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Bahraini citizens do not need a visa for Dubai. u.ae says GCC citizens need none, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the Kingdom of Bahrain as visa free. Our work covers the people around you: a wife, driver or nanny with another passport, relatives, and friends who live in Bahrain on a residence permit.
What the rule says for your passport
The u.ae entry page puts it in one line: "GCC citizens do not need a visa to enter the UAE." The MOFA visa exemptions page lists the Kingdom of Bahrain as Visa Free, with the entry rule "GCC citizen: no visa needed". Both pages were read in .
Take the passport anyway. Bahrain's national portal says GCC nationals can enter Bahrain on national ID cards, and that the new Bahraini smart ID card carries an integrated travel application. That text is about entering Bahrain. We found no Bahraini or UAE page that sets the ID card rule for entering the UAE. Your airline decides what it accepts at check-in, so ask it first.
Who needs what
| Traveller | UAE entry |
|---|---|
| Bahraini citizen | No visa |
| Non-Bahraini wife, child or domestic worker travelling with you | Companion application |
| Expat living in Bahrain | GCC resident entry visa, or a visit visa |
| Relative or friend flying from another country | The visa for that person's own passport |
Costs
| Service | Government fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Companion of a GCC citizen (60 days) | AED 50, AED 100 and AED 100 | ICP |
| GCC resident entry visa, ICP route | AED 100, AED 100 and AED 100 | ICP |
| GCC resident entry visa, GDRFA route | AED 52.5 service, AED 100 application, AED 100 issuance | GDRFA |
| 30 day single entry tourist visa | AED 210 | GDRFA |
| Extension | AED 100 application plus AED 500 each | ICP |
Source: ICP and GDRFA service pages, checked . The GCC resident visa lasts 30 days and can be extended once for 30 days. The companion visa lasts 60 days, and extensions can take it to 120 days in total.
Expats living in Bahrain
An engineer from Manila or an accountant from Cairo in Manama does not get the citizen rule. The GDRFA entry visa for GCC residents needs a valid GCC residence permit, a passport with six months left, a photo and a residence copy that shows the profession. GDRFA says the profession must be on the approved list and decides case by case. It lists 48 hours.
If the profession is not eligible, a visit visa for your own passport is the fallback. The residents' page, UAE visa for Bahrain residents, has the full comparison. Going the other way from Dubai, see Bahrain visa for UAE residents.
Driving from Bahrain
The two countries share no land border. A car trip to Dubai runs through Saudi Arabia, so the Saudi rules for your passport come first. For a Bahraini that is a GCC question. For an expat in Bahrain it can mean a Saudi visa or transit permit. We have not verified the Saudi side for this page, so confirm it on the Saudi official visa site.
When the trip becomes longer
A citizen has no visit clock. Companions do. The ICP companion visa runs 60 days, and an extension costs AED 100 for the application plus AED 500. ICP caps the total at 120 days. Moving the household to the UAE is a residence matter. Read the family visa guide for that.
Where files go wrong
- A ticket is bought for the domestic worker before the visa exists.
- A passport is valid for less than six months.
- A photo with a coloured background.
- An expat is treated as a citizen at check-in.
- The last day to extend is missed. The fine is AED 50 for every extra day.
Bahrain's embassy
Bahrain's foreign ministry has a page for its embassy in Abu Dhabi. It sits behind a bot check, so we could not read the services it lists. For a lost passport or a document question, start from the ministry site and confirm hours there.
How it works with us
Send the passport scans of everyone who is not Bahraini by WhatsApp or through the form on this page. A visa adviser sorts the group into citizens, companions and residents, and quotes one total price for the people who need a visa. When you agree, the team files each request, tracks it and sends the visas to you by email. We are a private visa service. ICP or GDRFA makes every decision.
If a request is refused, the authority keeps its fee. The adviser tells you in writing, before payment, whether any part of our total comes back.
Official sources
- u.ae: do you need a visa to enter the UAE: GCC citizens need no visa
- MOFA visa exemptions: Kingdom of Bahrain listed as visa free
- ICP GCC residents and companions service: companion and resident fees
- GDRFA entry visa for GCC residents: profession list, 48 hours
- Bahrain national portal, identification and visas: ID card travel application
More: Dubai visa for Qataris and Dubai visa by nationality.
