Visa policy of the United Arab Emirates

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Visitors to the United Arab Emirates must obtain a visa prior to travel, unless they come from one of the visa-exempt countries or one of the countries whose citizens are eligible for visa on arrival.

Citizens of member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council have freedom of movement in the UAE.

All visitors visiting the United Arab Emirates must hold a passport valid for at least 6 months, or 3 months if holding a residency permit. Gulf Cooperation Council nationals need only show a government-issued ID card.

Visa policy map

Visa exemption or free visa on arrival

Nationals of the following countries and territories may either enter the United Arab Emirates without a visa or are eligible to obtain a free UAE visa on arrival: [1] [2]

Freedom of movement
180 days
90 days within any 180 days
90 days within any 12 months
30 days[3]

ID — May enter with an ID card.
1 — Not applicable to passports stamped "Article 17".
2 — For holders of biometric passports only.
3 — For holders of normal passports only; non-ordinary passports are visa-exempt for 90 days within any 180 days instead.
4 — Applicable for both holders of ordinary passports and passports for public affairs.
5 — Only applicable if national has used up their 90 days maximum stay limit.
6 — Only applicable for British citizens, British Overseas Territories citizens and British Subjects who have a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode.


A visa waiver agreement for ordinary passports was signed with  Armenia in 8 September 2023 and it is yet to come into force.

A visa waiver agreement for ordinary passports was signed with  Bosnia and Herzegovina in 18 October 2023 and it is yet to come into force.

Substitute visas

Citizens of  India who are valid visa holders or residents of the United States, or who are residents of the European Union, are eligible to obtain a free 14 day visa on arrival. [1] [19]

The UAE has also introduced a new Green Visa for people with bachelors degrees who earn Dh15,000 ($4,084) or more per month. The five-year visa policy would offer greater stability and flexibility to middle-income workers in the education sector and attract new talent to the Emirates. [20]

The Golden Visa was invoked by the government of the United Arab Emirates in 2019, [21] under Cabinet Resolution No.56 of Organization of Residence Permits for Investors, Entrepreneurs and Professional Talent, 2018. [22] The UAE Golden Visa costs $136,000 for investors. [23]

Diplomatic and service category passports

  United Arab Emirates
  Visa free or free visa on arrival for diplomatic and service category passports
  Visa free or free visa on arrival for diplomatic passports

In addition to nations whose citizens are visa exempt, holders of diplomatic or service category passports of Algeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, India, Indonesia, Liberia, Morocco, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vanuatu and Vietnam and holders of diplomatic passports of Armenia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Congo DR, Ethiopia, Guinea, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Uzbekistan also do not require a visa or can obtain a free visa on arrival.

Future changes

United Arab Emirates has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries that are not yet ratified or applied:

Transit visa

Passengers on all international airlines may enter the United Arab Emirates for 96 hours after obtaining a transit visa at the airport. The time difference between the two flights must be over 8 hours and the passenger must continue to a third destination. Passengers also must have a hotel booking. This is not applicable to nationals of Afghanistan, Iraq, Niger, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen.[1]

All travellers in transit are exempt from entry fees for the first 48 hours; this brief entry may be extended for up to 96 hours for a fee of 50 AED.[29][30]

Requirements for visa application

For all others nationals who are not granted visa-free or visa on arrival, UAE visas rules vary according to nationality, age and gender. For example, for Moroccans, Algerians, Libyans, Syrians, Mauritanians and Tunisians, the minimum age requirement to apply for a visa is 40. For other nationalities, the minimum age requirement to apply for a visa is 21 for men and 23 for women.[31][32]

Airline visas

Visitors normally require a sponsor but visas can also be arranged online through an airline if they are arriving on Air Arabia,[33] Air Astana,[34] Emirates,[35] Etihad[36] (and Air Baltic[37] and Air Serbia[38]), flydubai,[39] Turkish Airlines[40] and Indigo Airlines[41]

Admission restrictions

In addition to a visa, nationals of  Nigeria entering the United Arab Emirates are required to hold a hotel booking or an accommodation address for the whole period of their intended stay.[1]

Additionally, nationals of  South Sudan who hold a "business passport" are refused entry into the United Arab Emirates, but are allowed to transit in the UAE.[1]

Use for other countries

UAE visas or residence permits are accepted as substitute visas for national visas or they allow for simplified entry procedures in the following countries:

  •  Armenia — Nationals of India with a UAE residence permit may obtain a visa on arrival valid for up to 120 days.[42]
  •  Azerbaijan — UAE residents can obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days if they have a residence permit valid for at least 6 months from the arrival date.[43]
  •  Georgia — UAE residents and visa holders may enter and stay in Georgia without visa for 90 calendar days in any 180-day period. UAE visa and/or a residence permit must be valid on the day of entry into Georgia.[44]
  •  Kyrgyzstan — Nationals of Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tunisia who are UAE residents can apply for a visa on arrival valid for 30 days.[42]
  •  Uzbekistan — Since June 2022, UAE residents with residency valid for at least 90 days can enter Uzbekistan visa free for 30 days.[45]

Visitor statistics

Emirate of Dubai

Most visitors[note 1] arriving to Emirate of Dubai were from the following countries of nationality:[46][47][48]

Country 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
 India 1,970,000 2,032,000 2,073,000 1,800,000 1,601,000
 Saudi Arabia 1,565,000 1,568,000 1,529,000 1,638,000 1,542,000
 United Kingdom 1,200,000 1,212,000 1,265,000 1,245,000 1,188,000
 Oman 1,030,000 829,000 862,000 1,037,000 1,002,000
 China 989,000 857,000 764,000 540,000 450,000
 Russia 728,000 678,000 530,000 240,000 211,000
 United States 667,000 656,000 633,000 607,000 602,000
 Germany 560,000 567,000 506,000 462,000 461,000
 Pakistan 501,000 513,000 598,000 607,000 513,000
Total 16,730,000 15,920,000 15,790,000 14,900,000 14,200,000

Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Hotel guests[note 2] checking in hotels in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi were from the following countries of nationality:[49]

Country 2019 2018 2017
 India 450,000 416,000 360,000
 China 396,000 401,000 372,000
 United Kingdom 267,000 278,000 261,000
 United States 204,000 194,000 164,000
 Egypt 184,000 169,000 160,000
 Philippines 175,000 183,000 181,000
 Saudi Arabia 163,000 168,000 152,000
 Germany 128,000 142,000 131,000
Total 5,100,000 5,043,821 4,852,405

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for United Arab Emirates.

Notes

  1. ^ International visitors who spend one night at least in Dubai including air, land & sea visitors, excluding United Arab Emirates residents, local Emiratis and aircrews & marines
  2. ^ Excluding Emirati citizens

References

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External links