Dubai Visa Info

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Visa Regulations

General Information

There are several types of visas for visitors to UAE
Nationals of “Israel” may not enter the UAE
A penalty charge of AED 100 per day is imposed on visitors who overstay
For nationalities that require a sponsor, airlines may seek confirmation that the sponsor is holding a valid visa for the incoming visitor

AGCC Citizens

The citizens of the Arab Gulf Co-operation Council member states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia) do not need a visa.

AGCC Residents

AGCC expatriate residents who meet certain conditions may obtain a non-renewable 30-day visa upon arrival at the approved ports of entry. Visitors who are businessmen, company managers or representatives, auditors, accountants, doctors, engineers or employees working in the public sector, their family members and drivers and servants sponsored by them are eligible for this visa. Employees from the labor and servant categories are not eligible for this type of visa.

AGCC Citizens

The citizens of the Arab Gulf Co-operation Council member states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia) do not need a visa.

Citizens of Western Europe and Pacific Rim

Citizens of UK (with the right of abode in the United Kingdom), France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Spain, Monaco, Vatican City, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and holders of Hong Kong SAR passports will be granted a free of charge for One Entry Visit visa on arrival in the UAE.

Currently, it has been decided to postpone the implementation of the new regulation as far as Cyprus is concerned. The visa enables them to stay for 60 days. The visa is renewable for a total stay of 90 days for a fee of AED 500.

Entry Service Permit

An Entry Service Permit applies to the following categories and their families accompanying them: company manager’s representatives, sales managers, account auditors, delegations from companies or establishments to carry out a commercial activity in the UAE, enquirers requested by any of the establishments/companies operating in the UAE assumed to carry out an urgent task. Such visa is also availed to nationalities authorized to obtain a tourist visa, as per the Ministerial Council's decision.

This visa is valid for use within 14 days from the date of issue. The duration of stay is 14 days from date of entry, exclusive of arrival and departure days. It is non-renewable.

In order to complete the application, the sponsor will require the visitor’s date of arrival and flight details, and a photocopy of the first few pages of the visitor’s passport which should be valid for at least three months. This type of entry permit will only be issued as urgent at a fee of AED 220 .

The Entry Service Permit holder may enter and depart the UAE through any airport.

Visit Visas

The Visit Visa applies to tourists who wish to spend more than 14 days in UAE, those coming for family visits as well as those on long-term business visits.

It requires the sponsorship of any UAE. resident or any company or hotel licensed to operate within the UAE. A refundable AED 2,000 guarantee from expatriates who wish to sponsor distant relatives is imposed.

This visa is valid for entry within two months from its date of issue.

The Visit Visa is valid for 60 days and is renewable for a total stay of up to 90 days. A fee of AED 500 is charged for this renewal.

In order to complete the application, the sponsor will require the visitor’s date of arrival and arrival details and a photocopy of the first few pages of the visitor’s passport, which must be valid for at least three months. There is a fee of AED 100 for obtaining a visit visa. There is also a fee of AED 10 for visa delivery service by DNATA. Hotels, hotel apartments, tour operators, travel agents and airlines may not levy supplementary charges or processing fees in excess of AED 50/- for arranging visas for visitors.

The Visit Visa holder may enter and leave the country through any port of entry in the UAE.

Tourist Visas

A special category of visas under the Visit Visa type is a Tourist Visa, which can be obtained for individual tourists from: East and West Europe, Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland, Ukraine, Albania, Russia, the Hellenic Republic, St Kitts-Navis, St Lucia, Mexico, Cuba, Bermuda, Belize, Guyana, French Guiana, Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent, Kingston, Palao other non-defined American nationalities, Thailand, South Africa, Singapore, China, Malta, Cyprus.

The Tourist Visa entitles its holder to a 30 day stay and is non-renewable. The Tourist Visa requires the sponsorship of hotels and tour operators who bring in visitors from the above listed countries. The fee is AED 100. There is also a fee of AED 10 for visa delivery service by DNATA. Hotels, hotel apartments, tour operators, travel agents and airlines may not levy supplementary charges or processing fees in excess of AED 50/- for arranging visas for visitors.

Multiple-Entry Visas

Multiple-entry Visas are availed to business visitors who have a relationship with either a multinational or other reputable local establishments, and who are frequent visitors to the UAE.

This type of visa is valid for six months from the date of issue and the duration of each stay is 30 days. The validity is non-renewable. The cost of this visa is AED 1,000.

The visitor must enter the UAE on a visit visa and obtain the multiple entry visa while in the country. The visa would be stamped on the passport.

96 hours Visa for Transit Passengers

Transit passengers stopping at Dubai International Airport for a minimum of 8 hours and meeting the certain conditions mentioned below are eligible for obtaining a 96-hour transit visa. These conditions are as follow:

Airlines sponsored only (prior arrangements maybe required)
Applications should have confirmed onward booking to the 3rd destination
For transit passengers or those holding special permits, or for visit or mission, the passport or the document must be valid for at least three months

Citizens of the following countries are not eligible for the 96 hours visa on arrival:
Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Niger, and Yemen.

Service for transit passengers

For Emirates Airlines travelers, the airline can handle the service for their travelers. However for those flying through other Airlines, they have to contact directly the “Marhaba Services” for any transit service. A contact detail is provided herewith:

Marhaba Services Tel: 00971 4 2162657; 2164629
email: marhaba@emirates.com

German Citizens

The German citizens (tourists and business people) may apply to the UAE embassy in Germany for a one or two year multiple-entry visa. No sponsor is required. The maximum duration of stay of visa holders should not exceed three months a year. The visa fee is AED 1,500.

US Citizens

The US citizens (tourists and business people) may apply to the UAE embassies in the US for one to ten year multiple-entry visas. A sponsor is required and the visa will be granted free of charge. The maximum duration of stay should not exceed six months a visit.

Since the establishment of the federation in 1971, the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have forged a distinct national identity through consolidation of their federal status and enjoy an enviable degree of political stability. The UAE's political system, a unique combination of the traditional and the modern, has underpinned this political success, enabling the country to develop a modern administrative structure while, at the same time, ensuring that the best of the traditions of the past are maintained, adapted and preserved.

Each of the component emirates already had its own existing institutions of government prior to 1971 and, to provide for the effective governing of the new state, the rulers agreed to draw up a provisional Constitution specifying the powers that were to be allocated to the new federal institutions, all others remaining the prerogative of the emirates.

Areas of responsibility assigned to the federal authorities, under Articles 120 and 121 of the Constitution, were foreign affairs, security and defense, nationality and immigration issues, education, public health, currency, postal, telephone and other communications services, air traffic control and licensing of aircraft, in addition to a number of other topics specifically prescribed, including labor relations, banking, delimitation of territorial waters and extradition of criminals. The Constitution also stated in Article 116 that 'the Emirates shall exercise all powers not assigned to the Federation by this Constitution'. This was reaffirmed in Article 122, which stated that 'the Emirates shall have jurisdiction in all matters not assigned to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federation, in accordance with the provision of the preceding two Articles'.

In May 1996, the Federal Supreme Council approved two amendments to the provisional Constitution, making it permanent and naming Abu Dhabi as the capital of the state.

The federal system of government includes a Supreme Council, a Cabinet, or Council of Ministers, a parliamentary body, the Federal National Council, and an independent judiciary, at the apex of which is the Federal Supreme Court.

Federal Supreme Council

During their initial discussions on forming a federation, the rulers of the seven emirates agreed that each of them would be a member of a Supreme Council, the top policy-making body in the new state and that they would elect a President and a Vice President from amongst their number, to serve for a five-year, renewable, term of office. The Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was elected as the first President, a post to which he was re-elected at successive five-yearly intervals until his death in November 2004, while the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, was elected as first Vice President, a post he continued to hold until his death in 1990. Both were succeeded by their Crown Princes, who became rulers of their emirates and were elected by the members of the Federal Supreme Council to become respectively President, for the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Vice President, for the Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Rashid's successor as Vice-President, Sheikh Maktoum, died in early 2006, and was succeeded as ruler by his younger brother and Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, who was then elected as the UAE's third Vice President.

The Federal Supreme Council has both legislative and executive powers. It ratifies federal laws and decrees, plans general policy, approves the nomination of the Prime Minister and accepts his resignation. It also relieves him of his post on the recommendation of the President.

The Council of Ministers or Cabinet, described in the Constitution as 'the executive authority' for the Federation, includes the usual complement of ministerial portfolios and is headed by a Prime Minister, chosen by the President in consultation with his colleagues on the Supreme Council. The Prime Minister, currently the Vice-President (although this has not always been the case), then selects the ministers, who may be drawn from any of the Federation's component emirates, although, naturally, the more populous emirates have generally provided more members of each Cabinet.

A 24-member Cabinet was appointed on 11 February 2006, according to the proposal of Vice President HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who had been requested to form a new Government following his accession as Ruler of Dubai and election as Vice-President the previous month. This Cabinet was reshuffled on 17 February 2008 to include a new portfolio for foreign trade and the realignment of several ministries of state.

Parallel to, and interlocking with, the federal institutions, each of the seven emirates also has its own local government. All have expanded significantly as a result of the country's growth over the last 35 years, though they differ in complexity from emirate to emirate, depending on factors such as population, area, and degree of development.