Getting a UAE tourist visa is very easy. All you need is a scanned copy of your passport, a digital photo and a credit/debit card. It takes about 10 minutes to fill out the form and you will receive the e-Visa within 3-5 days.
UAE visas can only be applied for via a sponsor. A UAE-based airline, a UAE-based hotel, a UAE-based company, or an Emirati national or a UAE resident can sponsor your UAE tourist visa.
The procedure for a 90-day single-entry or multiple-entry UAE visa is also the same, except for the higher fee. For this article, we will focus only on the 30-day single-entry UAE or Dubai tourist visas.
Table of Contents
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UAE tourist visa required countries
The following nationalities require a visa to travel to the UAE as tourists.
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bangladesh
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo, Dem Rep of
- Congo, Rep of
- Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Cuba
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Micronesia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestinian Territory
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Rwanda
- Samoa
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
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UAE tourist visa recommended agents
You will have to use a sponsor for your UAE visa. But if you don’t have a sponsor, you can simply use an authorized visa agent for your UAE tourist visa.
My preferred agent used to be Etihad Airways. But they discontinued offering 30-day single-entry UAE tourist visas.
These days, I use one of the below reputed visa agents for my UAE visas. Most tourists usually need a 30-day single-entry UAE visa. These agents charge about 400-450 AED (~110-120 USD) and process your visa application within 3-5 working days.
- Musafir | 395 AED | 3-5 working days
- Rayna Tours | 450 AED | 4-5 working days
- Make My Trip (affordable for Indians) | 7,500 INR (~310 AED) | Up to 4 working days
I have detailed step-by-step instructions for each of the above agents later in this article.
UAE Visa on Arrival for Indians
If you hold an Indian passport and have any of the below visas, you can obtain the UAE Visa on Arrival at Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi international airports.
- A valid multiple-entry visa from the US, UK, or Schengen
- A valid residence permit from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, UK, or the USA
UAE VOA is only 14 days, but it’s cheaper than the 30-day single-entry visa. If you plan to spend a maximum of 14 days in the UAE, you should consider VOA.
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UAE tourist visa validity
The 30-day single-entry UAE tourist visas are valid for 60 days. You must enter the UAE within the 60-day validity of the visa.
You are allowed to stay up to 30 days in the UAE on a tourist visa. You can also extend it additional 30 days within the country.
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Documents needed for UAE tourist visa
- A scan of your passport ID page and the last page
- A digital passport-sized photo
- A debit/credit card for the visa fee
Allowed formats: JPEG, JPG or PDF
Max file size: 2MB
Digital photo specification: Min 600×600 pixels, max 1200×1200 pixels with minimum 96dpi resolution
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Steps to apply for UAE tourist visa on Musafir
Step 1: Select UAE Visa
Go to the UAE Tourist Visa page on Musafir
In the blue “Apply online” box, select “30 days UAE Visa” and your entry date. Select the number of adults and children who need visas. Click on Apply.
You will be taken to the next page to enter the applicant details.
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Step 2: Applicant Details
Since insurance is not mandatory for the UAE visa, you can just leave the insurance as “NO INSURANCE”.
If you have a coupon code, you can enter it in the “Offer code” box and redeem it.
After that, enter your first name, last name, date of birth, nationality and passport number.
If you have a middle name in your passport, enter your middle name followed by your first name separated by a space in the “First name” field.
Then, enter your email address and phone number.
Click on Continue.
You will be taken to the payment page.
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Step 3: Fee Payment
Enter your credit or debit card details and pay for the visa.
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Step 4: Upload Documents
Upload your documents – passport ID page, photo and other required documents.
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Step 5: Receive e-Visa
Within 3-5 working days, you will receive an email with the subject “MOI Smart Services System – Request Approved” saying that your visa is approved and can be downloaded.
Click on the “Print e-Visa” link in your email to download a PDF copy of your approved UAE eVisa.
Check your UAE eVisa PDF for any errors and make sure everything is looking good. Print and carry your UAE eVisa when you travel.
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Steps to apply for UAE tourist visa on Rayna Tours
Step 1: Select UAE Visa
Go to the UAE Visa Page on Rayna Tours.
Select the “30 Days Single Entry Tourist Visa”.
Select Processing Type as “Normal”, enter your intended travel date and the number of visas you need.
Scroll all the way down and click on “Add to Cart”.
You will be taken to the passenger details page.
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Step 2: Passenger Details and Documents
Enter your first name, last name, email, passport number and date of birth.
Upload your passport ID page, last page and photo. Upload any additional documents, such as a flight ticket or hotel booking.
Select “Credit/Debit Card” and click “pay now”.
You will be taken to the payment page.
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Step 3: Fee Payment
Select “Pay by card” and enter your credit/debit card details. Click on the “Pay” button.
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Step 3: Receive e-Visa
Once your visa is approved, you will receive your UAE visa in your email inbox.
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Steps to apply for UAE tourist visa on Make My Trip
Go to the UAE Visa Page on Make My Trip.
Select the dates of your UAE trip and click search.
Then click on the GET STARTED button.
You will be prompted to enter the traveler’s details. I’m not going to take you through all the steps as they are self-explanatory. You can just continue from here.
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Hope that helps! If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.
Credits: Maps are made with mapchart.net
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Tony Clayton says
Hi Thirumal, I applied for a 30-day tourist visa through Etihad Airways on 24th December 2022 and a draft request was sent to my email. The request was not completed or paid for. On 13th January 2023 I again applied for a 30-day visa, completed the application, paid and submitted the request.
I did not receive a receipt and then heard nothing more. On contacting ICP they say that the visa cannot be processed before the first draft is canceled by the sponsor, Etihad Airways. On contacting Etihad by email and via friends in Abu Dhabi I can’t get any positive help, can you suggest how to cancel this previous draft?
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Tony! Sorry to hear that! Please contact Etihad Airways on their call center at 600522222 or 0501234567.
Ethan Pike says
Hi there, I applied for a visa using Sharjah airport same as in the example but was told I need to transit through Abu Dhabi airport even though I applied for a 30-day tourist visa. Did you use a different ticket or state that you are transferring through Abu Dhabi?
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Ethan! Can you send me a screenshot? Because I don’t see any such thing in my application. When I select Sharjah, it says “Kindly note that you can enter to UAE using any border in the country, and not only the selected border in this application”. Also, I didn’t upload any flight tickets. Did you have to upload flight tickets?
Ethan says
Hi there, yes it was resolved and I had to upload flight tickets. Another note is when applying for another visa, the price has now increased to 461 AED for this 30-day tourist visa.
Thirumal Motati says
I’m glad the issue is resolved. Thanks for the update on the visa fee increase! I will update the article.
Ethan says
Hi there, are you sure you can fly directly to Sharjah with an airline other than Etihad? The website states you need to travel with Etihad for transit visas, whereas for the 30-day tourist visa you need to land or pass through Abu Dhabi airport. I want to confirm if I can land directly in Sharjah and if that would still constitute a valid visa for me.
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Ethan! Yes. With your 30-day visa, you can enter from any UAE airport. My wife got her 30-day visa with Etihad and entered UAE at Sharjah airport. No issues at all.
Hanno says
Help. We are flying to Abu Dhabi and will land on 6 Dec. I lodged the visa application yesterday but am afraid I won’t get it by then. How can I follow up?
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Hanno! The approval is usually quick. But if you haven’t received your approval for a couple of days, try calling Etihad airways visa division on their phone. The phone number is listed in the email that you received after you submitted your application.
Valentine says
Hi Thirumal, my payment for the visa keeps declining. I have changed cards and confirmed that there is enough cash in them but the payment keeps declining. What could be the issue?
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Valentine! Are you using your card to pay for your visa on the Etihad website? Check with your bank if your card is allowed to be used for international transactions since the visa fee will be in AED.
Chirantan says
I applied, let’s see how it goes.
Thirumal Motati says
Great! Let us know how it went. All good or any hiccups?
subhan says
I have applied through Etihad and received e-visa as my host is Etihad airways but I have booked my flight through emirates. Is it ok?
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Subhan! Yes. It’s ok. You don’t need to fly Etihad. Any airline is fine.
Mubarak Ogundele says
Hello Mr. Motati, my name is Mubarak. I want to ask a question, Regarding your post about how much bank statement is required for UK Visit Visa. Firstly, I’d like to know if I can apply for UK Visit Visa with my Nigerian bank statement of account here in UAE, this is because I work and live in the UAE and I send my monthly salary back home every month because I am unable to open an account here in the UAE. I’d like to know if it’s possible for me to submit my Nigerian bank statement for UK Visit Visa in the UAE. If yes, does it apply to USA Visit Visa also? Thank you for your blog, looking forward to your response.
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Mubarak! Your chances of approval would be higher if you had a bank account in the UAE. You live in the UAE, so the ECOs would like you to prove strong ties with UAE. So, having a bank account in the UAE would help. But it’s not the end of the world. You can still apply with your Nigeria bank account. You would need to explain this clearly in the “Extra Information” section within your UK visa application and your cover letter.
Bank statements are not mandatory for USA visa. You can carry a copy of your Nigeria bank statements for your US visa interview, but the US visa officers rarely ask for bank statements.
mubarak ogundele says
I’m currently in the UAE, and my tourist visa will expire soon, please, I’d like to know if I can renew my Tourist Visa with the process you’ve listed above? Thanks in advance, Looking forward to your response.
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Mubarak! This process is only for a fresh visa. You can extend an existing visa at any AMER center in Dubai. Or you can obtain a fresh visa with your existing UID and change status, but I don’t how this can be done. You can talk to one of the agents I know to see if they can help.