Heading to a Dubai vacation for the first time? Certainly, you might be feeling jittery while planning all the aspects of your Dubai trip, mainly the visas. Did you know that the UAE offers a visa-on-arrival facility? The United Arab Emirates offers a convenient visa on arrival facility for citizens of certain countries. This allows eligible travellers to obtain their visa upon arrival at any of the UAE’s airports. This is amazingly convenient and time-saving and also requires quite a few documentation. Here’s a compact guide on UAE visa on arrival details, eligibility and more.
Who can avail UAE visa-on-arrival facility?
The eligibility criteria for UAE Visa on Arrival depend on your nationality, passport validity, and proof of accommodation. But mainly, your nationality matters. If you belong to a GCC country i.e. you are a citizen of Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, or Qatar, you automatically are eligible for E-visa benefits. You can apply for the E-Visa through the online visa portal. After approval, the visa will be sent to the applicant’s registered email. The GCC resident entry permit is valid for 30 days from the issue date. This can be extended by a further 30 days. Apart from GCC, the following are the UAE visa on arrival countries:
Argentina Bahamas Chile Columbia Costa Rica El Salvador Honduras Israel Kiribati Maldives Peru Montenegro Nauru Serbia |
Seychelles Solomon Islands South Korea Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Uruguay Andorra Australia Brunei Canada China Ireland Hong Kong Japan |
Kazakhstan Macao Malaysia Mauritius Monaco Singapore New Zealand Ukraine United Kingdom United States of America Vatican City Austria Barbados Belarus |
Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Ghana Greece Hungary |
Iceland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Paraguay Poland Spain Portugal Sweden |
Switzerland Romania Slovakia Russia Slovenia San Marino |
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Types of Visa on Arrival for Dubai
Visa on arrival Dubai can be availed only on non-immigration visas. Such visas grant entry only for tourism, social visits, transiting to another country visa Dubai or visiting for short-stay business conferences, events and meetings. The number of days one can stay on a Dubai Visa on Arrival differs from country to country and it can be either 14 day, 30 day or 90-day visa on arrival. Only for Mexican citizens, UAE grants a 180-day visa on arrival benefit.
30-Day Visa on Arrival
You get a 30-day visa on arrival if you are a citizen of one of the below-mentioned destinations. The 30-day visa on arrival is usually a multi-entry visa.
Andorra Australia Brunei Canada China |
Ireland Hong Kong Japan Kazakhstan Macao |
Malaysia Mauritius Monaco Singapore New Zealand |
Ukraine United Kingdom United States of America Vatican City |
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90-Day Visa on Arrival
If you hold a passport from one of these countries, you are eligible for a 90-day UAE Visa on Arrival. This visa can be extendable or non-extendable according to the nationality of the traveller.
Argentina Bahamas Chile Columbia Costa Rica El Salvador Honduras Israel Kiribati Maldives Peru Montenegro Nauru Serbia Seychelles Solomon Islands South Korea Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Uruguay Austria Barbados Belarus Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Ghana Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Paraguay Poland Spain Portugal Sweden Switzerland Romania Slovakia Russia Slovenia San Marino |
Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Extendable Non Extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non Extendable Non Extendable Non Extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable Non extendable |
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If you want to stay longer, then a pre-approved visit visa should be applied instead of availing visa on arrival.
If you are an Indian citizen holding a normal passport and additionally you have at least one of the following travel permits valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival in the UAE, then you can avail of a 14-day visa on arrival privilege.
- USA Visit Visa
- USA Green Card
- UK Residence Visa
- EU Residence Visa
You can get this visa for AED 120 and it can be extended for additional 14 days at AED 250.
Documents required for Dubai visa on arrival
There is no need to scan, upload or rush to Visa Service Centres with paperwork. All the documentation is done after you arrive in UAE. To obtain a visa on arrival in Dubai, the following documents are typically required by the immigration officers at UAE airports:
- Valid passport with a minimum validity of six months. Handwritten passports will be rejected.
- Confirmed return or onward flight ticket.
- Proof of accommodation in the UAE.
The process to obtain UAE Visa on Arrival.
Now that you know you are eligible and your bags are packed, let’s get to know about the application process for UAE Visa on Arrival. There is no need for travellers from eligible countries to apply for a UAE visa beforehand. They can simply catch a flight to the UAE, as the application process happens after you arrive in the UAE. The application process to obtain a UAE visa on arrival is straightforward and typically, it consists of the following steps:
- Upon arrival at the UAE airport, proceed to the designated immigration counter. It’s usually hard to miss, with clear signage and helpful staff.
- Present your passport, completed arrival card, and required documents. Keeping documents readily available will save you time and stress at the immigration counter. The immigration officers will verify the travel paperwork to make sure everything is in order.
- Once your documents are accepted, Pay the applicable visa fee which is usually payable in the local currency or sometimes even with credit cards.
- The immigration authorities will process your visa and issue it to you. You can breeze through the arrival process and start exploring the wonders of the UAE without any visa-related stress.
Conclusion
With this above information, now you have the understanding about eligibility criteria for a Dubai Visa on Arrival based on your nationality and how many days you can stay on your visa and enjoy a great time in the dazzling Dubai city!
Santosh Kadam is a travel lover and a full-time expert visa consultant. He has all kinds of visa related information on his fingertips and loves to blog about visa processes during his free time.