Last updated
Icelanders do not need a visa for the UAE. The UAE ministry of foreign affairs lists Iceland as visa free, with a free multiple entry visit visa on arrival, valid six months, up to 90 days of stay in total. What helps more is the rest: a driving licence agreement between the two countries, a foreign ministry that sends you to other governments' advice, and no Icelandic mission to walk into.
The entry rule
The permit is issued at the border at no charge. It lasts six months, allows many entries and counts up to 90 days of stay in total. The UAE ministry of foreign affairs publishes the exemption, and Emirates airline states the same terms. Checked .
It is a visit permit. It does not allow work, and it does not turn into residence by itself. If you take a job or set up a company, your employer or the company files a residence visa through the usual route. See Dubai visa requirements for the sponsor papers.
The driving licence agreement
This is easy to overlook. Iceland and the UAE signed an agreement on mutual recognition of driving licences in New York on . It entered into force on , and Iceland published the notice (number 21) on .
Two parts matter:
- Visitors. Each side recognises a valid licence issued by the other for nationals who come for a reason other than residence, as long as the holder meets the minimum age the host country sets for that class.
- Residents. Someone who moves to the UAE can swap an Icelandic licence for a UAE one. The theory and practical tests are waived for motorcycle and light vehicle classes only. Heavy lorries, trailers and buses still need the tests, and medical checks apply to all.
The agreement leaves the time limit for swapping to each country's own law. Ask us or the UAE traffic authority for the current deadline before you drive on a foreign licence for months.
What it costs to stay longer
| Item | Fee | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Entry permit at the airport | Free | 90 days in total |
| Extension through ICP | AED 100 to apply, AED 500 to extend | Tourist stay up to 120 days |
| Extension through GDRFA | AED 600 plus 5% VAT | Dubai only |
| Each day over the permit | AED 50 | From the day after expiry |
Sources: ICP visit visa extension page and GDRFA service page, checked . Our Dubai visa extension page lists the steps. The overstay fine page shows what a late exit costs.
What Iceland's foreign ministry says
Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs says on its travel warnings page that it very rarely issues its own warnings. It points Icelanders to the foreign ministries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the UK, France, Germany, the US, Canada and Australia instead. The page says its information is guidance only and carries no liability.
So the UAE advice you should read is the one from those countries. The UK Foreign Office page for the UAE, updated on , said that since 8 July there have been strikes and retaliatory attacks by Iran in several places across the region. It warns of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures, and advises keeping your departure plans flexible. Read the live page before you travel, because this changes.
Help for Icelanders in the UAE
Iceland has no embassy or consulate in the UAE. Its list of visa-issuing missions gives New Delhi as the post for UAE visa files, and the Icelandic Embassy there works through VFS Global offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. That is about Schengen visas for residents, not help for Icelanders.
For citizens, the ministry runs a 24-hour emergency line for Icelanders in distress abroad. Its embassies take passport applications and can issue emergency travel documents. It also handles apostilles and helps in cases of arrest, death or medical emergency. Save the ministry's number before you fly, since there is no local counter to visit.
Relatives who need a visa
An Icelander can marry or live with someone whose passport does need a visa. When you hold UAE residence, ICP lets you sponsor their visit: AED 100 to apply plus AED 100 a month on a single entry, with 2 days of processing. Visitors from Iceland can use a tourist visa from a licensed Dubai company instead, priced on our Dubai visa price page. We build the file for either.
If you searched for an Iceland visa from Dubai
That is the other direction: a UAE resident of another nationality applying for an Iceland Schengen visa. The file goes to VFS Global in Dubai or Abu Dhabi and is decided in New Delhi. The page Iceland visa from Dubai has the fee and steps.
How it works with us
Write to us on WhatsApp or through the form on this page, with a passport page and the dates for everyone travelling. An adviser reads the rules for each passport and sends one total price. We file nothing until you approve it. Then the team prepares and submits the file, answers any query from the authority and sends you the permit. We are a private visa service, and the UAE authorities decide each case.
A refused file means the authority keeps its fee. Your adviser tells you in writing, before you pay, whether any part of our total comes back.
Official sources
- UAE ministry of foreign affairs, visa exemptions: Iceland listed as visa free
- Emirates airline, UAE visa information: 90 day rule
- Iceland, driving licence agreement notice: signing and entry into force (in Icelandic)
- Iceland foreign ministry, travel warnings: advice policy (in Icelandic)
- Iceland foreign ministry, services abroad: emergency line, passports (in Icelandic)
- UK Foreign Office, UAE travel advice: regional security notes
Other European passports: Dubai visa for EU citizens and Dubai visa for Finns. All nationalities: Dubai visa by nationality.
