Most visitors now get 90 days in any 180 free on arrival, up from 30 since September 2024. Overstaying costs AED 50 a day and there is no grace.
- Visa on arrival is 90 days, not 30, since 18 September 2024 - free, stamped at immigration, and usable continuously or split across visits inside a rolling 180-day period. A great deal of published advice has not caught up.
- Your passport must be valid at least 6 months from arrival, and you may be asked for proof of onward travel and a hotel booking.
- Overstaying costs AED 50 a day from the first day, paid at the airport before you can leave. There is no grace period and no discretion at the desk.
- Unpaid bills and debts are criminal matters here - a bounced cheque or an unpaid hotel account has stopped people leaving the country.
- Controlled medicines need advance Ministry of Health approval, and this is the single most common way ordinary travellers get arrested. CBD is illegal in every form, skincare and vape refills included.
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
| You hold | What you get |
|---|---|
| USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Russia | Free visa on arrival, 90 days in any 180 |
| Saudi Arabia | GCC citizen. Free entry, no visa, no time limit |
| India | 14-day visa on arrival only if you hold a valid US visa or green card, or UK or EU residence. Otherwise an e-visa in advance |
| Taiwan, Cambodia | Visa required in advance, typically an e-visa for a 30-day stay |
- 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.
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