“This has been added to the requirements since last week,” a representative from Amer Centre, which provides visa and residency services, confirmed.

Amer Centres handle new and renewal visas, short- and long-term visit visas, and entry permit typing services in the UAE.

The representative said travel agencies had also received notifications about the new requirement.

“We are now uploading the external cover page along with our application. It is not possible to get an entry permit without it now,” he added.

According to a notice it is now mandatory to attach the passport’s external cover page for all entry permit applications with immediate effect.

Applicants must therefore submit a passport copy, passport-size photo, hotel booking confirmation, round-trip ticket copy, and the external cover page.

Another Amer Centre executive confirmed his organisation had received an official email notification last week and had since been uploading the additional page for all visit visas and entry permits.

The reason for the amendment has not yet been clarified. However, travel experts say the move may help authorities reduce confusion over applicants’ nationality.

“Sometimes, applicants provide the wrong nationality,” one travel agent explained.

“For some passports, it is hard to ascertain nationality because it is written in very small letters. Requiring the cover page removes ambiguities and helps authorities verify nationality more easily.”