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Irish citizens get a free 30-day visit visa on arrival in the UAE, so there is nothing to file before the flight. The UAE foreign ministry lists Ireland as visa free, and Irish foreign affairs says the same. We pick up where that ends: a longer stay, a partner on another passport, a job offer, or checking that nothing blocks your exit.
Passport rules for the Irish
Irish foreign affairs, in its UAE travel advice, sets these conditions:
- Your passport needs at least six months of validity to enter. If you hold a UAE residence permit, three months is enough.
- Passport cards cannot be used to enter the UAE. Carry the passport book.
- Irish temporary passports are not valid for entry. They are accepted for airside transit and for leaving.
The 30 days start on arrival. Count them from the stamp, not from your flight booking.
Staying longer than 30 days
The free visa is short compared with the 90 days many other Europeans get, so Irish visitors extend more often than most. Costs:
| Item | Official fee |
|---|---|
| Entry on an Irish passport | Free, 30 days |
| Extension application | AED 100 |
| Each extension | AED 500 |
| Overstay fine | AED 50 per day |
Source: ICP extension page and the GDRFA overstay list, checked . A tourist visit tops out at 120 days. File before day 30, using the Dubai visa extension guide. The overstay fine page prices a late exit.
Exit bans, debt and social media
The Irish department is blunt about leaving. Visitors must hold legal status when they depart. An overstay, unpaid debt, legal proceedings or a child custody dispute can stop you, and it says a number of Irish nationals have been arrested leaving or transiting the UAE, including over unpaid debts. Its advice is to check your travel status online first.
It also lists social media rules. Comments, posts or private messages can bring criminal charges. Sharing someone's photo or video without consent is an offence, and the Irish page quotes fines of AED 150,000 to AED 500,000, up to 3 years in prison for defamation or insults and at least 6 months for sharing a photo or video without permission. Photographing military, diplomatic or security sites is prohibited.
What Ireland advises now
The status on the Irish travel advice page is Avoid Non-Essential Travel, its second-highest level. It says consular help is extremely limited. It reports an EU aviation safety advisory against operating in UAE airspace, understood to run to , and says commercial flights out of the UAE are currently possible. Check your airline, and read the page itself since it changes.
Irish embassy help in the UAE
The Embassy of Ireland is in Abu Dhabi. Its page lists no Irish office in Dubai. The hours are Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 13:00, and Friday, 09:00 to 11:00. Outside those hours the line is for emergencies only, and it keeps an answering machine at weekends and on public holidays.
Work, family and visas for non-Irish relatives
- A job from Ireland: the UAE employer files the work permit. A visit visa is not a work permit. See the work visa guide and the UAE work permit page.
- A partner or child on another passport: they may need a visa before flying. Send their passport pages and we pick the route.
- An Indian national living in Ireland: ICP offers a 60-day single entry visa to Indian nationals with a valid EU residence permit or visa. It costs AED 350 in all, you must enter within 30 days of issue and it cannot be extended.
- Moving to the UAE with family: a resident sponsors a spouse and children. See the family visa guide.
Living in Dubai and heading to Ireland?
Ireland sits outside Schengen and has its own visa. That is a separate file, covered on Ireland visa from Dubai. UK visa holders and others may be waived there.
How it works with us
Message us the photo page of each passport and your arrival date on WhatsApp, or use the form on this page. An adviser checks the rules above, tells you which visa or extension fits each person and sends one total price. Nothing is filed until you agree. The team submits and follows up. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service, and ICP or GDRFA makes the decision.
If a request is refused, the authority keeps its fee. Before you pay, your adviser writes down what part of our total would come back, if any.
Official sources
- UAE MOFA visa exemptions: Ireland listed as Visa Free
- Irish DFA, UAE travel advice: 30-day visa, passport rules, exit bans, social media
- ICP visa extension: extension fees and limits
- ICP 60-day visa: Indian nationals with EU residence
Full list: Dubai visa by nationality. Neighbours: Dubai visa for UK citizens.
