Britain to Offer VIP Visa Service for Dubai's Super Rich

Long queues and tedious paperwork were once burdens even the world’s richest were not immune from.


But now for billionaire Emirates trying to enter the UK, the hardship of queuing for a visa application has been removed.

Britain has become the first country in the world to offer a VIP visa service to Dubai’s super-rich upper classes trying to enter the United Kingdom.


Surrendering to the Gulf state’s notorious ‘bling culture’, now those who wish to apply for British visas can do so from the comfort of their own home.

Unlike everyone in the entire world who wishes to apply for a visa to Britain or any other country, rich Emirates no longer have to queue up in front of glass-screened consulate counters.

The platinum VIP service – which is offered for a mere £750 – promises that a group of officials will bring the forms to the applicant’s home.

They also bring a portable ‘biometric’ eye scanner to complete the application, before the Visa is hand-delivered.

Announcing the luxury mobile visa service, the Foreign Office said: ‘The new services have been designed specifically for customers who want to sit back and relax while their visa application is taken care of, whether at the application centre, or in their own office or home’.

And for those unwilling to pay the £750 premium service, there is a second-tier ‘Platinum Lounge’ option, where VFS, the processing company to which visa applications have been sub-contracted, gets to work.

‘The lounge is the first of its kind that the UK has introduced anywhere in the world, and is available exclusively to UK visa applicants,’ the Foreign Office said.

‘The lounge offers privacy and comfort, away from the hustle and bustle of the main application centre. Customers can relax in their own private booth within the tranquil and modern lounge, while VFS staff take care of the entire process.’

"Customers can relax in their own private booth within the tranquil and modern lounge, while VFS staff take care of the entire process "
UK Foreign Office

The £435 service, centred in Dubai’s upmarket Wafi Mall, comes with chauffeur service to pick up those simply too busy to wait in lengthy queues, and return them home.

The services also includes faster processing, meaning visas are ‘hand-delivered’ to the applicant’s door within three to five days, or 24 hours if they ‘upgrade’ to the express or ‘super priority’ service.

The Foreign Office said: ‘The introduction of the new services marks a further step forward in the UK’s efforts to provide a bespoke visa offering for customers in the UAE’.

UAE citizens are already entitled to visit Britain for short visits on a ‘visa waiver’ scheme that requires notification 48 hours in advance.

The new deluxe service is intended for those who want longer stays or repeat visits.