Visitors to the United Arab Emirates must obtain an Online Visa through Smart Service or airlines unless they are citizens from one of the visa-exempt countries.

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 Citizens of the following countries and territories may enter the UAE without a visa for the following period:

Freedom of movement ID ID 1 IDID ID

180 days 2

90 days within any 180 days European Union member states (except Ireland) 34

30 days 33

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 Macau Special Administrative Region passports only. 4 – For British citizens only. Date of visa changes6 May 2015: All European Union member states 16 July 2015: Seychelles 16 May 2017: Argentina 1 July 2017: Japan 16 December 2017: Chile 31 December 2017: Ukraine 16 January 2018: China 10 March 2018: Kazakhstan 31 March 2018: Montenegro 25 May 2018: Honduras May 2018: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 29 April 2018: Uruguay 2 June 2018: BrazilAgreement 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 , Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. 1 July 2018: Barbados 31 October 2018: Mexico January 2019: Paraguay 17 February 2019: Russia 6 May 2019: Serbia 16 August 2019: Paraguay 5 March 2020: Colombia 16 January 2021: Belarus 1 July 2021: Israel 20 April 2023: Albania 8 July 2023: Azerbaijan 6 November 2023: Bosnia and Herzegovina 28 December 2023: Mongolia 1 February 2024: Armenia 16 February 2024: Uzbekistan 22 February 2024: Kosovo 8 December 2024: Ecuador 29 May 2025: North Macedonia 18 September 2024: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States (maximum length of stay extended to 90 days within any 180 days) 5 September 2025: Moldova

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), Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Morocco, Rwanda, Serbia, Thailand (30 days), Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam (30 days) and holders of diplomatic passports of Armenia, Chad, Congo DR, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Uzbekistan may enter the United Arab Emirates without a visa for up to 90 days (unless otherwise noted).

Future changes The 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 onDiplomatic29 September 2025 All 6 August 2021 Diplomatic 23 April 2019 All 4 January 2019 Diplomatic 25 February 2017

Visa on arrival Substitute visa Citizens of the following countries may obtain a visa on arrival for 14 days, which may be extended for an additional 14 days for one time only (AED 100) or may obtain a visa on arrival for 60 days straight away, which cannot be extended (AED 250) if holding a valid visa issued by any European Union member state, Canada, the United Kingdom or the United States, or a residence permit issued by any European Union member state, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States:

Citizens of the following countries may obtain a visa on arrival for 14 days, which may be extended for an additional 14 days for one time only (AED 100) or may obtain a visa on arrival for 60 days straight away, which cannot be extended (AED 250) if holding a residence permit issued by any European Union member state, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States:

Online Visa Citizens of other countries have the option to obtain an online visa by 2 ways:

Smart Service Visitors may obtain a visa online through Smart Service for Dubai or other emirates. 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, Air Astana, Emirates, Etihad (and Air Baltic, Air Serbia, flydubai, Turkish Airlines 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.

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 AED 50.

Residency types Blue Residency Blue Residency is a new type of long-term residency in the United Arab Emirates, launched in 2024. It is granted to individuals who make exceptional contributions in the fields of environmental protection and sustainability, whether within the UAE or internationally.

Golden Residency The Golden Residency is one of the leading initiatives of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security. It offers eligible individuals the opportunity to obtain a long-term residency in the UAE, ranging from five to ten years, with automatic renewal and no need for a sponsor.

Green Residency The Green Residency is a type of long-term residency permit, valid for five years and renewable, granted through self-sponsorship. It allows the holder to live and work without needing a sponsor within the country. This system is one of the UAE’s strategic initiatives to enhance the living and working environment and attract global talent, investors, and freelancers by providing a flexible long-term residency model that ensures greater stability and flexibility in living within the country.

Admission restrictions Iran Due to 2026 Iran war, citizens of Iran are refused from entering or transiting UAE, even if not leaving the aircraft and proceeding on the same flight.

South Sudan Citizens of South Sudan who hold a "business passport" are refused entry into the United Arab Emirates, but are allowed airside transit through the UAE without entry.

Use UAE visa or residence permit 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: – UAE residents may obtain a visa on arrival valid for up to 120 days.Timatic. – UAE residents 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. - UAE residents may obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum of 30 days. – Holders of UAE visa or UAE residents 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. – Citizens of Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Yemen who are UAE residents may obtain a short-term entry-exit visa under a simplified procedure. - UAE residents may apply for an e-Visa. - UAE residents may apply for an e-Visa. - UAE residents may enter Oman without a visa for up to 14 days. – UAE residents may apply for an e-Visa through the official Philippine eVisa website. They have to show their valid UAE residence visas when applying for e-Visas. – UAE residents with a residency valid for at least 90 days may enter Uzbekistan without a visa for up to 30 days.

Visitor statistics Emirate of Abu Dhabi Hotel guests checking in hotels in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi were from the following countries of nationality:

Country201920182017 450,000 416,000 360,000 396,000 401,000 372,000 267,000 278,000 261,000 204,000 194,000 164,000 184,000 169,000 160,000 175,000 183,000 181,000 163,000 168,000 152,000 128,000 142,000 131,000 Total 5,100,000 5,043,821 4,852,405

Emirate of Dubai Most visitors arriving in the Emirate of Dubai were from the following countries of nationality:Annual visitor report 2023. Dubai Country202220192018201720162015 1,842,000 1,970,000 2,032,000 2,073,000 1,800,000 1,601,000 1,311,000 1,030,000 829,000 862,000 1,037,000 1,002,000 1,216,000 1,565,000 1,568,000 1,529,000 1,638,000 1,542,000 1,043,000 1,200,000 1,212,000 1,265,000 1,245,000 1,188,000 758,000 728,000 678,000 530,000 240,000 211,000 590,000 667,000 656,000 633,000 607,000 602,000 422,000 560,000 567,000 506,000 462,000 461,000 n/a 989,000 857,000 764,000 540,000 450,000 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

See also Visa requirements for Emirati citizens

Notes

References

External links

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE Emirati E-visa for sponsored individuals Dubaivisa.com