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Thai citizens need a UAE visa before they fly to Dubai. From Thailand, a Dubai tourism establishment or your airline applies for a GDRFA tourist visa: AED 210 for 30 days single entry or AED 315 for 60 days, usually issued within 48 hours. Thais who live in Japan, South Korea, Australia, the UK, the EU, the US or a few other countries can use ICP's 14 or 60-day visa instead.
Three questions that decide your visa
Where do you live? If you live in Thailand, the tourist visa or a family visit visa is your route. If you live abroad with a residence card from a qualifying country, read the ICP section below first.
Who is inviting you? No one: a tourist visa. A spouse, parent, child or sibling with UAE residence: a family visit visa they sponsor.
How long, and how many trips? Up to 30 or 60 days, once or several times. Two or more trips in the window means a multiple entry visa.
Fees for a Thai passport
| Visa | Length | GDRFA or ICP fee |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist, single entry | 30 days | AED 210 |
| Tourist, single entry | 60 days | AED 315 |
| Tourist, multiple entry | 30 days | AED 315 |
| Tourist, multiple entry | 60 days | AED 525 |
| GDRFA relative visit | 30, 60 or 90 days | AED 200, AED 300 or AED 400, plus 5% VAT |
| Relative visit insurance | 30, 60 or 90 days | AED 40, AED 60 or AED 90 |
| ICP residence-abroad | 14 days | AED 100 |
| ICP residence-abroad | 60 days | AED 250 plus AED 100 smart services |
Source: GDRFA tourist and relative visit pages, ICP 60-day service page, checked .
What Dubai agencies charge
Dubai visa agencies publish about AED 340 to AED 800 for a 30-day single entry tourist visa and most charge about AED 700 to AED 800 for 30 days multiple entry (published prices of 8 and 7 Dubai agencies, checked ). For longer stays see the 60-day Dubai visa, and for repeat trips the multiple entry visa.
Thais living abroad: the ICP shortcut
ICP added Thailand to its visa for nationals residing abroad on .
| Your document | Issued by |
|---|---|
| Valid visa or residence permit | United States, EU countries, United Kingdom |
| Valid residence permit | Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand |
A Thai chef in Seoul with a Korean residence card or a Thai student in Germany with an EU residence permit qualifies. The 14-day visa can be extended once inside the UAE, for AED 250. The 60-day visa has no extension and must be used within 30 days of issue. Children and a spouse who travel with you qualify on the same conditions.
Bringing children in summer
The UAE waives the visa fee for children under 18 of tourists from 15 July to 15 September each year. The child travels with at least one parent. You still pay for insurance and any agency service. A Thai family planning a school holiday trip in August pays the visa fee for the adults only. More detail on the Dubai visa for children page.
Partners and family in Dubai
A UAE resident can sponsor a Thai spouse, parent or child on an ICP visit visa with a monthly income of AED 4,000. A sibling needs AED 8,000. A partner who is not a spouse is not on ICP's relative list, so the friend tier of AED 15,000 is the one to check. ICP takes a refundable guarantee of AED 1,000 for single entry and AED 2,000 for multiple entry, returned after you leave if there are no violations. The sponsor files it; see the family visit visa guide.
Documents checklist
- Thai passport, valid 6 months or more from entry
- Colour photo, white background, no hat or sunglasses
- Return or onward flight booking
- Health insurance that covers the UAE (what counts)
- ICP route: copy of the residence card or visa abroad
- Family visit: sponsor's residence, income proof and a marriage or birth certificate
How the application runs
- Choose the visa from the three questions above.
- Send the scans to the tourism establishment, airline or sponsor who files it.
- The filer submits online to GDRFA or ICP and pays the fee.
- You get the e-visa as a PDF.
- Enter the UAE within the validity window and keep the PDF on your phone.
Processing time
GDRFA states 48 hours for tourist and relative visit visas. ICP states 2 days for the residence-abroad visa. Allow a few working days on top if a document is questioned, and book flights only after the visa arrives.
Common reasons for refusal
- The photo fails the ICAO standard: shadows, glasses, a coloured background.
- Insurance that excludes the UAE.
- A Japanese or Korean residence card that runs out during the trip.
- A sponsor income below the tier for the relationship.
- A 60-day ICP visa used more than 30 days after issue. It lapses.
Thai workers
The Labour Affairs section of the Royal Thai Embassy in Abu Dhabi attests contracts for Thai workers hired in the UAE. A visit visa does not cover work. If you go on a job, the employer arranges a work permit, and the embassy's hiring page explains the contract step. We did not find the Thai Department of Employment's exit rules on an official page, so ask the embassy.
How it works with us
Send a photo of the passport page on WhatsApp, or use the form, and say who is travelling, for how long and whether someone in the UAE is sponsoring. A visa adviser checks which visa matches and gives you one total price before you pay. Then our visa team files it with GDRFA or ICP, follows up any request and sends you the e-visa. For a summer trip with children, the adviser checks whether the fee waiver applies. We are a private visa service. GDRFA or ICP decides whether the visa is granted.
A refused visa does not bring back the fees paid to the UAE authorities. Your adviser puts in writing, before you pay, what share of the total would be returned to you after a refusal, if any.
Official sources
- UAE MOFA visa checker: Kingdom of Thailand shown as visa required.
- ICP announcement: Thailand added to the residence-abroad visa.
- ICP 60-day service: fee, entry window, no extension.
- GDRFA relative visit visa: fees and insurance lines.
- GDRFA multiple entry tourist visa: documents.
- Royal Thai Embassy, Abu Dhabi and its hiring Thai workers page: missions and contract attestation.
Going the other way? UAE residents travelling to Bangkok can read Thailand visa for UAE residents.
