The nationals belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) do not need a visa to visit the UAE. They are granted a visa upon arrival to the UAE with valid passports.

The list of GCC countries are:

• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates

The visa requirements which are needed for the GCC citizens are:

• There is no need of obtaining a visa to visit the UAE or Dubai.
• Non-citizens belonging to high-level officials such as managers, doctors, engineers, etc. can have a 30-day non-renewable visa available at all the airports in the UAE upon arrival.
• Tourists from the rest of the nationalities have to get a visa before they enter the country. However, they can even contact a local sponsor from the UAE or an immigration consultant, etc.

There are few countries that do not need a visa to enter the UAE and can obtain a Dubai Visa upon arrival for 90 days. However, these visas are non-extendable.

Things to be taken care of:

• The citizens of the country get a Visa on Arrival for 90 days from the entry date from their normal passports.
• The visa they hold is non-renewable.
• The passport they hold should have a validity of more than 6 months.

Within the 180 days from the first entry, the visa holders have to use the 90-day visa upon arrival.

Things to be taken care of:

• The people or the citizens belonging from the above countries can get a visa upon arrival for 90 days from the entry date with the normal passports.
• The visa type is extendable.
• These passport holders can stay for more than six months.

Country List:

Things to be taken care of:

• You can obtain a visa upon arrival for 30 days from the entry date with the normal passports of the candidates.
• The visa can be extendable with a total validity of 60 days from the entry date.
• The passports you hold have to be normal with a validity of over six months.
• This visa type is also referred to as a multi-entry visa allowing the visa holder to spend 30-day validity regardless of where you are, i.e. in or out of the UAE.
• Any number of days spent outside of the UAE will be calculated from the 40-day validity.

There are two main types of Visit Visas.

90-Day Long-term Visit Visa

• Non-renewable visa with 60 days validity from the issue date
• Non-renewable visa with 90 days validity from the arrival date

30-day Short-term Visit Visa

• Non-renewable visa with 30 days validity from the issue date
• Non-renewable visa with 30 days validity from the arrival date

Transit Visa for Dubai

Transit Visa types are sponsored by the UAE based airlines and they have to get processed and approved before moving ahead for the UAE. The visas under this category are not extendable. The UAE government issues two types of UAE Transit Visas.

• 48 Hours Visa: This visa is free of cost.
• 96 Hours Visa: This isn’t a free visa and it cost 50 AED.

According to the acts laid by the UAE Cabinet, it has come into effect on 1st March 2017 that Indians can (only) get Dubai Visa on arrival by having a valid US Visa or green card while arriving in Dubai.

The general processing time for the visa types is 72 hours, i.e. 3 UAE working days. However, these 3 working days cannot include Friday, Saturday, and any UAE holiday.

Also, the processing time can even depend upon the status obtained from the UAE Security Department.

All types of Visit Visas and Tourist Visas can be extended for 30 days two times by renewing. For renewing it for the second time, it has to be applied before the expiry of the first one.

Overstaying on the visa without renewing can make the visitors pay a penalty of AED 100 for each overstaying day. This period of overstay will be calculated from the 10 days of the visa expiry.

As per the new rule, the visa extension is not applicable for the below categories:

• For the visitors and tourists residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
• Residents who are accompanying GCC nationals.
• People who have migrated on a 96-hour permit for special missions.
• People who have visited Dubai on special entry permits.

Do’s:

• Need to fill the application form with valid information.
• Apply for the visa minimum of 4 – 7 days of your journey.
• Take a print of the approved visa copy, so that you do not face issues in showing the copy to the control section.

Don’ts:

• Must not provide any fake documents.
• Should not hide any personal facts about you in the visa application.

Statistics Regarding the Growth of Tourists for Dubai:

Dubai portrays a diverse melting pot of attires and cultures, where varied expressions are accepted. While dressing conservatively is appreciated, swimwear at beaches, waterparks, public pools, and spa areas is permitted.

However, there are specific requirements for clothing in historic neighbourhoods and places of worship in Dubai, that needs to be taken care of.