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Visa policy of the United Arab Emirates

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Entry stamp from Dubai International Airport

The visa policy of the United Arab Emirates allows citizens of certain countries to enter the United Arab Emirates without a visa. Citizens of certain other countries must obtain a visa from one of the UAE diplomatic missions. Alternatively, they may obtain an online visa through Smart Service or airlines.

All visitors must have a passport valid for at least 6 months, or 3 months if holding a residence permit. Citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council countries need only show a government-issued ID card.

Visa policy map

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Visa policy of the United Arab Emirates
  United Arab Emirates
  Freedom of movement
  Visa not required (180 days)
  Visa not required (90 days)
  Visa not required (30 days)
  Visa required

Visa exemption (free visa on arrival)

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Ordinary passports

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Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries and territories may enter the United Arab Emirates without a visa for the following period:[1]

Freedom of movement

180 days

90 days

90 days within any 180 days

30 days[2]

ID - May enter with an ID card.
1 - For holders of biometric passports without "Article 17" stamp.
2 - Days above are for holders of ordinary passports only, non-ordinary passports are visa-exempt for 90 days within any 180-day period instead.
3 - Applicable for both holders of ordinary passports and passports for public affairs.
4 - Only applicable for British citizens, British Overseas Territories citizens and British Subjects who have a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode.

Non-ordinary passports

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  United Arab Emirates
  Visa not required for diplomatic and service passports
  Visa not required for diplomatic passports

In addition to countries whose citizens are visa-exempt, holders of diplomatic or official/service passports of Algeria, Burkina Faso (30 days), Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Grenada, India, Indonesia (30 days), Jordan, Liberia, Morocco, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Thailand (30 days), Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam (30 days) and holders of diplomatic passports of Armenia, Burundi, Chad, Congo DR, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Uzbekistan do not require a visa for 90 days (unless otherwise stated).

Future changes

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United Arab Emirates has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet been ratified or applied:

Country Passports Agreement signed on
 Ghana[16] All 6 August 2021
 Jamaica[17] Diplomatic, official 23 September 2019
 South Sudan[18] Diplomatic 23 April 2019
 Papua New Guinea[19] All 21 October 2017
 Kenya[20] Diplomatic 25 February 2017
 Guyana[21] All September 2024

Online Visa

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Citizens of other countries have the option to obtain an online visa by two ways:[22]

Smart Service

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Visitors may obtain a visa online through Smart Service for Dubai[23] or other emirates.[24] Passengers must have a printed e-Visa confirmation.

Airline Visa

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Visitors may obtain a visa online through an airline if they are arriving on Air Arabia,[25] Air Astana,[26] Emirates,[27] Etihad[28] (and Air Baltic, Air Serbia, flydubai,[29] Turkish Airlines[30] and Indigo Airlines.

Transit visa

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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 2 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 citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Niger, Syria, Somalia, Yemen.[22]

All travellers in transit are exempt from entry fees for the first 48 hours; this short time may be extended for up to 96 hours for a fee of 50 AED.[31][32]

Substitute visa

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Citizens of India with an ordinary passport valid for 6 months from the arrival date with a visa issued by the USA which is valid for a minimum of 6 months may obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 14 days. They may apply before departure.[33] Indian citizens may extend their stay for an additional 14 days.[22]

The UAE has also introduced a new Green Visa for people with bachelors degrees who earn Dh15,000 (4,084 USD) 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.[34]

UAE Golden Visa

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The Golden Visa was invoked by the government of the United Arab Emirates in 2019,[35] under Cabinet Resolution No.56 of Organization of Residence Permits for Investors, Entrepreneurs and Professional Talent, 2018.[36] The UAE Golden Visa costs 136,000 USD for investors.[37]

Admission restrictions

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Citizens of Nigeria are required to hold a hotel booking or an accommodation address for the whole period of their intended stay.[22]

Citizens of South Sudan who hold a "business passport" are refused entry into the United Arab Emirates, but are allowed to transit in the UAE.[22]

Use UAE Visa for other countries

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The UAE visa or residence permit is accepted as a substitute visa and this visa allows simplified entry into the following countries:

  •  Armenia - UAE residents may obtain a visa on arrival valid for up to 120 days.[38]
  •  Azerbaijan - UAE resident may 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.[39]
  •  Georgia - UAE residents and visa holders may enter Georgia without visa for 90 days within any 180-day period. UAE visa and/or a residence permit must be valid on the day of entry into Georgia.[40]
  •  Kyrgyzstan - Citizens of Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Yemen who are UAE residents can obtain a short-term entry-exit visa under a simplified procedure.[38]
  •  Uzbekistan - Since June 2022, UAE residents with residency valid for at least 90 days can enter Uzbekistan visa-free for 30 days.[41]

Visitor statistics

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Emirate of Dubai

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Most visitors[note 1] arriving to Emirate of Dubai were from the following countries of nationality:[42][43][44][45]

Country 2022 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
 India 1,842,000 1,970,000 2,032,000 2,073,000 1,800,000 1,601,000
 Oman 1,311,000 1,030,000 829,000 862,000 1,037,000 1,002,000
 Saudi Arabia 1,216,000 1,565,000 1,568,000 1,529,000 1,638,000 1,542,000
 United Kingdom 1,043,000 1,200,000 1,212,000 1,265,000 1,245,000 1,188,000
 Russia 758,000 728,000 678,000 530,000 240,000 211,000
 United States 590,000 667,000 656,000 633,000 607,000 602,000
 Germany 422,000 560,000 567,000 506,000 462,000 461,000
 China n/a 989,000 857,000 764,000 540,000 450,000
 Pakistan n/a 501,000 513,000 598,000 607,000 513,000
Total 14,360,000 16,730,000 15,920,000 15,790,000 14,900,000 14,200,000

Emirate of Abu Dhabi

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Hotel guests[note 2] checking in hotels in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi were from the following countries of nationality:[46]

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

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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for United Arab Emirates.

Notes

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  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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  1. ^ "UAE visa information". Emirates (airline). Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  2. ^ Extension is possible for an additional 30 days, but for an additional fee.
  3. ^ Sharon Uranie (14 July 2015). "It's official! Visa-free travel to UAE for all Seychelles passports as of Thursday". Seychelles News Agency. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Memorándum de Entendimiento entre la República Argentina y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos sobre Exención Mutua del Requisito de Visa para Titulares de Pasaportes Ordinarios" [Memorandum of Understanding between the Argentine Republic and the United Arab Emirates on the Mutual Exemption of the Visa Requirement for Holders of Ordinary Passports] (in Spanish). Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  5. ^ "UAE visa-waiver deal with Chile". UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  6. ^ 驻阿联酋大使倪坚出席中阿扩大免签范围换文仪式 (in Chinese). Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Arab Emirates. 19 December 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  7. ^ https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-kiev/press/article/details/7340?lang=ru. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ "Detalji". Mvp.gov.me. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  9. ^ Agreement between the government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the government of the United Arab Emirates on mutual visa waiver for holders of a normal passport Archived 2021-03-08 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. (in Portuguese)
  10. ^ "MoFAIC -- News -- UAE citizens exempt from pre-entry visa to Barbados". Mofa.gov.ae. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  11. ^ "UAE, Mexico exchange MoU on visa exemption". Gulfnews.com. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Ambasada Republike Srbije u Ujedinjenim Arapskim Emiratima". Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  13. ^ "Emiratis can now visit Paraguay without pre-entry visas". Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  14. ^ "Los colombianos podrán visitar los Emiratos Árabes Unidos sin visa, a partir del 5 de marzo". Archived from the original on 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  15. ^ Maryana Ahmadova (8 July 2023). "Azerbaijan, UAE initiate visa-free travel". Trend.Az. Trend News Agency. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  16. ^ "UAE and Ghana signed a visa exemption agreement".
  17. ^ "UAE and Jamaica signed a visa exemption agreement". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2019-09-23. Archived from the original on 2022-04-14. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  18. ^ "UAE and South Sudan signed a visa exemption agreement". wam. 2019-04-23. Archived from the original on 2022-04-14. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  19. ^ "UAE and Papua New Guinea signsed a visa exemption agreement". Khaleejtimes.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
  20. ^ "Kenya and UAE signed a visa exemption agreement". Archived from the original on 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  21. ^ [1]
  22. ^ a b c d e "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  23. ^ "Dubai Online Visa".
  24. ^ "Online Visa for other emirates".
  25. ^ "Visa and passport information - Air Arabia". Airarabia.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-23. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  26. ^ "Visas". Air Astana. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  27. ^ "UAE visa information - Visa & passport information - Before you fly - Emirates". Emirates. Archived from the original on 2020-05-25. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  28. ^ "UAE visa - Etihad Airways". Archived from the original on 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  29. ^ "UAE Visas". Flydubai.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  30. ^ "Turkish Airlines". Evize.turkishairlines.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  31. ^ "UAE announces new visa rules for residents, jobseekers and tourists". Gulf Business. 14 June 2018. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  32. ^ "В ОАЭ отменили визы для транзитных туристов". Tourdom.ru. 14 June 2018. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  33. ^ "Smart Service".
  34. ^ "What the UAE's new green visa means for teachers". The National. 2022-04-28. Archived from the original on 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  35. ^ Bell, Jennifer (16 February 2023). "UAE Golden Visa: Are you eligible and how do you apply?". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  36. ^ "Golden Visa UAE". Future Vision. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  37. ^ Gokulan, Dhanusha. "More investors seek second passports, UAE Golden Visas amid global headwinds". Gulf News. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  38. ^ a b Timatic.
  39. ^ "Azerbaijan grants UAE residents visa on arrival". 29 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  40. ^ "On Approval of the List of Countries, Whose Visa and/or Residence Permit Holders May Enter Georgia without a Visa for an Appropriate Period and under Appropriate Conditions". Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  41. ^ "Uzbekistan Visa for UAE Citizens and Residents". www.advantour.com. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  42. ^ "Visitor by Nationality - Emirate of Dubai 2017" (PDF). Dsc.gov.ae. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  43. ^ "Visitor by Nationality* - Emirate of Dubai (2014 - 2016)" (PDF). Dsc.gov.ae. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  44. ^ "Visitor by Nationality by years". Archived from the original on 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  45. ^ Annual visitor report 2023. Dubai
  46. ^ "Abu Dhabi Hotel Report 2018" (PDF). Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism. 31 December 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.


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