Transit visa for Dubai UAE  

Tourist Visa Abu Dhabi Dubai Sharjah UAE

Tourist Visas are available to all nationalities, except Israeli passport holders, and must be prearranged, usually through a hotel but possibly also through an airline or other travel related company (new visa rules after July 2008). Hotels, travel agents, airlines and other companies will usually only arrange a Tourist Visa for a customer. Citizens of one of the free visa on arrival countries can obtain a UAE Visit Visa (different from a Tourist Visa) on arrival at any border entry point to the UAE simply by presenting their passport at passport control. To obtain a tourist visa for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, our best understanding is you should do one of the following:

• If you are from one of the countries that can get a visit visa on arrival, do that.
• Otherwise contact the airline, hotel, or travel agent that you arranged your trip with and ask them if they can arrange a Tourist Visa (not all airlines can or will). Fees will vary from one company to the next so check with more than one if you have a choice of options. Only travel agents and hotels based in the UAE can arrange a tourist visa.
• If you have a close relative in the UAE, they may be able to sponsor you for a Visit Visa (not a Tourist Visa).

Information about the 14 day tourist visa (appears to be no longer available anyway) is included on the transit visa page since it is more often referred to as a transit visa.

Etihad Airlines announced on 31 January 2012 a free UAE tourist visa promotion (although it appears to be a 96 hour transit visa they are talking about). See the Etihad page for more information.

Table below lists some official or government UAE sources of visa information and date of information. If no date given, assume it was last checked 04 May 2009 (but that doesn't mean it was still valid). Obviously there are some conflicts. Any other UAE visa information sources will usually be based on one of the sources below. Many sources rarely update old visa information so it still ends up appearing in search results even when it's out of date (and yes, we're guilty of that too sometimes).

• NR - Non-Renewable, R - Renewable once at DNRD office with renewal fees of AED 620 (AED 870 if renewed with Air Arabia, or AED 750 with Etihad Airways)
• Tourist Visa applications take 1-2 weeks for normal processing once all the correct forms have been submitted, and 2-3 days for urgent applications.
• Tourist Visa serial number is 12, entry code is 43 according to DNRD fees table
• Tourist Visa is renewable once for 30 days, fees are AED 620 for eform, and AED 610 for ednrd, serial number is 13, entry code is 43
• * Etihad Airways website says validity period is 2 months, but the same page also says 59 days (when checked 04 May 2009)
• Sources that offer or have information that say Tourist Visas are not renewable, are probably out of date since the UAE visa rules changed after July 2008 to allow almost all nationalities the possibility of obtaining a 30 day Tourist Visa that is renewable once.
• Not clear from Air Arabia website if AA sponsor Sharjah Tourist Visa, or assist with visitors obtaining a Sharjah Visit Visa (if the latter then visitor needs a relative in the UAE to sponsor them as per usual Visit Visa sponsorship requirements).

1. Documents needed if visa is sponsored by a UAE resident (this information might not apply to tourist visas or visit visas after July 2008)

• Visa application form
• Copy of sponsors passport with copy of residence visa
• Copy of sponsors labour contract in Arabic with monthly salary figure
• Copy of trade licence if sponsor is self-employed
• Copy of traveler's ticket
• Refundable deposit of AED 1000 for each person being sponsored

Airlines providing tourist and transit visas to the UAE

Some airlines with flights to the UAE will provide tourist visas to passengers flying with them. Contact the airline at least a couple of weeks in advance to arrange a visa.

• Air Arabia
• Emirates Airlines
• Etihad Airways
• FlyDubai
• Malaysian Airlines - apply with passport copy and 2 passport photos at ticket offices in Beirut, Lebanon office for UAE 96 hour Transit Visa (US$83) or UAE Tourist Visa (US$96). Apply in person, allow 2 working days for processing, collect from Malaysia Airlines office in Gefinor Building, Clemenceau St, Hamra, Beirut, Tel +961-1-741343 (28 July 2010 information, unknown how long offer is valid for).
• Turkish Airlines - apply in person at Turkish Airlines offices in Turkey with passport at least 5 days before travelling. Might apply to Turkish residents only (14 December press release).

Air Arabia tourist visa special offer summer 2009: Air Arabia are offering a flight + 30 day UAE tourist visa package for AED 975 (plus airport taxes) return to any Air Arabia destination. Depart from 15 June to 31 July 2009, return from 16 July to 10 September 2009.

UAE tourist visa agencies overseas

• The UAE is proposing that agents based overseas could process visitor entry permits for foreigners visiting the UAE, under the supervision of UAE embassies and consulates in foreign countries. This would make it easier for visitors to get visas processed - at present (as of March 2010), relevant documents need to be sent to the sponsor based in the UAE (hotel, airline, business etc), and the sponsor then needs to go to the relevant office in the UAE to get the visa processed.
• According to a Khaleej Times report 20 March 2010, the Higher Permanent Committee for Finance and Assets of the UAE Interior Ministry "has recommended the UAE visa procurement process be outsourced to specialised companies in countries from which tourists or visitors seek to come. The committee has proposed external offices run by firms specialising in visas be set up under the approval and supervision of UAE embassies, according to an Interior Ministry Security Media statement."
• No time frame given for when this new procedure would be implemented.

Last update Thursday 02-Feb-2012

Related pages

• Dubai visa - general information about various entry permits
• Dubai visa forum - ask and answer questions, tell us about your visa experience in the UAE or about any corrections to information on this page
• UAE visa list - table of old and new visas

Related websites (new window)

• Dubai directory - add your link free

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