Visa Information

Visa requirements vary between cultures for entry into the UAE; hence it is advisable that you check before you travel. All passports must be valid for up to six months from date of arrival. At the current time, all nationals except those of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia), expatriate residents of the GCC and British citizens with the right to abode in the UK. Nationals of over 34 developed countries (including most of Western Europe, Australia, Brunei, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the USA) can receive free visas upon arrival in the UAE by air, land or sea travel.

GCC nationals can stay in the UAE for as long as they like, all other nationals can stay for a month then renew their visas for a further two months – see the Department of Immigration and Naturalisation in (Dubai 04 398 0000, Abu Dhabi 02 446 2244).

If you are not a national of the countries mentioned above then you must apply for a visa before you enter the country, either through your country’s embassy, a local UAE sponsor (such as your tour operator) or the local hotel you are staying at. A great source of visa information is http://www.sharjah.com/v/visa_requirements/.