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Nepali citizens need a Dubai visa issued before they travel. There is no visa on arrival for Nepal. For a holiday, a Dubai tourism company files a GDRFA tourist visa, AED 210 for 30 days, in about 48 hours. A relative in the UAE can sponsor a visit visa instead. If you are going to work, none of these is right: you need a job offer, a UAE work permit and Nepal's labour permit.
Start with the reason for the trip
Most problems with Nepali applications start here. People buy the visa that is cheapest or quickest, then use it for something it does not cover.
| You are going to | The visa that fits |
|---|---|
| See Dubai on holiday | GDRFA tourist visa, 30 or 60 days |
| Stay with a relative who lives in the UAE | Visit visa sponsored by that relative |
| Look for a job, with a degree | Job seeker visit visa |
| Start a job you have already been offered | Work permit and residence, applied for by the employer |
| Change planes and see the city | 48 or 96-hour transit visa from the airline |
Visit visa or labour permit
This matters more for Nepal than for most countries. Kantipur reported on that more than 150,000 Nepali women had reached Gulf states, the UAE among them, as domestic workers on visit visas instead of labour permits. Workers who travel that way have no labour permit on file in Nepal and none of the protection that comes with it.
Nepal's Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) issues the foreign employment permit for people leaving to work. We could not reach the DoFE website to confirm the current steps when we checked in , so ask DoFE or a licensed recruitment agency in Kathmandu before you go. On the UAE side, the employer files the work permit and residence. A visit visa from an agent is not a shortcut to either.
Tourist visa fees for a Nepali passport
| Entry type | 30 days | 60 days |
|---|---|---|
| Single entry | AED 210 | AED 315 |
| Multiple entry | AED 315 | AED 525 |
Source: GDRFA tourist visa service pages, checked . VAT included. No security deposit.
Dubai agencies publish about AED 340 to AED 800 for the 30-day single entry visa (8 agency price lists, checked ). The difference from AED 210 is their service charge. If a price sounds far lower than the GDRFA fee, be careful.
Looking for work: the job seeker visa
Graduates who want to search for a job in person can use the visit visa to explore job opportunities. No sponsor is needed.
| Stay | GDRFA fee |
|---|---|
| 60 days | AED 200 plus 5% VAT |
| 90 days | AED 300 plus 5% VAT |
| 120 days | AED 400 plus 5% VAT |
GDRFA also takes an AED 1,000 security deposit, an AED 20 warranty fee and an AED 40 collection fee. To qualify you need at least a bachelor's degree and a MOHRE skill level of 1, 2 or 3, or a degree from one of the top 500 universities in the world. If you do not meet it, a real job offer and the labour permit route are the way in.
A relative in Dubai sponsoring you
A Dubai resident can file a visit visa for a family member through GDRFA. The fees are AED 200 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days and AED 400 for 90 days, plus VAT, with insurance of AED 40, AED 60 or AED 90. ICP sets the sponsor's minimum income at AED 4,000 a month for close family and AED 8,000 for siblings and cousins. The family visit visa page explains the guarantee and the full paperwork.
Documents to have ready
- Nepali passport with at least 6 months left from the day you land.
- Photo on a white background to the ICAO standard. See the visa photo rules.
- Return or onward air ticket.
- UAE-valid health insurance.
- For a job seeker visa: your degree certificate.
- For a family visa: the sponsor's residence, Emirates ID and salary proof.
Steps
- Decide which visa fits the trip, using the table above.
- Send the passport scan and photo to the sponsor or tourism company.
- They file with GDRFA, or with ICP for a relative outside Dubai.
- You receive the e-visa by email, normally 48 hours to 2 days after a complete file.
- Check it on the visa status check tool before you fly.
Transit through Dubai
If your route home or onward goes through Dubai and you stay airside you need nothing. To leave the airport on a stopover, the airline arranges a 48-hour or 96-hour transit visa. You need an onward ticket and a passport valid for the next country, and neither visa can be extended. More on the Dubai transit visa page.
Why files from Nepal get stuck
- The photo has a coloured background or shadows.
- The passport has 5 months left, not 6.
- The sponsor's salary is under the level for the relationship.
- A previous overstay or absconding case in the UAE.
- The trip is really for work, and the file says tourism.
How it works with us
Message us on WhatsApp, or use the form on this page, with the Nepali passport page and the reason for the trip. A visa adviser looks at the purpose first and tells you plainly if a visit visa is the wrong tool, for example when the real plan is a job. For a holiday or a family visit, you get one total price, confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay. The team prepares the file, submits it, follows it until GDRFA or ICP decides, and emails you the e-visa.
We are a private visa service in Dubai, not the UAE government. The authorities make every decision. A refused visa does not bring back the government fee. Before you pay, the adviser puts in writing what part of the total, if any, is returned after a refusal.
Official sources
- MOFA visa exemptions page: Nepal listed as visa required.
- GDRFA tourist visa, single entry and multiple entry: fees and conditions.
- GDRFA job seeker visa: durations, fees, deposit, eligibility.
- GDRFA relative visit visa: fees and insurance.
- u.ae transit visa: 48 and 96 hours, not extendable.
- Kantipur report: visit visas used instead of labour permits.
