Dubai Tourist Visa: 30-Day, 60-Day and Extensions (2026)

First, find out if you need a visa at all. The UAE sorts visitors into three groups, and your passport puts you in one of them.

Visa-free entry: citizens of many countries can visit for tourism without arranging anything beforehand. The stay is 30 or 90 days depending on nationality, and the 90-day allowance is counted within a rolling 180-day window. The group includes EU and EEA states, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several East Asian nations. GCC nationals can enter with a passport or national ID.

Visa on arrival: some nationalities outside the visa-free list can get a visa stamped at the airport, often on condition that they hold a valid visa or residence permit from an approved country such as the US, UK, an EU state, Canada or Japan. The length of stay varies.

Apply in advance: everyone else arranges a paid tourist visa before travelling, as described in the next section. The authorities update these lists regularly, so check your own status before you book.

If you need to apply, you'll choose between the 30-day and the 60-day tourist visa. Both come in single-entry and multiple-entry versions.

A single-entry visa covers one trip: you enter once, and the visa is spent when you leave. That suits a simple holiday or a one-off business trip. A multiple-entry visa lets you come and go while it's valid, useful if you plan a side trip to a neighbouring country or two visits close together. It costs more.

The 30-day visa is the standard short-stay choice. The 60-day visa doubles your time on the ground, and visitors combining leisure with property viewings or longer family stays often pick it. The visa itself states its validity and your permitted stay, so read the dates.

Frequent visitors who don't want residence, or don't qualify for it, can apply for the UAE's 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa. It's self-sponsored, so you need no local host or guarantor, and you can enter repeatedly over five years.

Each visit has limits. Reported terms cap a single continuous stay at 90 days, extendable once, with an overall ceiling on days in the country within a 12-month window. Applicants have also been asked for proof of funds, such as a minimum bank balance held over the months before applying.

The total fee has been reported at around AED 3,713, part of which is a refundable security deposit.

You have several legitimate routes, and the best one depends on how you're travelling.

Through your airline: several UAE carriers arrange tourist visas for passengers as part of the booking, the simplest option if you're flying with them.

Through a hotel: some hotels and tour operators sponsor or arrange a visit visa for guests as part of a package.

Through a licensed agent: registered visa agents and travel agencies handle the paperwork for you.

Through the government portal: you can apply online through the federal ICP channel or the relevant residency directorate. You'll need a passport valid for at least six months, a passport-style photo and your travel details. Use an official or reputable provider and keep copies of everything.

You can extend most tourist visas without leaving the country, though the details depend on the visa you hold. A 30-day visa can often be extended in 30-day steps and a 60-day visa extended once, with a common overall cap of around 90 days before you must exit. Each extension carries its own fee.

Apply before your current visa expires. Overstay fines accrue daily from the day the visa ends, with little or no grace period, so track your dates.

If your plans keep growing, look at a different status: the 5-year multi-entry visa for repeat visits, or a residence route if you want to base yourself in the UAE.

A tourist visa lets you visit. It doesn't grant UAE residence, it doesn't give you the right to work, and it doesn't convert automatically into either. You may not work on a visit visa.

To live, run a business or take a job in Dubai, you need a residence visa through employment, company ownership, property investment, or one of the long-term Golden and remote-work options. Each is a separate process with its own criteria.

Many visitors use a tourist visa for a first look at homes and neighbourhoods before deciding to invest or relocate. We can plan viewings around your visit and explain how a property purchase connects to longer-term residence. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice, so confirm the current rules for your nationality with ICP or GDRFA before you travel.