Quick answers to the questions visitors and UAE residents ask most, each from the official rule. The full guides go deeper.
These are the questions people ask us most, with the official rule behind each answer. For the full picture of a visa, open its guide: the Dubai visa guide for visitors, visas by nationality for passport rules, overstay fines if a visa has run out, and visas from Dubai if you live in the UAE and travel.
Rules and fees change without notice. Each guide names its official source and the month it was checked, so check that page before you pay a fee.
Good to know
Visas issued in Dubai are handled by GDRFA, the Dubai immigration authority. Visas issued in the other emirates are handled by ICP, the federal authority. Each has its own online status check.
At least 6 months from the date you enter the UAE. A passport with less than 6 months left is a common reason for a refused application or a problem at check-in.
Yes. GDRFA lists health insurance valid in the UAE as a condition of the tourist visa, together with a passport valid for 6 months and a return or onward ticket.
For an ICP visit visa sponsored by a relative or friend, you must enter within 60 days of the date the entry permit was issued. Other visas have their own entry window, stated on the visa.
An ICP visit visa is issued for 30, 60 or 90 days and can be extended, up to 120 days of stay in total. Tourist visas from GDRFA are issued for 30 or 60 days.
ICP charges AED 50 for every day of overstay on a visit, tourist or residence visa. You pay the fine before you leave or before your status is fixed, and leaving after an overstay needs a departure permit.
Yes, if the friend is a UAE resident who earns at least AED 15,000 a month. Relatives need less: AED 4,000 for first-degree relatives and AED 8,000 for second or third-degree relatives.
No. A UAE visit or tourist visa is an e-visa filed with a passport copy and a photo, and it arrives as a PDF. Visas abroad that are stamped in the passport are different: the passport goes to the visa centre.
Use the official status checks: GDRFA's status inquiry for visas issued in Dubai, and ICP's file validity service for the other emirates. A real visa shows up there with its number, dates and status.
The passport country, where the traveller is now, the travel dates and, for a sponsored visit, who is sponsoring. A visa adviser replies with the right visa and one total price before anything is filed.
Every Dubai visit visa, its official fee and the documents in one guide.