Entry Requirements for UAE in 2024: Visa or Permit Needed?

Wondering about the entry requirements for the United Arab Emirates (UAE)? Here's what you need to know to plan your visit according to the UAE governmental 2024 update

GCC citizens do not need a visa to enter the UAE. Some of the other nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival while others need to apply for a visa in advance. Find out if you need a visa to enter the UAE.

Visa-free entry

Citizens of GCC countries do not require a visa or permit or to be sponsored by a national or resident in the UAE. They need to produce their GCC country passport or national ID card at the point of entry into the UAE.

Visa on arrival

30-day visa on arrival

Citizens of these countries do not require advance visa arrangements to enter the UAE and can obtain a visa upon arrival for 30 days with a 10-day grace period for extension.

• Brunei
• Canada
• China
• Hong Kong SAR China
• Ireland
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Macau SAR China
• Malaysia
• Mauritius
• Monaco
• New Zealand
• Singapore
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Vatican City

90-day visa on arrival

Citizens of these countries do not require advance visa arrangements to enter the UAE and can obtain a visa upon arrival for 90 days:

• Argentina
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic (Czechia)
• Denmark
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Israel
• Italy
• Kiribati
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malpes
• Malta
• Montenegro
• Nauru
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• South Korea (Republic of)
• Spain
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu

Pre-arranged entry permits

Anyone who does not have the privilege of getting a visa-free entry or a visa on arrival will require an entry permit prior to arrival into the UAE and someone to sponsor it.

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Andorra
• Angola
• Anguilla
• Antigua & Barbuda
• Armenia
• Australia
• Bangladesh
• Belize
• Benin
• Bermuda
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Cayman Islands
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Comoros
• Cuba
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Fiji
• Gabon
• Ghana
• Gibraltar
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Kenya
• Kosovo
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• North Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritania
• Micronesia
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Montserrat
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Myanmar (Burma)
• Namibia
• Nepal
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Palestine
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Republic of the Congo
• Rwanda
• Samoa
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sri Lanka
• Saint Kitts & Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Syria
• Taiwan, Republic of China
• Tajikistan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• The Gambia
• Timor-Leste (East Timor)
• Togo
• Tonga
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Tunisia
• Republic of Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Turks & Caicos Islands
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Yemen
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Requirements for an entry permit

These are the requirements for an entry permit:

1. You need a sponsor to apply for your entry permit. The sponsor could be:
   • an Emirati citizen
   • an expatriate resident with valid residency permit in the UAE
   • a UAE-based airline
   • a UAE-based hotel or tour agent
   • a government entity
   • companies in the private sector or free zones.
2. Prospective visitors seeking entry permits are required to have a genuine passport, valid for at least six months.
3. A visa ban prohibits a person from entering the country or taking up a new job. Prospective visitors must not have been deported or be banned from entering the UAE in which case, he needs to obtain special permission to re-enter.

Illegal to work on a visit or tourist visa

Visitors and tourists should be aware that it is illegal to work in the UAE with or without pay while being on a visit or tourist visa. According to the UAE's labour and residency laws, a person cannot work if he has not been issued a work permit and an employment visa. Violators may be liable to fines and deportation.

Source: Al-Bayan newspaper

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