India—UAE step up travel and legal cooperation in growing strategic partnership

India and the UAE are taking important steps to simplify travel and boost legal cooperation, marking a new stage in their rapidly growing strategic partnership.

Both countries are focusing on making visas easier, speeding up extradition, and improving cooperation between their legal systems.

The goal is to make travel and movement easier for workers, tourists, and businesses, while also strengthening efforts to catch criminals and fugitives operating between the two countries.

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Four key areas of cooperation

At the sixth India–UAE Joint Committee on Consular Affairs meeting in Abu Dhabi last month, officials from both countries agreed to focus on four main areas, according to India Narrative.

This includes making visa rules easier, sharing information more smoothly, giving better access to consular services.

India has already expanded visa-on-arrival facilities for UAE nationals, increasing the number of airports offering this service from six to nine by adding Kochi, Calicut, and Ahmedabad.

On the other hand, the UAE has made it easier for more Indian travellers, especially professionals with foreign residence permits, to get visas on arrival, allowing quick trips.

The move to make visas easier is because of strong economic and political reasons. Trade between India and the UAE has already passed around 100 billion dollars in 2024–25 under the CEPA agreement.

With more than 4.2 million Indians living in the UAE, travel is important for their well-being and affects the UAE’s job market.

Easier visas for UAE citizens visiting India also show that travel and investment go both ways, according to IANS.

Faster legal cooperation to catch criminals

Faster action from the UAE can significantly impact India's efforts to bring back economic offenders who once considered Dubai a safe escape route.

As India and the UAE increase trade through food routes, transport projects, and big investments, it’s important to share financial records, ownership information, and digital evidence quickly.

This teamwork can stop criminals from taking advantage of rule differences and working across borders without being noticed.