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Expats living in Bahrain need a UAE entry visa before they go to Dubai. You get 30 days, extendable once for 30 more. GDRFA charges AED 52.5, AED 100 and AED 100 and states 48 hours. Your Bahrain residence must run a year past arrival and your job title must be on the approved list. A Bahraini citizen needs no visa.
Bahraini citizen or Bahrain resident
The UAE foreign ministry lists the Kingdom of Bahrain as visa free (), and that covers citizens. If you are a Bahrain resident from India, the Philippines, Egypt, the UK or anywhere else, your Bahrain residence permit is not an entry document for the UAE. It is the paper you upload to apply. Wider rules for all Gulf states are on the GCC residents page.
If your own passport has a visa on arrival, such as a UK passport, you may not need this at all. Check the UAE visa on arrival list.
The fees
| Where you file | What you pay |
|---|---|
| GDRFA Dubai (landing in Dubai) | AED 52.5 service, AED 100 application, AED 100 issuance |
| ICP (other emirates) | AED 100 application, AED 100 issuance, AED 100 smart services |
Source: GDRFA GCC resident entry visa page and ICP port visas page, checked .
What Dubai agencies charge
Published agency prices for this exact visa are too thin to give a fair range, so we show none. Our price is one total, confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay.
By air or by the causeway
Bahrain is an island. The King Fahd Causeway joins it to Saudi Arabia, and the UAE lies beyond Saudi territory. So the road from Manama to Dubai crosses Saudi Arabia, with a Saudi crossing at the causeway and a UAE crossing at the far end. The UAE side stays the same visa. The Saudi side is separate: GCC residents can apply for the Saudi tourist visa as an eVisa or through the embassy, according to the Saudi tourism site. Media reports say expatriates crossing the causeway need a valid residence permit, a passport valid 6 months and an electronic exit and re-entry visa. We could not read the causeway authority's own site, so confirm before you drive.
For a weekend, a flight is simpler. You need the UAE visa, your passport and your Bahrain residence card.
Documents
- Bahrain residence permit, valid at least a year from arrival in the UAE
- Passport valid at least 6 months
- Photo on a white background
- A readable copy of the residence card with the job title
- For each family member: passport, photo and a separate application
Companions are covered by the same GDRFA service. ICP runs a separate companion visa only for relatives of GCC citizens.
Before you leave Bahrain
UK advice for Bahrain says you may be stopped from leaving if you are under a travel ban, in legal proceedings, in debt or in a custody dispute. It also says you can be fined for overstaying your legal residency in Bahrain. A trip abroad does not fix any of that. Also check your Bahrain residence date against the return, because a card that expires in the middle of the trip will cost you your UAE visa too.
If the job title fails
When the title is not accepted, you do not have to cancel. A tourist visa filed by a Dubai tourism company needs no GCC profession check. GDRFA lists AED 210 for 30 days single entry and AED 315 for 60 days. See the 30-day Dubai visa. To stay past 30 days, read the Dubai visa extension page. Going in the other direction is on the Bahrain visa for UAE residents page.
How it works with us
Message us a photo of your passport and your Bahrain residence card, by WhatsApp or the form below. An adviser opens the card, reads your job title and says whether the GCC visa is realistic or whether a tourist visa fits better. After that you see one price for the whole group, and only then do you pay. We submit the files, watch GDRFA or ICP and answer questions they raise. The e-visas land with you by message or email. We are a private visa service, not a government office, and the authorities make the final call.
A refusal means the authorities keep their fees. Ask the adviser first: before payment they put in writing how much of our own charge, if anything, you would get back.
Official sources
- GDRFA entry visa for GCC residents: fees, conditions, 48 hours.
- ICP port visas: ICP fees.
- UAE foreign ministry visa exemptions: Kingdom of Bahrain listed as visa free.
- UAE Embassy in Manama, services: lists Visas and Attestation.
- UK travel advice for Bahrain: exit bans and overstay.
- Visit Saudi visa rules: GCC residents and the Saudi eVisa.
Checked . Check the official page before you pay.
