Dubai is a city that you must visit at least once in your lifetime. It offers an amazing amalgam of mind-blowing sights and so much entertainment that one can easily spend days here. When you plan for a Dubai holiday, one of the important things to do is get a Dubai visa for your travels. As a first-timer tourist who has never been to the UAE before, the Dubai visa process can seem overwhelming. But not all nationals need a pre-acquired valid Dubai visa to explore the emirate. Some citizens are eligible to get a Dubai visa on arrival. To help you out, we have created a short guide on Dubai visa on arrival for your reference.
About Dubai visa on arrival
A Dubai visa is a popular term used for a UAE visa. It is a travel permit that allows foreign nationals to enter the country for a decided period by the UAE Embassy and the Immigration officers in UAE. Foreign visitors must apply for a Dubai visa online according to their purpose for travel and should acquire one that is valid for the duration of their stay in the emirate. However, for many nationalities, A UAE visa can also be granted as a visa on arrival. This means visitors are not required to present a valid proof of travel permit before reaching their destination. The entry permit is given by the Immigration officer once you land in the UAE. As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, this visa type was discontinued for a while, but now the UAE has begun issuing visas on arrival in full force.
Visa on arrival for Dubai – eligible countries
For their Dubai trips, citizens of the following countries can avail of a Dubai visa on arrival.
- A 30-day visa on arrival privilege is granted for the following citizens:
Andorra, Bahamas, Australia, Canada, Brunei, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Monaco, Ukraine, Singapore, USA, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, Macau, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Vatican City, UK - A 90-day visa on arrival benefit is allowed for the below-mentioned nationalities: Argentina, Barbados, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, El Salvador, Iceland, Latvia, Israel, Liechtenstein, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Montenegro, Malta, Netherlands, Nauru, Norway, Paraguay, Estonia, France, Finland, Greece, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Portugal, San Marino, Russia, Serbia, Seychelles, Switzerland, Uruguay.
- Mexico citizens get the privilege of staying in the UAE for 180 days on a visa on arrival.
All the citizens of countries who are not mentioned in the above list are ineligible for a visa-for arrival in Dubai except the GCC countries. Citizens of GCC countries have the benefit of entering the UAE without any travel visa.
Dubai visa for arrival for Indian Citizen
For an Indian travelling to the UAE, they need a valid Dubai visa applied, acquired, and pre-paid before they arrive in the country. However, a Dubai visa on arrival for Indians is possible if the visitor has a valid US visa, Green Card, UK resident permit, and EU resident permit. Such eligible Indians can get a visa on arrival in Dubai if the US visa, or UK/EU resident permits are valid for another 6 months after they arrive in Dubai. They get a 14-day stay on this visa and the visa fee of AED 120 per visa has to be paid at the Immigration check.
It is imperative to note that Dubai takes overstaying on an expired visa very seriously and a person can be charged a hefty penalty on the days he or she has overstayed in the emirate after the visa has expired. It is therefore important to extend the validity of a visa on arrival, or any other type of visa, if necessary. The length of time that is allowed to extend a visa on arrival varies from country to country.
Procedure for obtaining a Dubai visa on arrival
This is the best part of getting the eligibility for a Dubai visa on arrival option for a traveller. There are no hassles of paperwork and finding a sponsor to validate your Dubai visa. All you need is
- A passport that still has at least 6 months of validity
- A confirmed return ticket
- A Covid-19 vaccination certificate or test results in case of unvaccinated individuals.
If you are from the country which is eligible for a visa on arrival, you have to disembark the flight at the airport and proceed to the Immigration check. Show your valid passport, and confirmed return tickets, and provide your biometric data for the authorities to upload to necessary databases. You may be required to answer a few questions by the immigration officer if needed. You also may have to go through a rapid PCR test as a safety precaution regarding COVID-19. Vaccinated travellers should present their vaccination certificates. After these formalities, you get your visa on arrival stamped on the passport and that’s it! Just grab your luggage and exit the airport to start your marvellous Dubai holiday.