UAE, BIE prepare arrangements for Expo 2020.

The UAE will implement a series of measures, including entry permits, tax and customs exemptions, and recognition of foreign driving licences, to ensure a seamless experience for the representatives of participant countries at Expo 2020 Dubai.

In an agreement with the Bureau International des Expositions, BIE, the intergovernmental organisation responsible for overseeing and regulating world exhibitions, the UAE will also provide access to health insurance, education and the use of radio frequencies, to support Expo participants’ representatives and some family members.

Expo 2020 will run for six months from 20th October, 2020, and expects to welcome more than 200 participants, including more than 180 nations, multinational organisations, businesses and educational institutions. Thousands of people are expected to represent international participants and they will be housed at the Expo Village, which will include 2,100 residential units, a retail mall and food and beverage outlets.

The agreement was signed at the UAE Embassy in Paris, by Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, Executive Director of Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, on behalf of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Vicente G. Loscertales, BIE Secretary-General, in the presence of Omar Saif Ghobash, UAE Ambassador to France.

Al-Ali said, "This agreement will help Expo 2020 provide a seamless experience for participants. It is the latest in a series of steps by the UAE Government to deliver a successful World Expo. Government authorities and departments are working at all levels to make the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, MEASA, region a huge success."

Loscertales, in turn said, "The BIE and World Expos are built on the principle that collaboration fosters innovation and drives progress. The UAE enjoys strong relationships with members of the international community and is facilitating the participation of countries, organisations and educational institutions, and their representatives, with the aim of delivering an Expo that brings the world together."

The UAE will also establish a ‘one-stop shop’ to ensure efficient processing of relevant documentation. The special measures will be granted to Expo 2020 participants on a case-by-case basis up to 10th October, 2021.

More than 170 nations have already either publically or privately confirmed their participation. Further national participation announcements are expected in the coming months.

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