UAE transit visa: leaving the airport on a Dubai or Abu Dhabi stopover

If you stay airside and do not pass immigration, no visa is needed for a connection. The transit visa is only for visa-required travellers who want to leave the airport, for example to spend a night in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah between flights.

A traveller whose nationality is visa-required and who wants to go into the city during a layover needs this visa or a regular tourist visa.

ICP's services guide describes the transit permit as an entry permit for a visitor who is continuing to another country, who is joining a ship anchored in a UAE port, or whose journey forces them to enter the country. The permit is requested through the sea or air port side, which in practice means the carrier or its approved partners, not by the traveller directly with ICP.

You need a confirmed onward ticket and a passport valid for at least six months. The visa is single entry, lasts 48 or 96 hours and cannot be extended, so it only suits genuine stopovers.

It is requested through a UAE airline you are flying with (for example Emirates or flydubai, or dnata for Dubai), a travel agency or an airport hotel; it cannot be obtained after landing.

ICP notes that a transit permit can be issued for both legs of a round trip if you ask for it when applying, which helps travellers who stop in the UAE on the way out and again on the way back.

GDRFA Dubai lists a government fee of AED 50; airlines add their own service charge. Allow about 48 hours for approval and apply well before departure.

Overstaying the 48 or 96 hours is treated like any other overstay and is fined.

The 2024 edition of the ICP services guide lists an issuance fee of AED 50 for both the 48-hour and 96-hour permits, an additional AED 50 request fee for the 96-hour permit only, and an electronic services fee of AED 100. Only the issuance fee is refundable, and staying beyond the permit is fined AED 50 per day.

Log in to the booking section of the UAE airline that issued your ticket, or contact the airport hotel or agent, upload the passport copy and ticket, and pay. The approved transit visa is sent electronically.

If your layover is longer than four days, a regular 30-day tourist visa is the correct choice.

A separate temporary emergency entry permit exists for passengers who are taken off a flight at a UAE port because of a health problem, bad weather, or an aircraft fault that requires a stay of more than 24 hours. The airline applies for it; the passport or travel document must be valid for at least one month, and a ticket, UAE-valid health insurance and a financial guarantee are required.

This emergency permit allows 96 hours, or up to 7 days when the reason is medical. If a passenger needs to stay longer than 7 days for health reasons, ICP requires the permit to be changed into a treatment entry permit.