The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it will charge Canadians up to US$1,000 for a visa beginning next week, in an ongoing row between the two countries over aviation rights.
The UAE embassy in Ottawa announced on its Web site that fees for a six-month multiple entrance visa would now be US$1,000 dollars, while three-month and one-month visas would cost US$500 and US$250 respectively.
Last month the UAE announced that Canadians, unlike nationals of most Western countries, would need a visa as of Jan. 2.
The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that UAE nationals visiting Canada are also required to obtain a visa, which costs between US$75 and US$150.
The steep hike in obtaining a visa for the UAE come as the two countries have been at odds over landing rights in Canada for UAE-based carriers and the closure of a UAE military base to Canadian use.
In October, Canada was forced to close a military base in Dubai that was part of a key supply route to Afghanistan after refusing to grant the UAE’s two national carriers more landing rights.
More than 25,000 Canadians live in the United Arab Emirates, one of Canada’s biggest economic partners in the Middle East, with bilateral trade valued at about US$1.5 billion per year, according to UAE officials.
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