Another series of repatriation flights for Indian citizens in the Gulf will begin on Tuesday.
Indian residents in the UAE planning to return home are no longer required to register on the website set up by the consulate in Dubai.
On Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs said the sixth batch of flights were scheduled after the Indian government ruled out any imminent resumption of regular commercial international services.
They will repatriate Indian citizens who wish to return home from the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar throughout September.
The Indian government has been operating repatriation flights for its citizens since the outbreak, to bring back people who have lost jobs abroad or wish to return home amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is no restriction from the Indian side for any traveller to come to UAE from India, nor there is any registration process for people travelling from India to UAE
Under the mission, called Vande Barahat, or Salute India, more than 1.2 million Indians have been repatriated from all over the globe, officials said.
Hundreds of thousands of those passengers have flown from the Emirates thanks to the joint efforts of authorities from both nations.
"Phase 6 of Vande Bharat Mission is scheduled to begin on September 1," said Anurag Srivastava, spokesman for the ministry.
"Based on an assessment of demand by our missions and posts abroad, flights are being scheduled by Air India Group and private carriers."
Mr Srivastava said flights would now also operate from Kuwait.
"In addition, the number of flights from other GCC countries has been further augmented," he said.
The Indian Minister for Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, said negotiations on air travel arrangements with 18 more countries were continuing.
"This will benefit stranded Indians and nationals of these countries," Mr Puri said.
Previously, Indian residents in the UAE who wanted to be repatriated would have to register details of their passport and the city they wished to travel to before heading back to India.
About 370,000 Indians have left the UAE for India from the more than 600,000 who signed up for repatriation in May.
The Indian consulate in Dubai said on Tuesday that it had scrapped the registration process since India and the UAE would continue the “air bubble agreement.'
The consulate said since a number of flights were being operated by both UAE and Indian carriers and tickets were available online.
Travellers to India were reminded to complete a PCR Covid-19 test and upload it to the Air Suvidha portal at newdelhiairport.in to be exempt from quarantine at all airports in India.
The PCR swab test was not mandatory but highly recommended, the consulate said.
People travelling from India to the Emirates were advised to follow guidelines issued by the UAE government, including the mandatory PCR test and getting approval from immigration authorities if needed.
Travellers on visit visa require travel and health insurance for the length of their stay in the Emirates.
“There is no restriction from the Indian side for any traveller to come to UAE from India, nor there is any registration process for people travelling from India to UAE,” the consulate said.
On Monday, Air India announced its tentative schedule for Vande Bharat Phase 6 flights from Dubai, Bahrain and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from September 1 until October 24.
And Air India Express announced its tentative schedule from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat, Bahrain, Kuwait and Doha for September.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
More coverage from the Future Forum
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Tuesday results:
- Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
- UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
- Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets
Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
The%20specs
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
