U.A.E Visa Charges and Types of Visas

People from different nationalities have to satisfy different criteria to get a valid visa to enter the United Arab Emirates while travelling to any of the Emirates Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah

Visa requirement for US citizens

American citizens who have regular passports do not need to have a visa to visit the UAE. However, please make sure you fulfil following criteria’s:

 Original passport signed by the bearer, should not expire within six (6) months from the expected time of arrival in the UAE.

 Confirmed round-trip airline ticket or airline ticket to other destinations

The visas are available upon arrival at the UAE airports and the American citizens can stay for 1 month in the UAE. However, if you are going to stay longer, you have to contact the immigration officer at the airport or the local immigration office in the UAE and apply for the same.

Visa requirement for Non-US citizens

It is mandatory that your original passport (not a travel document), should not get expired within 6 months from the expected date of arrival in the UAE.

    Confirm round-trip airline ticket or airline ticket to other destination.

 If you are a citizen of one of the following countries:

    Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brunei, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Kuwait, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (Except the British overseas citizens), Vatican.

 Upon your arrival to UAE airports, the visas will be granted to you. This also includes those who hold visas in their passports or entry stamps from other countries and visa is valid for a one month stay in the UAE. However, if you are going to stay longer, you have to contact the immigration officer at the airport or the local immigration office in the UAE and apply for the same.

 Visa requirements for GCC nationals

 If you are a national citizen of a GCC ( Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) country you do not require a visa to visit the UAE. You will simply need to produce your GCC country passport or ID card upon arrival at the point of entry into the UAE.

 

The GCC residents who are not the national citizens but are working as high-level official such as doctors, managers, engineers or public sector employees along with their families can have a 30-day non-renewable visa at all the airports in the UAE upon arrival.

Visa requirements for other nationalities

Tourists from all the other nationalities must apply for a visa before they enter the country. They can do so through their respective embassy, a local UAE sponsor or even a local hotel in the UAE.

About Sponsors:

The travellers can get a Tourist Visa which is valid for 30 days, a Service Visa for 14 days or even a Visit Visa from a hotel or a travel company, but must first make a reservation. They must then transfer a copy of their passport and other documents to the hotel or travel agency along with their plan and arrival date. The hotel or the respective organisation will then fax you a visa copy when it is ready.

Other individuals, organisations who are based or residing in the UAE can apply on your behalf for a Visit Visa. Also, Work Visa can be obtained on your behalf from the employer or sponsor if you are planning to work in the UAE.

Airlines and airlines-handlers can apply for a 96-hour Transit Visa on behalf of their crew members.

Other UAE companies may apply only for Service Visa or a Visit Visa.

Types of Visas

Visit Visa

Tourists who wish to stay in the UAE for more than 14 days or those coming on family or business visits can apply for Visit Visas. These are valid for either 30 days (short term visit visa) or 90 days (long term visit visa). Both visas are non-renewable. Apart from the visa fees, a deposit is to be paid by the local sponsor/relative/resident which is reimbursed after the Visit Visa holder has left the country.

90-Day Long-Term Visit Visa for individuals is valid for 60 days from the issue date and non-renewable. Valid for 90 days from the arrival date and non-renewable

30-Day Short-Term Visit Visa for individuals is valid for 30 days from the issue date and non-renewable. Valid for 30 days from the arrival date and non-renewable

Tourist Visa

The Tourist Visa is a special category under the Visit Visa type and entitles the holder to a 30-day stay and in non-renewable. If visa holder of the Tourist Visa stays for more than 30 days, that person has to pay a fine per day plus some charges for an out pass.

Multiple-entry Visa

Multiple-entry Visas are issued to cruise ship passengers since their schedule entitles them to enter the country more than once in a single trip. Such visas are also issued to business visitors who are frequent visitors to the UAE due to their ties with a multinational company or a reputable local company. Multiple-entry Visas are valid for six months from the date of issue and the duration of each stay is 30 days. The visa is non-renewable. The individual must enter the UAE on a Visit Visa and then obtain a Multiple-entry Visa.

Transit Visa

Transit passengers stopping at the UAE airports for a minimum of 8 hours are eligible for a 96-hour Transit Visa. A valid onward ticket is required. Passport and other travel documents should be valid for at least three months.

There are different types of UAE visas

Visa type               Validity                        Cost                 Extensions

96-hour          4 days from arrival date      AED 200        Non-extendable

Tourist - short term (single entry) 

30 days from arrival date                           AED 330      Non-extendable

Tourist - short term (multiple entries)

30 days from first entry                              AED 650      Non-extendable

Tourist - long term (single entry)

90 days from arrival date                           AED 800      Non-extendable

Tourist - long term (multiple entries)

90 days from first entry                              AED 1,750   Non-extendable

Entry Permits for medical treatment   Single visit Dh700

                                                    Multiple visits Dh1,550

Entry permits for study    Depends on university or college

Entry Permits for exhibitions and conferences   Depends on travel agency

Tourist Visas                                                  Depends on travel agency

GCC resident entry permit                             No fees

Work- related entry permit for 14 days          Dh370

Work- related entry permit for 90 days          Dh1,320

 Entry permit for work 2 years                        Dh350

 Entry permit for residence 2 years                Dh270 (Dh370 express service)

 Entry permit for work 3 years                        Dh470

 Entry permit for residence 3 years                Dh370 (Dh470 express service)

Documents required (Individuals):

• Clear passport copy of the sponsor
• Clear passport copy of the sponsored person
• A copy of the salary certificate or employment contract of the sponsor (resident) must be attached
• Proof of family relationship (kinship)
• Travel insurance
• Copy of confirmed flight booking
• Passport-sized colour photographs
• Visa fee
• Visa application form, duly filled

 Rules and conditions:

•     Entry into the UAE is subject to immigration approval.
•     The ticket is non-refundable if the visa has been issued and utilised.
•     Visa processing time is approximately three to four working days.
•     Visa fees once paid are non-refundable.

 The UAE has revoked the condition of a one-month gap for renewing visit visas. People on such visas will no longer need to exit the country to get an extension of their stay here. They can now do it by paying Dh570 and stay for a month more without exiting the country.

For more accurate and latest information please visit your nearest embassy or dnrd.ae/en/visa-information-and-tips

Qatar's Cabinet approves VAT draft law

Taking another step towards the implementation of value-added tax (VAT) in Qatar, the

Cabinet gave its nod to a draft law on the proposed new levy and its draft executive regulation.Though a firm date has not been set, policy makers in the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) are aiming to introduce a 5% VAT at the start of next year.

During its ordinary meeting held at the Emiri Diwan, the Cabinet also approved a draft law on income tax and its draft executive regulation, as well as a draft decision of the Council of Ministers to issue the executive regulation of the selective tax law, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

The Ministry of Finance has prepared the draft law on VAT in accordance with the unified GCC agreement on it.The agreement obligates each member state to take the necessary steps domestically for issuance of the relevant local law and procedural policies in order to implement the tax with a view to executing the agreement's provisions.

The draft law is expected to provide details on how Qatar will interpret the GCC framework and deal with key matters where it has discretion.

In principle, VAT will be levied on the supply of goods and services at a standard rate of 5%. According to experts, the new indirect tax will represent an important new source of revenue for Qatar and will be another action to move away from the economy being oil dependent.

Meanwhile, the draft legislation on income tax is meant to replace the Income Tax Law promulgated by Law No 21 of 2009 and Law No 17 of 2014, “which exempt the share of non-Qatari investors in the profits of some companies and investment funds from income tax”, QNA said.

It also falls within the “development framework of tax legislation to ensure the enhancements of revenues in the tax sector, simplification of procedures and facilitation of examination, connection and collection procedures, which in turn will promote tax compliance”.

The draft executive regulation of the selective tax law includes provisions concerning tax entitlement, declaration of loss or damage of selective goods, inspection of damaged goods, registration, tax declaration, rules of payment of tax in the case of local production, maintenance of accounting systems, the language of accounting records, and control and inspection rules.

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud said the Cabinet also approved a draft decision of the Council of Ministers to amend some provisions of Decision No 18 of 2011 to nominate the chairman and members of the Tax Exemption Committee, organise its work and determine its rewards.

The committee is “competent to receive and examine requests for exemption from taxation and study the cancellation of previous exemptions granted due to breach of legal obligations or deviation from their purposes, and prepare recommendations on them”.

HE the Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani chaired the Cabinet’s weekly meeting.

Regulatory standards for commercial and recreational drones in U.A.E

New regulatory standards for commercial and recreational use of drones have been endorsed by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology, ESMA, including a surveillance system for detecting unmanned aerial vehicles in the UAE.

Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Minister of State, Chairman of ESMA Board of Directors, has stated that the new standards set for unmanned vehicles envisage a central system to monitor any drone operating in the UAE through a mandatory serial number that has to be used by potential manufacturers.

The mechanism is a stepping stone for a nation-wide federal database for such a type of aerial products, he added, during a company board meeting in Dubai on Sunday.

The new regulations will apply to both recreational and commercial usages, including free zones, he said, noting that both assembled and ready-for-use products have to comply with the new standards.

ESMA has developed the new mechanism in collaboration with the General Civil Aviation Administration, GCAA, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, the Federal Customs Authority, the Ministry of Interior and Dubai Police General Command with the objective of curbing any negative impact on the flow of air traffic and public, private and institutional property.