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Whether you need a Dubai visa depends on your passport. Holders of passports like India, the Philippines or Nigeria must have a visa issued before they fly. Malaysia, Uzbekistan and a few others get a free 30-day visa on arrival. The UK, US, EU countries, China and others get 90 days within 180 free. GCC citizens need no visa at all.
How to read your status
Two sources tell you where your passport stands, and they do different jobs.
The MOFA visa exemptions page gives one card per country, 197 in all, marked Visa Free or Visa Required. It answers the first question: can you just turn up? It does not say how long you may stay.
For the length of stay, the UAE government site u.ae no longer prints country lists. It links to the airlines, and the Emirates UAE visa page carries the working lists: 30 days on arrival, or 90 days multiple entry. u.ae itself warns that these lists change from time to time.
So read MOFA for yes or no, read the Emirates list for how long, and check both close to your travel date.
The three kinds of status
Visa required. You need a visa issued before you board. A licensed Dubai tourism company, a hotel, an airline or a relative living in the UAE files it. UAE embassies do not issue tourist visas. Start with Dubai visa to compare the 30 and 60-day visit visas.
Visa on arrival, 30 days. The visa is free and stamped at the airport. Malaysian travellers, for example, get multiple entries but must finish one 30-day stay before a new one starts. Abu Dhabi's residents office describes its visa on arrival as 30 days with a 10-day period for extension, wording that may mean a grace period, so check before relying on it.
Visa-free, 90 days in 180. Multiple entries, valid 6 months from issue, 90 days of stay in total. Older lists gave many of these countries 30 days. The current Emirates list, the UK FCDO and the UAE Embassy in Washington all say 90 in 180. Mexico has its own rule: 180 days in total. Ireland, though an EU member, is on the 30-day list.
The rules for staying on after arrival are on UAE visa on arrival.
The residence-abroad route
A visa-required passport is not always the end of the story. Since , ICP offers a 14-day or 60-day visa to citizens of India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa who hold a valid visa or residence from the US, the EU or the UK, or a residence permit from Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Singapore or New Zealand. The 14-day visa can be extended once. The 60-day one cannot. See Dubai visa with a US, UK or EU visa.
GCC citizens and GCC residents
Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman need no visa. Foreigners who live in those countries are treated by nationality, unless they qualify for the GCC resident entry visa: a valid GCC residence permit and a profession on the approved list, applied for before travel. Details on Dubai visa for GCC residents.
The 6-month passport rule
Every visitor needs a passport valid at least 6 months from the day of entry. It applies to visa-free travellers too. The UK FCDO notes one exception for British citizens: 3 months is enough if you are a UAE resident. Visitors need the full 6.
Where the sources disagree
- Macao, North Macedonia and Moldova. Emirates lists them for visa on arrival. MOFA shows them as Visa Required. Confirm with ICP or your airline.
- China. A Chinese foreign ministry notice says 30 days visa-free. The UAE side says 90 in 180. For entry to the UAE, the UAE side applies.
- Older 30-day lists. Some sites still show 30 days for the UK, US, Canada and Australia. The current official and airline pages say 90 in 180.
Where to check before you fly
- MOFA visa exemptions page for your country's card.
- The Emirates UAE visa page for the length of stay.
- Your own government's travel advice page.
- Your airline, which checks documents at check-in.
Overstaying any of these permits costs AED 50 a day, visa-free stays included. The UAE overstay fine page has the detail.
