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A Dubai visa is an entry permit issued before you travel, unless your passport gets a visa on arrival. For a normal holiday you need a tourist visa from a licensed Dubai tourism company: GDRFA charges AED 210 for 30 days single entry, including VAT, and states 48 hours to issue it. Family in the UAE can sponsor a visit visa for up to 90 days instead.
Who needs a visa for Dubai
Three groups exist, and your passport decides which one you are in, not where you live:
- GCC citizens of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman need no visa at all.
- Visa on arrival passports. The UK, the US, Canada, Australia, China, most of Europe and others get a free stamp at the airport. Some lists give 30 days, others 90 days within 6 months. Our UAE visa on arrival guide has both lists and the conflicts between them.
- Everyone else needs a visa approved before boarding. That includes India, the Philippines, Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh and many more. Find your passport in Dubai visa by nationality.
Whatever the group, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the day you land. The u.ae portal also warns that the visa on arrival lists change from time to time, so check close to your flight.
Every UAE visit visa type, compared
| Visa | Stay | Entry | Who sponsors | GDRFA or ICP fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist visa | 30 or 60 days | Single or multiple | Licensed tourism company or airline | From AED 210 |
| Relative or friend visit visa | 30, 60 or 90 days | Single or multiple | UAE resident | Fees plus a refundable guarantee |
| 5-year tourist visa | 90 days per stay | Multiple | Self, through ICP or GDRFA | AED 3,720 at ICP |
| Transit visa | 48 or 96 hours | Single | UAE airline | AED 50 plus airline fee at GDRFA |
| Visa on arrival | 30 or 90 days | Depends on list | None | Free |
| Job seeker visa | 60, 90 or 120 days | Single | None | AED 200 to AED 400 plus VAT |
| 60-day visa for some residents abroad | 60 days | Single | Self, through ICP | AED 350 |
Source: GDRFA and ICP service pages, u.ae and the Emirates visa page, checked . Guarantees and inside-country fees are extra where they apply. The Dubai visa price page breaks every line down.
Tourist visas: 30 and 60 days
This is the visa most holidaymakers buy. A Dubai hotel, tour company, travel agent or airline sponsors it, and there is no security deposit. The 30-day Dubai visa suits short trips at the lowest fee. The 60-day Dubai visa costs AED 315 single entry and gives you room for a longer stay. If you will leave and come back, a multiple entry visa lets you re-enter on the same permit.
Visit visas sponsored by family or a friend
A UAE resident can bring parents, children, a spouse, siblings, cousins or a friend. ICP sets a minimum monthly salary for the host: AED 4,000 for first-degree relatives, AED 8,000 for second and third-degree relatives, and AED 15,000 for friends. The host pays a guarantee of AED 1,000 (single entry) or AED 2,000 (multiple entry) that comes back after you leave. This is the route that gives the 90-day Dubai visa. The full rules for parents and in-laws are on family visit visa.
The 5-year multiple entry visa
For people who come to Dubai often. You stay up to 90 days each time, 180 days a year at most, and you need a bank balance of USD 4,000 over the last 6 months. See the 5-year Dubai visa page.
Transit, job seeker and special routes
A Dubai transit visa covers a stopover of 48 or 96 hours and is issued through your UAE airline. The job seeker visa needs no host at all but asks for a degree and a MOHRE skill level. Indians and some other nationalities who hold a US, UK or EU visa or residence can use the shortcut on Dubai visa with a US, UK or EU visa. People living in Saudi Arabia, Qatar or another Gulf state have their own permit: Dubai visa for GCC residents.
What Dubai agencies charge
Dubai visa agencies publish about AED 340 to AED 800 for a 30-day single entry tourist visa (published prices of 8 Dubai agencies, checked ). The gap above the GDRFA fee is their service charge, often with insurance bundled in. Ask any agency what its price includes before you pay.
Documents almost every visit visa asks for
- Passport scan, valid at least 6 months from entry, machine readable.
- Recent colour photo on a white background, ICAO standard, no sunglasses or hat.
- Return or onward flight ticket.
- Health insurance valid in the UAE.
- National ID copy, if GDRFA asks for it for your nationality.
- For sponsored visits: the host's passport, Emirates ID, salary proof and proof of relationship.
Processing time
GDRFA states 48 hours for tourist and relative visit visas. ICP states 2 days. Emirates asks its passengers to apply at least 4 working days before arrival and quotes about 2 to 4 working days. Those clocks start when the file is complete, not when you first send it.
Common refusal reasons
No official page lists refusal reasons. What sinks most applications is simpler: a passport with under 6 months left, a selfie-style photo, a host who earns below the ICP salary tier, a missing national ID copy, or a previous overstay in the UAE. GDRFA cancels a request if missing documents are not added within 30 days. More on the Dubai visa rejection reasons page.
How it works with us
Send your passport copy and your travel dates on WhatsApp or through the form on this page. A visa adviser looks at your nationality, your plans and who you know in the UAE, then tells you which visit visa fits. You get one total price, confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay. The team prepares the file, submits it through a licensed sponsor and follows it until the e-visa lands in your inbox. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service, not GDRFA or ICP. The UAE authorities approve or refuse every visa.
If the visa is refused, the government fees are not refunded by the authorities. Before you pay, your adviser confirms in writing what part of the total, if any, you would get back.
Official sources
- u.ae: do you need a visa: GCC rule, 6-month passport rule.
- u.ae tourist visa: embassies do not issue tourist visas, who can apply.
- MOFA visa exemptions: visa free or visa required by country.
- GDRFA single entry tourist visa: fees, documents, 48 hours.
- ICP visa issuance: relative and friend visit visa fees, salary tiers, guarantees.
- ICP 5-year tourist visa: fees and stay limits.
- u.ae job seeker visa: conditions and durations.
All checked .
