UAE visit visa: types, documents and how to apply

Whether you need a UAE visit visa depends on your passport. GCC citizens and many other nationalities can enter without applying in advance. Everyone else applies before they fly, usually for a tourist visa or a family visit visa, through a UAE airline, a licensed hotel or travel agency, or the immigration authorities.

This guide explains the main types of visit visa, the documents you usually need and where to apply. Visa rules depend on your nationality and change from time to time, and every decision is made by the UAE authorities. Always check the current rules for your passport before you book.

Check whether you need a visa first

Start with your passport. The answer depends on your nationality, and sometimes on visas or residence permits you hold from other countries.

• Citizens of GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) can enter the UAE without a visa.
• Citizens of many other countries receive a visit visa on arrival or can enter without applying in advance. The length of stay allowed depends on your nationality.
• Some nationalities, including Indian citizens, can get a visa on arrival if they hold a valid residence permit or visa from certain other countries.
• Everyone else needs to apply for a visa before travelling.

The lists change, so check the official sources for your passport: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list of entry requirements by nationality, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) and, for Dubai, the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA Dubai). Your airline can also confirm what it will check at boarding. Whatever your nationality, your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you enter.

Tourist visas

If you need a visa in advance, a tourist visa is the most common option. The main choices are:

• 30-day or 60-day visas for holidays and short visits, with a 90-day option on some visit visas issued through ICP
• Single entry, which ends once you leave the UAE
• Multiple entry, which lets you leave and come back while the visa is valid

Your visa has a period in which you must enter the UAE, and a permitted length of stay that starts from your entry date. Check both dates on your visa when it is issued. Many visit visas can be extended from inside the UAE, subject to approval and a fee, but do not plan your trip on the assumption that an extension will be granted. UAE embassies do not issue tourist visas, so apply through one of the channels below.

The 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa

The UAE also offers a 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa. It lets you visit many times over five years without a UAE sponsor. Each visit can last up to 90 days, which can be extended once by another 90, and your total stay cannot go beyond 180 days in any one year.

The conditions include a bank balance of at least USD 4,000, or the equivalent in another currency, over the six months before you apply, health insurance valid in the UAE and a return or onward ticket. It suits frequent visitors, such as people with family in the UAE or business owners who travel often. It is not a residence visa, so it does not give you an Emirates ID or the right to work.

Visiting family or friends

UAE residents can sponsor a visit visa for relatives and friends. The resident applies through ICP or GDRFA Dubai, depending on the emirate. ICP sets a minimum monthly salary for the sponsor: AED 4,000 for first-degree relatives, AED 8,000 for second- and third-degree relatives, and AED 15,000 for friends, as of October 2026. Expect the authorities to ask for:

• the sponsor's passport, residence visa and Emirates ID
• proof of relationship, such as a marriage or birth certificate
• evidence of the sponsor's salary and, in some cases, accommodation

Certificates issued outside the UAE may need to be attested for use in the UAE and translated into Arabic. If your relatives plan to live with you rather than visit, our guide to sponsoring family on a residence visa covers that route.

Other visit visas

Some trips fit a purpose-specific visa better than a tourist visa. These are the most common, and in 2025 ICP added further visit visas for AI specialists, entertainment and events, and cruise or leisure-boat tourism.

Documents you will usually need

Most visit visa applications ask for:

• A passport valid for at least six months from your arrival date
• A recent colour photo with a white background
• A return or onward ticket
• Accommodation details, such as a hotel booking or your host's address
• Health insurance valid in the UAE
• Bank statements, for some visa types and nationalities
• Sponsor documents, if a relative or friend is sponsoring you

ICP and GDRFA list health insurance valid in the UAE as a requirement for tourist and family visit visas, including the 5-year multiple-entry visa. Even if you enter visa-free, take a policy that covers medical treatment in the UAE. Healthcare for visitors is not free, and private treatment can be expensive.

Children usually need their own visa and their own documents. If a child travels with only one parent, carry a consent letter from the other parent, as you may be asked for one.

How and where to apply

You have several options, depending on the visa type and who sponsors it:

• Through your airline. Emirates, Etihad and flydubai arrange visas for passengers flying with them, subject to conditions.
• Through a hotel or licensed travel agency. Hotels and licensed travel agents can arrange tourist visas for their guests and customers.
• Through ICP. ICP's website and smart app handle visa applications for most emirates.
• Through GDRFA Dubai. For Dubai, applications go through the GDRFA website and app, or through an Amer service centre.

Use only official channels or licensed agencies, and be careful with websites that look official but are not. Decisions are often quick once the documents are complete, but the authorities can take longer, ask for more information or refuse an application.

Staying within the rules

• A visit visa does not allow you to work. If you take a job, your employer must arrange a work permit and a residence visa.
• Leave before your visa expires, or get an approved extension in time.
• Overstaying leads to fines for each day you stay beyond your permitted period, set at AED 50 a day in ICP's fee schedule as of October 2026. Fines must be settled before you leave, and serious overstays can lead to a ban on returning.
• Keep your documents with you. Carry your passport and a copy of your visa while you travel around the country.

Checklist

• Check the current rules for your passport on the ICP, GDRFA or Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
• Choose the visa that fits your trip: a tourist visa (30, 60 or 90 days, single or multiple entry), a family visit visa or a purpose-specific visa.
• Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months from arrival.
• Prepare your photo, tickets, accommodation details and health insurance.
• Apply only through your airline, a licensed agency, ICP or GDRFA.
• Note your entry deadline and the last day of your permitted stay.

How Almahira can help

Our tourist visa team can confirm which visa suits your trip, give you a document list for your nationality and submit your application through official channels. The authorities make the final decision, so we cannot guarantee approval, but a complete application avoids the most common delays. If you are thinking about living in the UAE long term, compare the Green Visa and the Golden Visa, or try our Golden Visa eligibility check.

Sources

• UAE Government portal: Do you need a visa to enter the UAE?
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: UAE entry requirements by nationality
• UAE Government portal: Tourist visa
• ICP: Issuance of a visa (visit categories, sponsor salary and fines)
• ICP: wider eligibility for 14-day and 60-day entry visas, June 2026
• GDRFA Dubai: 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa