Visa policy of the United Arab Emirates
Policy on permits required to enter the United Arab Emirates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
Visa exemption
Ordinary passports
Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries and territories may enter the UAE without a visa for the following period:[1][2]
|
Freedom of movement 180 days 90 days
30 days[4] |
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 days period instead.
3 - For Chinese citizens with People's Republic of China passports, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports or Macao Special Administrative Region passports only.
4 – For British citizens, British Overseas Territories citizens and British Subjects who have a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode.
| Date of visa changes |
|---|
|
Non-ordinary passports
In addition to countries whose citizens are visa-exempt, holders of diplomatic or official/service passports of Algeria, Benin,Burkina Faso (30 days), Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Grenada, India, Indonesia (30 days), Jordan, Liberia, Morocco, Rwanda, 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
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 |
|---|---|---|
 Trinidad and Tobago |
Diplomatic | 29 September 2025 |
 Ghana[19] |
All | 6 August 2021 |
 Jamaica[20] |
Diplomatic, official | 23 September 2019 |
 South Sudan[21] |
Diplomatic | 23 April 2019 |
 Kenya[22] |
Diplomatic | 25 February 2017 |
Online visa
Citizens of other countries have the option to obtain an online visa by 2 ways:[23]
Smart Service
Visitors may obtain a visa online through Smart Service for Dubai[24] or other emirates.[25] Passengers must have a printed Online Visa confirmation.
Airline visa
Visitors may obtain a visa online through an airline if they are arriving on Air Arabia,[26] Air Astana,[27] Emirates,[28] Etihad[29] (and Air Baltic, Air Serbia, flydubai,[30] Turkish Airlines[31] and Indigo Airlines.
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 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.[23]
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.[32][33]
Substitute visa
Citizens of India with an ordinary passport valid for 6 months from the arrival date who hold a valid visa, residence permit, or Green Card from the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, or Singapore may obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 60 days.[34] They may apply before departure.[35] Indian citizens may extend their stay for an additional 14 days.[23]
The UAE has also introduced a new Green Visa for people with bachelor's degrees who earn Dh 15,000 (4,084 USD) or more per month.
UAE golden visa
Admission restrictions
Citizens of Nigeria are required to hold a hotel booking or an accommodation address for the whole period of their intended stay.[23]
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.[23]
Due to 2026 Iran war, citizens of Iran are barred from entering or transiting UAE. [38]
Use UAE visa for other countries
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.[39]
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.[40]
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.[41]
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.[39]
Uzbekistan – Since June 2022, UAE residents with residency valid for at least 90 days can enter Uzbekistan visa-free for 30 days.[42]
Visitor statistics
Emirate of Dubai
Most visitors[note 1] arriving to Emirate of Dubai were from the following countries of nationality:[43][44][45][46]
| 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
Hotel guests[note 2] checking in hotels in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi were from the following countries of nationality:[47]
| 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
