Written By Arabiers Digital & Reviewed by Robeena Brown
23 July 2024 | 13 min read
A frequent question among many travelers, usually, those who are willing to get their visas online, is - ‘how long can I stay in Dubai without a visa?’. Answer to this question is quite simple. No one can enter Dubai without a visa. All the travelers planning to visit Dubai, have to get a visa, an on-arrival visa or a prepaid visa.
Simplest answer to this question is yes. It is compulsory to get a visa, if you are hoping to visit Dubai.
Mainly, there are two types of visas, on-arrival visa and prepaid visa. Depending on your nationality and which passport you are holding, you can, either get an on-arrival visa or a prepaid visa.
| On Arrival Visa |
UAE maintains bi-lateral relationships with some selected countries. You are eligible, to get an on-arrival visa, if you are:
|
| Pre - Paid Visa | Others, not belonging to any of those selected countries, must get a prepaid visa, when entering Dubai. |
Dubai immigration, offers four types of on-arrival visas to Dubai with validity periods – 180-days, 90-days, 30-days, and 14-days. Three out of those four on arrival visas are totally free, while the other one, is issued after a payment. Even in on-arrival visas, eligibility to get one of those visa types, depends on your nationality, or the passport you are holding.
| 30-day on-arrival visa |
free | Nationals and passport holders of countries, such as Australia, Canada, UK, USA, etc… |
| 90-day on-arrival visa |
free | Nationals and passport holders of Belgium, Denmark, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, etc… |
| 180-day on-arrival visa |
free | Mexican nationalities and travelers holding Mexican passports |
| 14-days on-arrival visa |
Not free |
Indian passport holders, Having a valid residence visa issued by UK or EU countries Having a green card or visitor visa, issued by USA |
To find out more details about eligibility, requirements, and other possibilities related to on arrival visas, visit ‘Dubai Visa On-Arrival Explained'.
Those who are not eligible to get an on arrival visa, must get a prepaid visa, in order to enter Dubai. There are, mainly, two types of pre-paid visas, single entry visa and multiple entry visa. Depending on your requirement, you can get the right visa option for you.
Below, are the pre-paid Dubai visa options you can get from the Dubai immigration;Below, are the pre-paid Dubai visa options you can get from the Dubai immigration:
When speaking about visa rates, in general, the rates might differ, based on several factors:
If you wish to know more information on Dubai pre-paid visa options, please visit our Arabiers page on “UAE Visit Visa”.
Whoever travels to Dubai, either with an on arrival visa or a pre-paid visa, has the ability to extend their visa validity period. However, the extension period varies from one visa to another.
(30-day) On-arrival visa
Nationalities eligible to get 30-day on-arrival visas, can get a 20-day extension period with a grace period of 10 days
(90-day) On-arrival visa
On-arrival visa validity period is 180 days
Within these 180 days, they can spend their 90 days in Dubai
In order to request an extension, they have to wait until their visa validity period ends.
(14-days) On-arrival visa
Can get an extension for another 14 days
Pre-paid Visa (30-day and 60-day)
Both visas can get a 30-day in-country visa extension
This extension can only be requested twice
No need to exit Dubai
It is not surprising to see a lot of travelers, awed by the beauty of Dubai, requesting extensions to stay for more days, in Dubai. In order to cater for the majority’s needs, Dubai immigration, has come up with several ways of requesting extensions.
Here is a gist of all the possible ways of requesting an extension:
1. Airport to Airport (A2A) extension
Both, on arrival (14,30,90 days) visa holders and pre-paid (30 and 60-day) visa holders, can request an extension through the airport to airport visa change process. All you have to do is, exit UAE, and go to the nearest country, such as Oman and apply for an extension.
2. Oman Border Run
This method is quite similar to the A2A method, but much cheaper than the A2A method. You have to exit Dubai, and go to Oman, and complete the extension procedure there.
3. 90-days In country visa extension
Another way of extending your visa is the 90-day in-country visa extension procedure. This process does not require the visa holder to exit the country.
Dubai visit visa, as you may know, does not allow anyone to engage in any type of full time or part time jobs. In this case, if you are looking for ways to live and work in Dubai, for a long period of time, you have to get a Dubai Residence Visa.
There are several types of UAE residence visas. Depending on what your profession is and what you are planning to do in Dubai, the type of residence visa varies from person to person.
| Blue Visa |
Offered to people, who have done reputable service, towards the protection and sustainability of the environment, inside UAE, or outside UAE. Validity period :- 10 years |
| Green Visa |
Introduced recently Offered to freelancers, self employed people, and skilled employees Validity period :- 5 years Sponsor not required No need to be employed |
| Golden Visa |
Offered to foreigners with top talents and unique professional values Can enjoy more benefits given by UAE government Validity period :- 5-10 years |
If you are visiting Dubai for the first time, there are some essential things you need to know before you go on your vacation or business trip to Dubai. Always be mindful, about what you do, and what you don’t do in Dubai. UAE is a country that values its own culture, and respects the laws and regulations, to its maximum.