The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says Nigeria has not been exempted from the customary visa application process.

On Monday, Nigerians were thrilled to read that the three-year travel ban from the UAE had been lifted. But their joy evaporated when Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation said the resolution had conditions that were “mutually beneficial”.

Part of the conditions include obtaining a document verification number (DVN). According to the DV hub, the process is a specialised service designed to authenticate & verify documentation essential for visa applications to the UAE.

The DVN costs a non-refundable N640,000 excluding VAT for each application. This does not include the visa fee.

In addition to obtaining a UAE visa, Nigerians are required to provide proof of a 6 month bank statement with a minimum balance of $10,000. While some citizens described the conditions as an upheld ‘constructive ban’ others expressed doubt about the authenticity of the DVN.