Last updated
A Dubai multiple entry visa lets you leave the UAE and come back without a new permit. For tourists, GDRFA charges AED 315 for 30 days and AED 525 for 60 days, VAT included, filed by a licensed tourism company in about 48 hours. Visitors with family in the UAE can get a multiple entry sponsored visa, and some passports get a 90-day multiple entry visa on arrival for free.
Five multiple entry options, and how each stay is counted
The key question with any multiple entry visa is how your days are counted. The answer is different for each route.
| Option | Valid for | How the stay works | Official cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist visa, 30 days | 30 days | Page does not say how days split over entries | AED 315 |
| Tourist visa, 60 days | 60 days | Same as above | AED 525 |
| Relative or friend visit visa | 30, 60 or 90 days | Sponsored by a resident | AED 300, 500 or 700 plus VAT, AED 2,000 guarantee |
| Visa on arrival, 90-day list | 6 months from issue | 90 days in total | Free |
| 5-year tourist visa | 5 years | Up to 90 days per stay, 180 days a year | AED 3,720 at ICP |
Source: GDRFA tourist and visit visa pages, ICP 5-year visa page, Emirates visa page, checked .
Multiple entry tourist visa: 30 or 60 days
This is the option for a holiday with a side trip, such as a few days in Oman, a cruise that leaves from Dubai and calls at other ports, or a quick flight home in the middle of a stay. GDRFA's pages give the fee and the length, but they do not spell out whether days are counted across all entries or per entry. Treat the visa length as your total and you will not get caught out. Emirates sells the same visas to its passengers at USD 136 for 30 days and USD 231 for 60 days.
If you stay in the UAE the whole time, take the single entry 30-day Dubai visa or the 60-day Dubai visa instead and save the difference.
Multiple entry visit visa sponsored by family
A UAE resident can sponsor a multiple entry visit for a relative or friend. GDRFA charges AED 300 plus VAT for 30 days, AED 500 plus VAT for 60 days and AED 700 plus VAT for 90 days. The guarantee doubles to AED 2,000, against AED 1,000 for single entry, plus an AED 20 deposit fee and AED 40 for collection and refund. Through ICP, issuance is AED 200 per month for multiple entry. The host still needs to meet the ICP salary tier for the relationship. See family visit visa.
The 90-day multiple entry visa on arrival
Holders of 74 passports, including the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, China, Japan and most of Europe, get a visa stamp at the airport that is multiple entry, valid 6 months from issue, with 90 days of stay in total. Every day in the UAE across all trips in those 6 months counts against the 90. Once a European visitor has used all 90 days, Emirates says they can apply for a pre-arranged visit visa. The 30-day list works differently: Malaysia's consulate says Malaysians must complete the 30 days before a new 30-day cycle starts. More on UAE visa on arrival.
The 5-year tourist visa
For people who visit several times a year, the 5-year Dubai visa is the only official multiple entry option that runs for years. Each stay can last up to 90 days, extendable once, and the total cannot pass 180 days a year from your first entry.
What Dubai agencies charge
Dubai visa agencies publish about AED 473 to AED 1,500 for a 30-day multiple entry tourist visa (published prices of 7 Dubai agencies, checked ). For 60 days multiple entry, 6 agencies publish about AED 725 to AED 2,000. All of these sit well above the GDRFA fee, so read what each quote includes.
Documents
- Passport valid 6 months from your first entry.
- White-background photo to ICAO standard.
- Your travel plan, including the side trip dates, and a final ticket out of the UAE.
- Health insurance valid in the UAE for the whole visa period, not just the first leg.
- For sponsored visits: host's Emirates ID, salary proof and proof of relationship.
Processing time
GDRFA quotes 48 hours for multiple entry tourist and visit visas. ICP quotes 2 days. Emirates quotes 2 to 4 working days. The visa has to be issued before your first arrival, so the side trip does not change the timing.
Common problems with multiple entry visas
- Buying single entry and then booking a side trip. A single entry visa ends when you exit, so coming back means paying for a new visa.
- Assuming each entry gives fresh days. Only the 5-year visa sets a clear per-stay limit. Overstaying any visa costs AED 50 a day.
- Insurance that stops at the first exit. Make sure cover runs for every part of the stay in the UAE.
- Repeated short visa runs. No official ICP, GDRFA or u.ae page we read sets a waiting period between exit and re-entry on visit visas. Read exit and re-entry from Dubai before you plan back-to-back trips.
How it works with us
Share your passport scan and your full travel plan, every exit and return included, on WhatsApp or with the form on this page. A visa adviser checks whether a multiple entry tourist visa, a sponsored visit, a visa on arrival or the 5-year visa suits your pattern of trips. You get one total price, confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay. The team files the visa through the right channel, follows it up and sends the e-visa. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service. The decision on your visa belongs to GDRFA or ICP.
If the authorities turn the visa down, they keep their fees. Your adviser gives you in writing, before you pay, the part of our total, if any, that comes back after a refusal.
Official sources
- GDRFA multiple entry tourist visa: 30 and 60-day multiple entry fees.
- GDRFA relative or friend visit visa, multiple entry: 30, 60 and 90-day fees, AED 2,000 guarantee.
- ICP visa issuance: multiple entry issuance per month, guarantees.
- ICP 5-year tourist visa: 90 days per stay, 180 days a year.
- Emirates UAE visa information: 90-day multiple entry visa on arrival, airline prices.
- Malaysian consulate in Dubai: 30-day cycle rule for Malaysians.
All checked .
