Last updated
US citizens do not need a visa for Dubai. You land, show your passport and get a free visa on arrival that lets you stay up to 90 days, in one go or in pieces, within 180 days. The UAE Embassy in Washington calls those 90 days non-renewable. Bring a passport valid for at least 6 months and a return or onward ticket.
What the UAE Embassy in Washington says
The embassy's page for US citizens is the clearest official statement for Americans. It gives "a maximum stay of 90 days non-renewable, whether continuously or intermittently, within 180 days". It asks for a passport with at least 6 months of validity and a return or onward ticket, and it warns that overstaying costs AED 50 a day.
Some older guides still say Americans get 30 days. Current official and airline pages say 90 days in 180, so plan around that.
The State Department keeps its own UAE country page at travel.state.gov. When we checked on the page would not load for us, so nothing on this page is quoted from it. Read it yourself before you fly, mainly for safety and local law notes.
How the 90 days get used up
Think of it as a bank of 90 days. Every day you spend in the UAE comes out of it, inside a 180-day period.
- One 90-day stay uses the full allowance.
- A 30-day business trip in spring and a 60-day stay in summer, both inside the same 180 days, also use it all.
- Layovers where you leave the airport count too, because you enter on the same stamp.
Run out early and you have two choices: leave until days free up, or switch to a visa that is not tied to the 90-day rule.
Official fees an American might meet
| Item | Official fee |
|---|---|
| Visa on arrival | Free |
| Overstay | AED 50 per day |
| 5-year multiple entry tourist visa (ICP total) | AED 3,720, including AED 3,000 refundable guarantee |
| Job seeker visa (GDRFA) | AED 200 for 60 days, AED 300 for 90 days, AED 400 for 120 days, plus 5% VAT |
| Security deposit on the job seeker visa | AED 1,000 |
| Status change inside the UAE (GDRFA) | AED 500 + AED 10 + AED 10 |
Source: ICP and GDRFA Dubai service pages, UAE Embassy in Washington, all read on .
Green card holders on a different passport
Many people living in the US travel on another country's passport. Some of them have a shortcut. ICP gives a 14-day visa (extendable once) or a 60-day visa (not extendable) to nationals of India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa who hold a valid US visa or residence. For Indians, ICP's page names the US Green Card itself. Others with a green card need a normal tourist visa. The Dubai visa with a US, UK or EU visa page sets out the fees and conditions, and the Dubai visa for Indians page covers the Indian side.
Frequent trips: the 5-year multiple entry visa
If you fly to Dubai for work several times a year, the 90-in-180 limit can pinch. The Dubai 5-year visa is ICP's answer: up to 90 days per stay, extendable once, with a maximum of 180 days a year counted from your first entry. Days you do not use are not carried over.
ICP's total is AED 3,720: application AED 100, issuance AED 500, smart services AED 100, guarantee AED 3,000 and a deposit fee of AED 20. You need a bank balance of USD 4,000 or its equal over 6 months and UAE-valid health insurance. Dubai visa agencies publish about AED 3,713 to AED 5,000 for this visa (published prices of 2 Dubai agencies, checked ). Those are other firms' prices, not a quote from us.
Moving to Dubai for a job
You cannot work on the entry stamp. If you come to interview in person, the visit days cover the trip, and once hired the employer files a work permit and residence visa. If you need more time to search, GDRFA's visit visa to explore job opportunities needs no host or sponsor and runs 60, 90 or 120 days on a single trip. u.ae limits it to MOHRE skill levels 1 to 3, or graduates of a top 500 university within the last 2 years, with a bachelor's degree. Once hired, the switch happens through a UAE visa status change.
Documents checklist
- US passport with 6 months left on arrival
- Return or onward ticket
- For the 5-year visa: bank statements for 6 months, health insurance, photo on a white background
- For the job seeker visa: attested degree certificate, photo, passport copy
Processing time
The entry stamp is done at the counter. ICP states 2 days for its visas. GDRFA states 48 hours for the job seeker visa and for a status change.
Common refusal reasons
- Bank balance under the USD 4,000 level in any of the 6 months.
- Health insurance not valid in the UAE.
- Degree certificate not attested, for the job seeker visa.
- Unpaid fines from an earlier overstay. See the UAE overstay fine guide.
How it works with us
For a normal US holiday you need nothing from us. We are useful when the trip pattern is complicated: a 5-year visa for repeat business travel, a job seeker visa, or a status change once a job offer arrives. Send your passport copy and a short note on your plans on WhatsApp or through the form on this page. A visa adviser picks the visa that fits and gives you one total price before you pay. The team files with ICP or GDRFA and follows up until the e-visa reaches your inbox. We are a private visa service, not a government office, and the authorities alone approve or refuse.
Government fees are kept by the authorities if a visa is refused. Your adviser confirms in writing, before payment, what share of your total would be returned in that case, if any.
Official sources
- UAE Embassy in Washington, visas for US citizens: 90 days non-renewable in 180, passport, ticket, overstay fine.
- ICP 5-year tourist visa: fees, bank balance, stay limits.
- GDRFA job seeker visa: fees and deposit.
- u.ae job seeker visit visa: eligibility.
- State Department, UAE country page: could not be read on our check date.
Checked .
