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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.
Contents
- Visa free
- Visa on arrival
- Transit visa
- Requirements for visa application
- Airline visas
- Refusal of Entry
- References
Citizens of member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council have a freedom of movement in the UAE and the Schengen Area, Bahamas, and Seychelles citizens can make short term visits up to 90 days without visa limits. Nationals of 17 other countries are granted free visa on arrival to the UAE for a period of 30 days.UAE Visas, Emirates</ref> All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.
Visa-free
Nationals of the following 38 countries may enter the UAE without a visa.
1 — except the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
2 — for up to 90 days within 180 days.
3 — freedom of movement. May enter with an ID card
4 — for up to 90 days.
Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports of Albania, China, Colombia and holders of diplomatic passports of Mauritius and Russia do not require a visa. Holders of ordinary passports of China endorsed for public affairs also do not require a visa.
Visa waiver protocol was signed with Costa Rica on 16 January 2017.
Visa waiver protocol for official and special passports was signed with Kazakhstan and it is yet to come into force.
Visa waiver protocol for diplomatic passports was signed with Kenya and it is yet to come into force.
Visa waiver agreement was signed with Brazil in March 2017 and is yet to be ratified.
Visa on arrival
Nationals of the following 17 countries and territories who are holders of normal passports are eligible to obtain a free UAE visa on arrival valid for 30 days. Extension is possible for a fee.
- ^ – Also valid for British Overseas Territories citizens and British Subjects who have a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode.
Holders of diplomatic or official/service/special passports of Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brunei, Chile, Egypt, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom (60 days) and Vietnam can obtain a free visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 90 days. Holders of diplomatic passports only of Armenia, Belarus, Jordan (60 days) and Kazakhstan can also obtain a free visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 90 days. Holders of diplomatic or official passports of Australia, Japan and the United States can obtain a visa on arrival if holding an e-Visa receipt.
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, Somalia, and Yemen.
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, Mauritanians and Tunisians 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.
Airline visas
Visitors normally require a sponsor but visas can also be arranged online through an airline if they are arriving on Air Arabia, Air Astana, Emirates, Etihad (and Air Baltic, Air Berlin, and Air Serbia), flydubai, Turkish Airlines and Indigo Airlines
Refusal of Entry
Entry is refused to Israeli Passport Holders except transit.