United Arab Emirates Dubai Visa Types and Requirements

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Travel: Visa Guide

With its blend of modern architecture and rich historical and cultural landmarks, the UAE welcomes millions of tourists every year.

"Whether you need a visa for your trip to Dubai depends entirely on the country of your passport. The UAE government allows citizens of certain countries to enter visa-free or by obtaining a visa on arrival."

Do I Need a Visa to Visit Dubai or Other Emirates?

Whether you need a UAE visa depends entirely on your nationality. While citizens of some countries can enter the United Arab Emirates visa-free or get a visa on arrival, others must apply for a visa before traveling.

You can review the lists below to see which countries are visa-exempt or require a visa:

Country	Visa Required?	Country	Visa Required?
Andorra	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days	Mauritius	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
Argentina	Visa-free for up to 90 days	Mexico	Visa-free for up to 180 days
Australia	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days	Monaco	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
Bahamas	Visa on arrival for up to 90 days	Mongolia	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
Bahrain	Enter UAE with passport or ID card	Montenegro	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Barbados	Visa-free for up to 90 days	Nauru	Visa-free for up to 90 days
Brazil	Visa-free for up to 90 days	New Zealand	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
Brunei	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days	Norway	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Canada	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days	Oman	Enter UAE with passport or ID card
Chile	Visa-free for up to 90 days	Paraguay	Visa-free for up to 90 days
China	Visa-free for up to 30 days	Russia	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Costa Rica	Visa on arrival for up to 90 days	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period
El Salvador	Visa on arrival for up to 90 days	San Marino	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
EU member states (except for the United Kingdom and Ireland)	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period	Saudi Arabia	Enter UAE with passport or ID card
Honduras	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period	Serbia	Visa-free for up to 90 days
Hong Kong	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days	Seychelles	Visa-free for up to 90 days
Iceland	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period	Singapore	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
Ireland	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days	Solomon Islands	Visa-free for up to 90 days
Japan	Visa-free for up to 30 days	South Korea	Visa on arrival for up to 90 days
Kazakhstan	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days	Switzerland	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Kuwait	Enter UAE with passport or ID card	Ukraine	Visa-free for up to 30 days
Liechtenstein	Visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period	United Kingdom	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
Macao	Visa-free for up to 30 days	United States	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days
Malaysia	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days	Uruguay	Visa-free for up to 90 days
Maldives	Visa on arrival for up to 90 days	Vatican City	Visa on arrival for up to 30 days

Citizens of the following countries holding diplomatic or service passports are also exempt from the UAE tourist visa or are eligible to receive a UAE Dubai Visa on Arrival:

Albania	Algeria	Armenia
Azerbaijan	Belarus	Colombia
Congo	Cuba	Egypt
Equatorial Guinea	Georgia	Grenada
India	Indonesia	Liberia
Morocco	Rwanda	Saint Lucia
Serbia	Tonga	Tunisia
Turkey	Turkmenistan	Vanuatu
Vietnam	Burkina Faso*	Burundi*
Chad*	Democratic Republic of the Congo*	Ethiopia*
Guinea*	Jordan*	Kyrgyzstan*
Mali*	Niger*	Senegal*
Uzbekistan*

*The exemption for these countries applies only to diplomatic passports.

Important Note: Citizens of all countries not mentioned in the lists above must obtain a UAE visa before traveling.

What is a UAE Entry Permit and Why is it Important?

If your nationality does not allow for visa-free entry to the UAE, the document you need to obtain is called an Entry Permit. This document is valid for a period determined by your travel purpose and allows you to legally enter the country.

Typically, your sponsor in the UAE (for example, a hotel or a tour company) obtains this entry permit on your behalf from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) before your trip. The validity period of your entry permit varies according to the reason for your travel:

Transit: If you are only transiting through the country, you will receive an entry permit (transit visa) for 48 or 96 hours.
Tourism: If you are traveling as a tourist, your entry permit is generally valid for 30 days (tourist visa).
Work: If you are coming for employment purposes, your entry permit can be valid for up to 60 days.

In short, for a tourist, a tourist visa and an entry permit are essentially the same thing.

An Important Note on Conflicting Information:

Regarding UAE visa requirements, there may be conflicting information available from different official sources for some countries. It is important to confirm the most current information from a UAE embassy or consulate before planning your trip.

Examples:

Liberia and Mongolia: Information that citizens of these countries are visa-exempt is often found only on the IATA website, while this is not always confirmed by other official UAE channels.
Grenada, Nauru, Solomon Islands: Similarly, information about visa exemption or visa-on-arrival rights for citizens of these countries may be stated on some official sources but not on others.

Therefore, for the most accurate information, always check multiple official sources and, if necessary, contact a UAE representative office directly.