Visa on arrival

The following 32 nationalities are granted visa on arrival: Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden, South Korea, Spain, San Marino, United Kingdom, United States of America, UK overseas passport holders born in Hong Kong, Vatican.

It should be noted that this list may vary slightly from time to time and it is therefore best to check with your local UAE embassy or the airline that you are using to fly to the UAE.

Visa application prior to arrival

All nationalities other than the above 32 nationalities are required to apply and obtain a visa prior to arrival in the UAE.

Visa application procedure

• If more that one person is traveling on one passport(such as a parent and children under 12 years of age) please clearly specify on the form under "Special Request", providing the name of the child and date of birth.(Visa will be charged only per passport for the parent only)
• Once the visa is approved, a copy will be faxed or emailed to you and the same has to be submitted by you to the immigration upon your arrival

Special Notes

• The passport should be valid for 03 months or more prior to the date of travel.
• Visa is valid for one single entry only.
• Visa will only be issued 45days prior to the arrival and faxed or emailed to you.
• Acknowledgement of receipt of the visa copy is mandatory.
• Working days in UAE are from Sunday to Thursday.(Friday/ Saturday is the weekend).
• All relevant visa documents are required to be sent to MCI Dubai a minimum of 12 weeks in advance to ensure a smooth processing of the Visa.
• Visa fees are payable in full in advance and if rejected by immigration authorities, the amount is non-refundable.
• All visas are valid for arrival and departure at Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah airport.

Travel Information:

Prohibited/Restricted items

• Controlled substances such as cannabis, opium etc. are banned and the penalties for handling these drugs are severe.
• The importation of firearms and dangerous weapons is also restricted
• Religious propaganda, potentially offensive printed matter, CDs videos of films should not be brought into the country.
• Strict copyright laws are being enforced in the UAE, pirated video and audiotapes or illegal computer software will be confiscated.

Duty Free Allowances

• 4 litres of alcohol or one carton / 24 cans of beer
• AED2000 worth of cigarettes or 400 sticks of cigarettes
• AED3000 worth of cigars
• 2 kg tobacco
• AED3000 worth of gifted including perfume

Airport Taxi

These vehicles are exclusive to arriving visitors to Dubai International Airport. You can distinguish the Airport Taxi from other taxis by the Dubai International Airport text on the front left and right side of vehicle. The Airport taxi allows you to connect to other Emirates in Country around the clock. Look for the taxi sign icon inside Terminal 1, 2 and 3 where our highly qualified Taxi Officers are waiting to drive you to your destination.