Dubai Visa - The What, Where, and How

Dubai has become a magnet attracting shoppers, holiday makers, tourists, business persons and job seekers alike, in droves. Not without reason. It has acquired a much envied status in the world, of the most happening destination. Other positive adjectives are also frequently used to describe this vibrant and dynamic city, like, zero crime rate city, fastest growing tourism destination, city of skyscrapers, city of gold, city of dreams, the new land of the rising sun, and lots more...

Dubai is attracting people from over 200 countries, for various purposes as described above. Obviously then, a Dubai Visa must be in great demand! You bet it is. I present below a guide to the different types of Dubai Visas, Dubai Visa Requirements, Tips to remember, & Important Do's and Don'ts. I recommend you to read these carefully before proceeding ahead in your quest to obtain a Dubai Visa.

Always use your judgment. Follow the rules and regulations of the United Arab Emirates government in regards to obtaining a Visa. Please always apply with the registered agents.

Types of Dubai Visa

Entry Permit on Arrival:

Passport holders of the following countries can get free entry permit on arrival valid for 30 days:

• Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) country citizens viz. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, entering the UAE with valid passports.
• Resident visa holders from Arab Gulf Co-operation Council (AGCC) countries (certain designations only like businessmen, company managers and representatives, auditors, accountants, doctors, engineers or employees working in the public sector, their family members and drivers and servants sponsored by them are eligible for this visa.)
• Passport holders of 34 countries viz.
• France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

This permit is renewable for 30 more days. The above country citizens are also exempt from the refundable deposit and health insurance rules.

Visit Visa:

• Dubai residents can apply for a 30 or 90 day non-renewable visit visa for a spouse or blood relatives. The Dubai Visa applicant has to pay AED 1000 refundable deposit and show proof of health insurance.
• Emiratis are allowed to sponsor friends on visit visas with approval from the authorities.
• Foreign wives of GCC citizens can obtain a Dubai visit visa if she holds a residence visa in the home country of her husband.

Tourist Visa:

All nationalities can enter the UAE on a Tourist Visa. Tourist visas for 30 days, renewable once for 30 days, can only be applied for through a licensed hotel, travel or tourism agency. Tourists must be covered by health insurance.

Student Visa:

Student Visas are issued for 60 days and can be renewed twice for a similar period. Students must be registered in one of the universities in the UAE and must obtain health insurance.

Multiple Entry Visa:

A Dubai Visa for Business travelers who are frequent visitors to the UAE and who have a relationship with a reputable company here can obtain a multiple entry visa. This is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. However, each visit must not exceed 14 days.

Visa for Expos & Conferences:

A Dubai Visa to attend conferences, exhibitions or festivals can be obtained for a 30-day period. It is non - renewable.

Mission Visa:

A Dubai Visa for the purpose of temporary work in UAE can be obtained for a max of 180 days. It can be renewed for another 180 days. An applicant must obtain the permit from the Labour Ministry to get the visa.

Transit Visa:

A Dubai Visa is issued to travelers transiting through UAE airports. It is issued for 96 hours and must be sponsored by an airline operating in the UAE. The visitor must have a valid ticket for onward flight.

Citizens of Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Niger and Yemen are not eligible for the 96 hours visa on arrival.

Emirates Airlines handles the service for their travelers. However, for those flying with other Airlines, have to contact Marhaba Services for any transit visa.

Residence Visa:

A Residence Visa is issued to those who intend to reside indefinitely with a person who is already a resident. It is issued to the immediate kin of a resident for 3 years. The residence visa becomes invalid if the resident remains out of the UAE for more than six months at a time.

Investor Visa:

A Dubai Visa is issued to expatriate investors entering in partnership deals with locals, for a period of 3 years. The foreign investor must hold a minimum stake of AED 70,000 in the share capital.

Employment Visa:

A Dubai Visa is issued to Employees of a company in the UAE, by the Immigration Department to a foreign national upon the approval of the Ministry of Labour. When the employee has entered UAE on the basis of the employment visa, the sponsor company arranges to transfer this visa to a residence visa.

Dubai Visa Requirements:

• Passport and 2 photocopies
• 4 photographs
• Duplicate application form
• Letter or fax from the sponsor in the UAE to the concerned embassy
• Letter from the applicant's company plus photocopy

Important Tips:

• A sponsor requires the visitor's date of arrival and flight details, and a photocopy of the first few pages of the visitor's passport which should be valid for at least three months.
• German citizens can get a 1 or 2 year multiple-entry visa from the UAE Embassy in Germany. Sponsor not required. Max duration of stay cannot exceed 3 months a year.
• US citizens can get a 1 to 10 year multiple-entry visa (Free) from the UAE Embassy in USA. Sponsor is required. Max duration of stay cannot exceed 6 months a visit.
• UK citizens can get a 1 to 2 year multiple-entry visa (Free) from the UAE Embassy in Great Britain. Sponsor is required. Max duration of stay cannot exceed 6 months a visit.

Do's and Don'ts:

• The various types of Dubai Visa are valid for a period of between 14 to 60 days from the issue date. The person has to enter the country before this period, else the visa expires.
• If a Dubai Visa is valid for 30 days, that does not convert to 1 month, as 1 month can consist of 31 days too. An extra day in this case can cost you AED 100 as fine.
• Earlier, people used to come to Dubai on a visit visa, search for and secure a job, then as per rule had to leave the country, and re-enter with an employment visa sponsored by their company. There were flights scheduled to take you to Kish Island and back. This has now been abolished as you can change your visit visa to employment by paying AED 500.

NOTE: Dubai Visas can be sponsored by a travel agency, hotel, a company or department with which you are doing business in the UAE, an Emirati, or an expatriate individual (eg. a relative or friend resident in the UAE).

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