🇦🇪United Arab Emirates

90 days, not 30

The UAE extended the free visa on arrival from 30 days to 90 days on 18 September 2024, and a great deal of published advice has not caught up.

• 90 days within any rolling 180-day period, counted from your first entry.
• You can use it continuously or split it across several visits inside the 180 days.
• It is free and stamped into your passport at immigration. There is nothing to apply for and nothing to pay.
• Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from arrival.
• Extensions of 30 days are available for a fee through the ICP, or through GDRFA in Dubai, and are applied for before the stay expires.

Where your nationality lands

• The visa-on-arrival list keeps growing. On 25 June 2026 the UAE added Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa, on condition of holding residence in the US, EU, UK, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada, with 14-day visas at AED 100 and 60-day visas at AED 250.
• Check your own position close to departure. This is a country that changes visa policy by announcement rather than by treaty.
• Sponsored visas are arranged by hotels and airlines for nationalities that need one, and Emirates and Etihad both offer this alongside a ticket.

Overstaying and other ways to get it wrong

• Overstaying costs AED 50 per day, accumulating from the first day, and you pay it at the airport before you can leave.
• There is no grace period and no discretion at the desk.
• Do not let a hotel or employer keep your passport. It is not lawful and you will need it.
• Unpaid bills and debts are criminal matters here, including a bounced cheque or an unpaid hotel account. People have been stopped from leaving the country over them.
• Israeli passport stamps are not a problem for entry to the UAE, which is different from several of its neighbours.
• You may be asked for proof of onward travel and your hotel booking.

What you cannot bring

• Pork products and pornography are prohibited imports.
• Narcotic, psychotropic and controlled medicines need advance approval from the Ministry of Health, and this is the single most common way ordinary travellers get arrested here. See the health section.
• CBD in any form is illegal, including skincare and vape refills.
• Books, films and magazines may be censored at the border.
• Weapons and anything resembling them need explicit permission.

• Common painkillers are controlled drugs here. Codeine, tramadol and anything containing CBD need a prescription and a doctor's letter; travellers have been detained at Dubai airport over a blister pack from home.
• Poppy seeds are prohibited, which catches people carrying bread or baking ingredients rather than anything sinister.
• The allowance is 400 cigarettes and 4 litres of alcohol for non-Muslim adults arriving by air. Arriving overland from Saudi Arabia or Oman, no alcohol may be brought in at all.
• AED 60,000 or more in cash must be declared, counting foreign currency and gold at their dirham value.
• Drones need a permit and are confiscated without one.
• Sharjah is dry. Alcohol may not be brought into or consumed in the emirate, which matters if your hotel is on that side of the boundary.

Check your medicines before you fly

This is the most important paragraph on this page. People are arrested at UAE airports every year over medication that was prescribed to them at home.

• Narcotic, psychotropic, controlled and semi-controlled medicines need advance approval from the Ministry of Health.
• The list is longer than you expect and includes codeine, tramadol, many sleeping tablets, some strong painkillers and some ADHD and anxiety medication.
• Apply online through MOHAP before you travel. It is free and takes a few days.
• You may bring up to 3 months of supply of ordinary prescription medicine, reduced to 1 month for restricted medicines.
• Carry everything in original labelled packaging with a copy of the prescription and a doctor's letter.
• CBD products of any kind are illegal. This includes oils, gummies, skincare and vape liquid.
• Not knowing is not a defence and has not prevented prosecutions.

Treatment

• Hospitals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are excellent, modern and largely staffed by internationally trained doctors.
• They are extremely expensive and expect payment or insurer confirmation up front.
• Comprehensive travel insurance is essential, with a high cover limit.
• Pharmacies are everywhere, many open 24 hours, and pharmacists are helpful. Many drugs sold over the counter here need a prescription elsewhere, and the reverse is also true.
• Dental and cosmetic treatment is a large industry and mostly good, but is not covered by travel insurance.

The heat is a medical issue

• Summer temperatures reach 45 °C and above, with humidity on the coast that makes it feel worse.
• August, right now, is the hardest month. Outdoor exertion in the middle of the day is genuinely dangerous rather than merely uncomfortable.
• Heat exhaustion and heatstroke are the commonest visitor emergencies. Symptoms are headache, nausea, confusion and stopping sweating. The last one is an emergency.
• Drink far more water than you think and add salt or electrolytes.
• Plan mornings and evenings outdoors, middle of the day indoors. This is how the country actually operates in summer.
• Cars become lethal within minutes. Never leave anyone in one.
• The sun is intense even in winter. High-factor sunscreen year round.

The easy parts

• Tap water is desalinated and safe, though it sits in building tanks and most people drink bottled. Ice in hotels and restaurants is fine.
• Food hygiene standards are high and enforced, including at the food courts and shawarma stands.
• No vaccinations are required for entry unless arriving from a yellow fever risk country.
• There is no malaria risk in the UAE.

The seasons are the whole story

• November to March is the season. Perfect weather, and rates two to three times the summer level.
• June to September is brutally hot and hotels are cheap. A five-star room in August costs less than a three-star room in January.
• If you can tolerate spending the middle of the day indoors, summer is extraordinary value. If you came for the beach, it is not.
• Book far ahead for New Year, the Dubai Shopping Festival in January and any major conference.
• Rates drop sharply during Ramadan in most years, and the atmosphere is different rather than worse.

Unmarried couples

• Cohabitation was decriminalised in 2020 and hotels no longer ask about marital status. In practice an unmarried couple sharing a room is entirely routine.
• Extramarital relations can still be prosecuted on a complaint, typically from a spouse. The realistic risk to a visiting couple is very low, and it is not zero.
• Same-sex sexual activity remains illegal, and same-sex couples should be aware of that when booking a shared room.

Where to stay

• Dubai Marina and JBR for beach and restaurants, with a Metro and tram connection.
• Downtown and Business Bay for the Burj Khalifa and the mall, and heavy traffic.
• Deira and Bur Dubai are the old city, much cheaper, more interesting, and where the souks and the abras are.
• Jumeirah for resorts and quiet.
• Abu Dhabi is calmer, greener and cheaper, with the Grand Mosque and Louvre Abu Dhabi.
• Sharjah is dry. No alcohol anywhere, including hotels. Book it knowingly.

Practical

• The Tourism Dirham is paid at checkout, per room per night, and is not in the booking price.
• A deposit is taken at check-in, usually AED 500 to AED 1,000 on a card.
• Hotel apartments are good value for families and have kitchens, which matters when eating out costs what it does here.
• Ask about pool shade and cooled pools in summer. Uncooled pool water reaches bath temperature in August, which is not refreshing.

Internet calling is restricted

This surprises almost every visitor. The UAE regulates voice over internet protocol, and the apps you use at home to call may not work.

• WhatsApp voice and video calls are commonly blocked, as are FaceTime audio, Skype and Facebook Messenger calls, depending on the network.
• Text messaging on those apps works normally. It is the calling that is restricted.
• Licensed alternatives exist, including Botim and C'Me, which the operators offer as paid add-ons.
• A VPN is a grey area. Using one is not itself illegal, using one to commit an offence carries heavy penalties, and this is not a country in which to test the boundary. Many hotel networks block them anyway.
• Plan around it. Tell people at home to expect text rather than a call.

Getting a SIM

• e& (formerly Etisalat) and du are the two networks, both excellent.
• Free tourist SIMs are handed out at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports with a small amount of data and credit, as a way of signing you up. Take one, then top it up.
• Paid tourist packages run roughly AED 50 to AED 125 for one to four weeks with generous data.
• You must register with your passport, done at the counter in a couple of minutes.
• eSIM is supported by both networks and by Saily.

Coverage

• Complete across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the whole coastal strip, with fast 5G.
• Good on the highways and in the mountains around Hatta and Ras Al Khaimah.
• The deep desert is patchy, which matters if you are driving to Liwa or camping.
• Wifi is free and universal in malls, hotels and cafes.

Sockets in the United Arab Emirates are Type G at 230 V, 50 Hz - the British three-pin standard.

• British plugs fit straight in. European, American and Australian ones need an adapter.
• Hotel bathrooms have a shaver socket that takes a Europlug at very low current: fine for a toothbrush, not for a hair dryer.
• 230 V matches Europe. Only American 120 V-only equipment needs a converter.
• Adapters are stocked in every Carrefour and Lulu and cost a few dirhams; the airport charges several times that.
• The Gulf is not uniform. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are Type G like the Emirates, but Qatar and Kuwait mix in round-pin Type D, Schuko and even Italian Type L sockets in older buildings.

Alcohol, and what changed

Dubai suspended its 30 percent alcohol tax through 2023 and 2024, and reinstated it on 1 January 2025. Prices went back up accordingly.

• You can drink in licensed hotels, bars and restaurants. That is where the alcohol is.
• The legal age is 21 in most emirates and you will be asked for ID.
• Sharjah is completely dry. No alcohol anywhere, including hotels, and possession is an offence.
• Drinking or being drunk in public is illegal everywhere, including in a taxi home.
• Tourists can obtain a free temporary liquor licence through the two retail chains, which allows buying from a shop for private consumption.
• Alcohol is expensive. A pint in a Dubai hotel bar costs what a bottle costs elsewhere.
• Duty free on arrival is the cheap route and there is a generous allowance for non-Muslim visitors.

Ramadan

• In 2027 Ramadan falls across February and March. The dates move each year.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours. This includes water, in a car, and chewing gum.
• Restaurants outside hotels are largely closed during the day and hotels screen off dining areas for guests.
• Live music and dancing stop, and clubs close.
• Iftar at sunset is the best food of the year and visitors are genuinely welcome at it.
• Working hours are shortened and traffic just before sunset is dangerous, because everyone is hurrying home to eat.

Dress and conduct

• Cover shoulders and knees in public, particularly in malls, souks and government buildings. Some malls turn people away.
• Swimwear is for the beach and the pool only.
• The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque provides abayas and has a firm dress code.
• Use your right hand for eating, greeting and passing things.
• Do not photograph local women or families without clear permission.
• Public displays of affection are an offence. Save it for the room.

Everyday

• Electricity is 220 to 240 V at 50 Hz with UK-style three-pin plugs. Bring a UK adapter.
• The weekend is Saturday and Sunday, and the working week is Monday to Friday with a half day on Friday for the midday prayer. Sharjah works a four-day week.
• Friday midday is quiet for an hour or two while prayers happen.
• Everything is air conditioned and cold, so carry a layer even in August.
• Malls are the public space here. They are where people walk, eat and meet, and they are open late.
• Arabic is the official language and English is the working one. Almost everyone you deal with speaks English, and roughly 88 percent of the population is foreign-born.
• Tap water is safe, bottled is normal, and both are cheap.

The rate does not move

The dirham has been pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 since 1997.

• You cannot time the exchange rate here. It is the same today as it was last year.
• Change money in the city rather than at the airport, where the spread is wide. Al Ansari and UAE Exchange branches are everywhere and give near-interbank rates.
• Cards work everywhere, contactless is universal, and Apple Pay and Google Pay are widely accepted.
• Carry AED 100 to AED 200 in small notes for taxis, abras, souks and tips.
• Always be charged in dirhams, not your home currency.

What gets added to your bill

• The Tourism Dirham is charged per room per night and is usually paid at checkout, not included in the booking price.
• A quoted hotel rate can grow by 20 percent or more once VAT, municipality fee, service charge and Tourism Dirham are added. Ask for the total.
• Restaurant bills in hotels carry the same additions. A standalone restaurant usually does not.

Getting the VAT back

• Tourists can reclaim VAT on shopping taken out of the country, through the Planet system at the airport.
• You get 87 percent of the VAT paid, less a fixed fee of AED 3.6 per claim since 12 July 2026, down from AED 4.80.
• Ask for a tax-free tag at the till and keep the goods accessible for validation.
• Validate before check-in at the airport kiosks, and allow extra time.

Tipping

• 10 to 15 percent in restaurants where no service charge has been added. Where one has, rounding up is enough.
• AED 5 to AED 10 for a porter or a valet.
• Round up for taxis.
• Most service staff are low-paid migrant workers for whom tips matter considerably more than they do to a Dubai restaurant's margins. Cash reaches them; a card tip often does not.

In Dubai

• The Metro is clean, cheap and driverless, with two lines covering most of what visitors want. Fares are by zone and a single ride is a few dirhams.
• One Nol card can pay for several people on the Metro, tram and bus.
• There is a women and children only carriage at the front of each train, and a Gold Class carriage that costs double and is usually empty.
• Abras, the wooden boats across Dubai Creek, cost AED 1 and are the best value in the country.
• The tram serves Dubai Marina and JBR and connects to the Metro.
• Taxis are cheap by international standards, metered and safe. Careem is the local ride-hailing app, and Uber owns it.

Between the emirates

• Intercity buses run frequently from Al Ghubaiba and Ibn Battuta to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates, and cost very little. 12Go covers the main routes if you want to book ahead.
• The Etihad Rail passenger service is opening in stages, and will eventually link the emirates. Check whether it is running for your route rather than assuming.
• A taxi between emirates is expensive and metered differently once it crosses the border.

Driving

• You need an International Driving Permit alongside your licence for most nationalities; some, including UK, US, EU and GCC licences, are accepted directly for short visits. Rental firms will tell you which applies.
• Roads are excellent, wide and fast. Driving is on the right.
• Speed cameras are everywhere and the fines are large, and they follow the rental company to your credit card weeks later.
• Tailgating and lane-weaving are normal and the accident rate reflects it. Keep left only to overtake.
• Any road accident, however minor, needs a police report before an insurer or rental company will do anything. Do not move the cars if anyone is hurt.
• Salik is the automatic road toll and is charged through the rental.
• Drink driving is zero tolerance and carries jail. There is no acceptable amount.

Apps

• Careem for taxis, food and payments.
• RTA Dubai for metro and bus times, and S'hail for journey planning.
• Google Maps works well, and addressing by landmark works better.
• Botim or C'Me if you need to make internet calls.

Automated tolls, automated speed enforcement, and an absolute rule about alcohol.

• Salik gates in Dubai charge automatically by plate; the hire company bills them on, usually with a fee per crossing.
• The alcohol limit is zero. Any measurable reading is a criminal matter and can mean detention, whatever the amount and whatever your own country allows.
• Radar is constant and the fines are large. Some emirates allow a small margin over the posted limit and others do not; the limit on the sign is the number to drive.
• Road rage and rude gestures are prosecuted offences here, which is worth knowing on a motorway with heavy lane discipline problems.
• Fuel is cheap and the distances between cities are short - Dubai to Abu Dhabi is an hour and a half on a twelve-lane road.

The law is the risk, not the criminals

The UAE is among the safest countries in the world for street crime. Walking anywhere at any hour is fine, and theft is rare.

What gets visitors arrested is behaviour that is unremarkable at home.

• Swearing and rude gestures are criminal obscene acts, including in a WhatsApp message or a social media post, and including in English. Prison or deportation follows.
• A road rage gesture is a genuine arrest risk. This is the classic case: a tourist makes a hand gesture at a driver, the driver photographs the car, and there is a police complaint waiting.
• Kissing in public can lead to arrest. Holding hands is tolerated for married couples.
• Drinking or being drunk in a public place is illegal anywhere in the UAE, even though buying and drinking in a licensed venue is not.
• Posting anything critical of the UAE, its rulers or its institutions is an offence, including something written before you arrived and including a bad restaurant review that names people.
• Photographing people without consent, government buildings, military sites and airports is prohibited. Plane spotting near an airport attracts a police response.

Drugs and medication

• Zero tolerance, with minimum three-month sentences for even minimal possession.
• CBD is illegal in every form, including skincare products and vape refills, whatever the law says where you bought them.
• Trace amounts found in a blood or urine test count as possession, including for something consumed legally in another country before you flew.
• Poppy seeds and some herbal supplements have caused arrests.
• Codeine, tramadol and many sleeping tablets need advance Ministry of Health approval. See the health section, and do this before you travel.

Money and debt

• Non-payment of a debt is a criminal matter and people have been imprisoned or prevented from leaving over an unpaid hotel bill, a bounced cheque or a defaulted loan.
• Never leave a bill unresolved on departure.
• Property investment scams are common enough that the FCDO warns about them. Take independent legal advice, never advice from the seller.

The scams and the real dangers

• Fake charity collectors and gold "bargains" in the souks. Gold is sold by weight at a posted rate plus making charges; anything much below it is not gold.
• Unlicensed taxis outside malls and clubs. Use the regulated ones or Careem.
• Drink spiking is a reported risk in Dubai's nightlife, and the FCDO notes that sexual assault victims face a high evidentiary burden, particularly where alcohol was involved.
• Desert safaris vary enormously in safety. Dune bashing has caused serious injuries. Choose a licensed operator, and skip it if you have a back or neck problem.
• The sea has strong rip currents and many beaches have no lifeguard. Flags mean what they say.
• Heat is the most dangerous thing in the country in summer. See health.

The numbers

• There is no single number. Four services, four numbers, and dialling the wrong one costs time.
• 999 is the one to remember if you can only remember one; they will transfer you.
• Operators speak English and response times are fast.
• 911 and 112 do not reliably work. Save the real ones.
• Know your emirate and the nearest landmark. Addressing here works by landmark, not street number.

Practicalities

• Report theft to the police and get the report for your insurer. Police stations handle this efficiently and many have English-speaking staff.
• Any road accident needs a police report, however minor, before an insurer or rental company will act.
• Photograph your passport and entry stamp and keep copies separate.
• If you lose your passport, go to the police, then your embassy or consulate. Most countries have both an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai; the Dubai one is usually the useful one.
• Save your insurer's 24-hour line offline.

If you are arrested

• Ask to contact your embassy. You have that right.
• Do not sign anything you cannot read. Documents are often in Arabic and signing one can amount to a confession.
• Say nothing about the substance of the allegation until your embassy or a lawyer is involved.
• Cases can take a long time and you may be prevented from leaving while one is open, even without being detained.
• Reconciliation and dropped complaints matter a great deal here. If the complainant withdraws, most minor matters end.

Weather emergencies

• The National Center of Meteorology issues heat, fog, sandstorm and rain warnings.
• Heat is the real danger. In July and August the middle of the day outdoors is hazardous, and warnings are issued regularly.
• Winter fog closes roads and causes large pile-ups on the Dubai to Abu Dhabi highway. If it is foggy, delay the drive.
• Flash flooding after heavy rain is a growing problem, as April 2024 showed. Underpasses fill fast, drainage is limited, and roads become impassable within an hour.
• Sandstorms reduce visibility to a few metres and are hard on anyone with asthma.