required documents, and advice Eventually, Manu returned to Kathmandu with his family and was relieved to find the Indian embassy working through the weekend. 'I did not have to wait much but staff told me that there was a huge rush on Thursday and Friday with people having to wait hours for their documents,' he said. According to Manu, the documents needed for the NOC included: Passport-size photo Copies of passport and UAE residence visa Immigration stamp Air ticket Emirates ID Application form Each certificate cost 3,100 Nepali rupees per person, totalling over Dh300 for his four-member family. He urged others to check travel requirements beforehand. 'Since Nepal is just a short distance away, a lot of Indians from GCC countries plan short trips here,' he warned. 'Travel agents must give clear directives about these new requirements to avoid complications.'
Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Some Indian expats 'lost over Dh1,400' as Nepal enforces strict travel rule
Some UAE residents have unexpectedly faced extra expenses — up to Dh1,400 — or spent precious holiday time in Nepal dealing with paperwork, due to newly enforced travel regulations. Recent travellers to Nepal are advising Indian residents in the UAE to be aware of the new, stricter travel rules. One such traveller, Dubai resident Manu Palerichal, faced a stressful situation during his recent Eid break trip to Nepal with his family. What was supposed to be a relaxing vacation quickly turned into a logistical headache. 'As soon as we landed in Nepal on Thursday, an immigration officer informed us that we need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Indian embassy when returning to the UAE,' he said. 'It caught us off guard because no one had informed us about this beforehand. We asked our fellow travellers if they had been told the same but no one else knew about it. They asked us to ignore the advice," he added. Manu, who works as the CEO of auditing firm CLA Emirates in Dubai, then decided to double-check with his travel agent. He learned that the NOC requirement had been strictly enforced recently due to concerns over system misuse, such as "human trafficking and tax evasion". However, by the time he received this information, Manu and his family had already traveled to Pokhara, nearly 200km from Kathmandu, where the Indian embassy is located. 'So, it was impossible for us to secure (the) NOC," he said. "We spent two days in Pokhara, anxiously wondering what to do if the embassy was closed on Saturday and Sunday. We even came up with alternate plans to return to Dubai in case we couldn't get the document," he added. According to Safeer Mohammed, general manager of Smart Travels, the NOC requirement has been in effect for a long time, but it has been very strictly enforced recently. "Authorities found people misusing the system, and that may have prompted this change," he explained. 'Instances of human trafficking and tax evasion were discovered and that may have been one of the reasons why the rule is now being enforced strictly." "We are aware that an existing rule has been very strictly enforced for the last few months," he noted. "We're advising all travellers to Nepal to have the NOC sorted to ensure a smooth journey.' 'Lost over Dh,1400' Dubai resident Thabseer Ahmed lost over Dh1,400 after being informed about the No Objection Certificate (NOC) requirement at the airport when he travelled to Nepal last month. "We found out about the NOC only at the airport (in Nepal) while heading back from our holiday," he said. All his friends traveling back to India had no issues while others travelling to the GCC countries were prevented from boarding their flights. 'We tried to get to the Indian embassy, but the flight was at 3am on a Sunday and no one was available to help us,' he recalled. 'A lot of documentation was also needed, none of which we could manage at that last minute. I tried booking my flight transiting through New Delhi but even that didn't work. You have to check out at India, collect your luggage and then check back in. So once I arrived in New Delhi, I had to book a new flight back to the UAE.' He said he lost over Dh1,400 in ticket prices due to this issue. 'My friend from Kuwait also lost the equivalent of almost Dh2,000 when he rebooked his tickets,' he said. 'My other friend from Qatar also lost money on rebooking.' Documents needed Manu said he returned to Kathmandu on Saturday with his family and then drove for 30 minutes to the embassy to get the NOC. 'Thankfully the embassy works through the weekend,' he said. 'I did not have to wait much but staff told me that there was a huge rush on Thursday and Friday with people having to wait hours for their documents.' To get the NOC, Manu said that he had to submit a passport-size photo, copies of passport and UAE residence visas, immigration stamp, air ticket, Emirates ID, and application form. He also had to pay 3,100 Nepali rupees for each family member, which amounted to over Dh300 for his four-member family. He said he was lucky enough to get to know the requirement ahead of time and warned other UAE residents to be careful when planning their trips. 'Since Nepal is just a short distance away, a lot of Indians from GCC countries plan short trips here,' he said. 'Travel agents must give clear directives about these new requirements to avoid complications.' Manu emphasised that while he was lucky to find out about the requirement ahead of time, many others might not be as fortunate. "Since Nepal is just a short distance away, many Indians from GCC plan short trips here," he said. 'Travel agents must give clear directives about these new requirements to avoid (unnecessary) complications.' Safeer also warned that UAE residents planning to visit India this summer should be aware of the updated regulations. 'Those traveling to Nepal and then going to India will not have any issue,' he said. 'However, those planning to return to the UAE via Nepal must have the NOC before travelling.'
