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Filipinos need a UAE visa issued before they fly to Dubai. The usual choice is a GDRFA tourist visa: AED 210 for 30 days single entry, filed by a Dubai tourism establishment and stated at 48 hours. A relative living in the UAE can sponsor you instead. If you hold a US, UK or EU visa or a residence card from certain countries, ICP's 14 or 60-day visa is often simpler.
Which visa fits a Philippine passport
| Your situation | Visa to look at |
|---|---|
| Holiday, no one in the UAE | GDRFA tourist visa, 30 or 60 days |
| Parent, spouse, child or sibling lives in the UAE | ICP or GDRFA family visit visa |
| You live in the US, UK, EU, Japan, Korea, Australia, Canada, Singapore or New Zealand | ICP 14 or 60-day visa |
| You work in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain | Visa for GCC residents |
| Stopping in Dubai between two flights | 48 or 96-hour transit visa from the airline |
The UAE foreign ministry's visa checker shows the Philippines as visa required, so there is no free stamp at the arrival hall.
Fees for Filipino visitors
| Visa | Government fee |
|---|---|
| Tourist, 30 days, single entry | AED 210 |
| Tourist, 60 days, single entry | AED 315 |
| Tourist, 30 days, multiple entry | AED 315 |
| Tourist, 60 days, multiple entry | AED 525 |
| ICP residence-abroad visa, 14 days | AED 100 |
| ICP residence-abroad visa, 60 days | AED 250 plus AED 100 smart services |
| ICP family visit, guarantee | AED 1,000 single, AED 2,000 multiple (refundable) |
Source: GDRFA tourist visa pages, ICP service pages and the ICP announcement of , checked .
What Dubai agencies charge
Dubai visa agencies publish about AED 340 to AED 800 for a 30-day single entry tourist visa (published prices of 8 Dubai agencies, checked ). The gap above AED 210 is their service fee and any bundled insurance. See the 30-day Dubai visa page for the breakdown.
Leaving the Philippines: BI checks and eTravel
The Bureau of Immigration still has to let you board, visa or not.
The BI deferred the revised IACAT departure guidelines, so the older rules still apply. A regular tourist shows five things: passport, visa, return ticket, boarding pass and eTravel. Officers ask for more only when they see a mismatch and send you to secondary inspection. Reported examples asked there are proof of income, proof of employment and a hotel booking, so carry them.
eTravel is free. Register or update your entry at least 72 hours before departure on etravel.gov.ph or the eGov PH app.
Going to work? The OEC comes first
The BI says Filipinos travelling to work must hold an Overseas Employment Certificate from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). The OEC is valid for 60 days and works for one exit only. Per the Migrant Workers Office in Dubai, UAE employers hire through DMW-licensed agencies, Tadbeer centres for domestic workers, or direct hire within DMW exemptions.
Leaving on a tourist visa when the real plan is a job invites trouble at departure. If a job offer comes during a genuine visit, the employer applies for a work permit and the status change inside the UAE moves you over without leaving.
The reported new-hire ban
In the Filipino Times reported that the DMW would ban the deployment of newly hired workers to the UAE after an alert level change. A day later Gulf News reported that the UAE had not been placed under any alert level. The MWO Dubai advisory list, with entries up to , shows no deployment ban. We could not confirm the ban on the DMW site. Treat it as unconfirmed and check the DMW and MWO Dubai pages before you sign anything.
Filipinos living abroad: the ICP route
Since ICP has opened its residence-abroad visa to Philippine nationals. You need a valid visa or residence permit from the US, an EU country or the UK, or a residence permit from Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Singapore or New Zealand. A Filipino nurse holding a UK visa or a worker with a Singapore residence permit would both fit.
The 60-day version is single entry, cannot be extended, and you must enter within 30 days of issue. The 14-day version can be extended once, and ICP lists AED 250 for that extension. Family travelling with you qualifies on the same conditions. More on Dubai visa with a US, UK or EU visa.
Documents checklist
- Passport bio page, valid at least 6 months from entry
- Photo to ICAO standard, white background, no glasses or cap
- Return or onward flight booking
- Health insurance valid in the UAE
- For ICP residence-abroad: a copy of the foreign visa or residence card
- For family visits: sponsor's passport, residence and income proof, plus your PSA birth or marriage certificate to show the relationship
Processing time
GDRFA states 48 hours for tourist and visit visas. ICP states 2 days for its residence-abroad visa. GDRFA cancels a request left 30 days without a missing document.
Why Filipino applications fail
- The sponsor earns under the tier for that relative. A sister earning under AED 8,000 can bring her child, not her brother.
- The new passport and the visa show different name spellings.
- The residence card abroad expires during the trip.
- No UAE-valid insurance, or a shadowed photo.
- A trip purpose at BI that does not match the tourist visa.
More causes are on the Dubai visa rejection reasons page.
Tips before you book
Book the flight once the visa is issued. A visit permit must be used within 60 days of issue, and overstay costs AED 50 a day. Sponsors should read the family visit visa guide.
How it works with us
Send your passport page and photo on WhatsApp or through the form on this page, with your dates and, if family is bringing you, the sponsor's salary and relationship. A visa adviser checks which of the routes above fits your situation and tells you one total price before you pay. Our visa team files the application, chases any question from GDRFA or ICP, and sends the e-visa to you as a PDF. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service, not a government office: GDRFA or ICP makes the decision. BI, eTravel and the OEC stay with you.
If the UAE refuses the visa, the government fees are not refunded by the authorities. Before you pay, the adviser tells you in writing how much of the total, if anything, you get back in that case.
Official sources
- UAE MOFA visa checker: Philippines shown as visa required.
- ICP residence-abroad 60-day visa and the ICP announcement: eligibility, fees, entry window.
- GDRFA single entry tourist visa: documents and conditions.
- Bureau of Immigration on departure formalities: what tourists show.
- BI eTravel advisory: the 72-hour rule.
- MWO Dubai on the OEC and MWO Dubai advisories: worker exit rules and ban status.
The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates handle passports and help for Filipinos already in the UAE.
