Dubai halts entry to SA travellers â returning residents first need govt approval Business Insider SA facebook (Getty Images) Dubai’s new travel restrictions deny entry to anybody who has travelled from or through South Africa in the past ten days. Only travellers holding valid Dubai residence visas will be permitted to enter but must first get permission from the UAE government. This coincides with Emirates Airlines’ decision to halt flights to and from South Africa until 28 January. For more articles, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za. Travellers from South Africa will not be allowed entry into Dubai, after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) introduced a raft of new flight restrictions as a means of combatting the spread of Covid-19. Only UAE residents will be permitted to return from South Africa, but with major airlines recently suspending their flight plans, repatriation to Dubai is improbable.