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Indonesians need a UAE visa issued before they arrive in Dubai. With only an Indonesian passport, a Dubai tourism establishment or your airline files a GDRFA tourist visa: AED 210 for 30 days single entry, usually within 48 hours. For a stopover outside the airport you need a 48 or 96-hour transit visa. Indonesians resident in the US, UK, EU or six other countries can use ICP's 14 or 60-day visa.
Is there a visa on arrival for Indonesians?
People search this a lot, and the honest answer is no for most travellers. The UAE foreign ministry's checker shows Indonesia as visa required. The Dubai airport stamp that Malaysians get is not open to you.
There is one exception. On ICP added Indonesia to its visa for nationals residing abroad. If you hold 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, you qualify. An Indonesian engineer working in Singapore, or a student in Australia with a valid residence permit, fits.
That visa comes in two lengths. The 14-day version is AED 100 and can be extended once (ICP lists AED 250 for the extension). The 60-day version is AED 250 plus AED 100 smart services, single entry, and cannot be extended. You enter within 30 days of issue. Your spouse and children travelling with you qualify on the same conditions.
Transit through Dubai from Indonesia
Dubai is often a connection on flights to Europe or Jeddah. If you stay inside the terminal, no visa is needed. If you want a night in the city, you need a transit visa before you pass immigration.
| Transit visa | Stay | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 48 hours, GDRFA | 48 hours | AED 50 plus the airline fee |
| 96 hours, ICP | 96 hours | AED 50 application, AED 50 issuance, AED 100 smart services |
| Emirates prearranged | 48 or 96 hours | US$10 or US$49 |
Source: GDRFA and ICP transit visa pages and the Emirates UAE visa page, checked .
Both are single entry and cannot be extended. The airline you fly with sponsors the visa, so you need an onward ticket and a passport valid for the next country. Dubai agencies publish about AED 132 to AED 275 for a 48-hour transit visa (published prices of 3 Dubai agencies, checked ). The Dubai transit visa page covers flight delays and the free emergency visa.
Tourist visa from Indonesia, filed online
UAE embassies do not issue tourist visas, so no UAE embassy takes your application. The application is filed online inside the UAE by a tourism establishment, an airline or a sponsor, and the visa reaches you as a PDF.
| Tourist visa | Single entry | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days | AED 210 | AED 315 |
| 60 days | AED 315 | AED 525 |
Source: GDRFA tourist visa pages, VAT included, checked .
What Dubai agencies charge
Dubai visa agencies publish about AED 340 to AED 800 for a 30-day single entry visa (published prices of 8 Dubai agencies, checked ). Ask any agency to split its price into the GDRFA part and its own fee. How the online filing works, step by step, is on apply for a Dubai visa online.
Umrah with a Dubai stop
A Saudi umrah visa does not open the UAE. It is not on the list of documents ICP accepts for the residence-abroad route, and a short visit visa is not a GCC residence. If your group wants two nights in Dubai on the way home, each pilgrim needs a UAE tourist or transit visa issued for those dates.
Documents checklist
- Indonesian passport, valid at least 6 months from the day you enter
- Photo on a white background, ICAO standard
- Return or onward ticket out of the UAE
- Health insurance valid in the UAE (tourist visa)
- For the ICP route: copy of the visa or residence card from the qualifying country, valid at least 6 months
- For transit: the onward boarding details with the same airline
Steps
- Decide between tourist, transit and the ICP route, using the sections above.
- Send the passport scan and photo to whoever files the visa.
- Pay the fee and wait for the e-visa PDF.
- Check the name and passport number on the PDF against your passport.
- Print it and keep it with your return ticket for check-in.
Processing time
GDRFA states 48 hours for tourist and transit visas. ICP states 2 days for the residence-abroad visa. Emirates asks for about 2 to 4 working days for visas it arranges. Apply a week before the flight to leave room for a question. Details on Dubai visa processing time.
Why Indonesian applications are refused or delayed
- A passport with under 6 months left on the day you enter.
- A residence card abroad that is about to expire, which fails the 6-month rule for the ICP route.
- No onward ticket for a transit visa.
- Booking a transit visa with a different airline from the one you fly.
- Missing documents not sent within 30 days, after which GDRFA cancels the request.
Working in the UAE
A tourist or transit visa does not allow work. Indonesian migrant workers fall under KP2MI, Indonesia's migrant worker protection ministry. We could not confirm the current status of Indonesia's domestic worker rules for the Gulf, so check with KP2MI before you accept a job offer. Overstaying a visit visa costs AED 50 a day.
How it works with us
Message us on WhatsApp or fill in the form here with your passport page, your travel dates and, for a stopover, your flight numbers. A visa adviser works out whether a tourist, transit or ICP visa is the better fit, and you get one total price before paying anything. Our visa team prepares the file, submits it in the UAE and answers any query from GDRFA or ICP. You receive the e-visa by WhatsApp or e-mail. DubaiVisaDesk.com is an independent private service. The decision on your visa belongs to the UAE authorities.
If the visa is refused, the authorities keep their fees. Your adviser states in writing, before payment, which part of our total comes back to you, if any, after a refusal.
Official sources
- UAE MOFA visa checker: Indonesia shown as visa required.
- ICP announcement and ICP 60-day service: Indonesia added, fees, entry window.
- GDRFA transit visa and ICP port visas: transit fees and conditions.
- u.ae tourist visa page: UAE embassies do not issue tourist visas.
- GDRFA single entry tourist visa: documents.
- KP2MI: rules for Indonesian migrant workers.
