Any passenger who wants to exit the Dubai International airport into the country will need a UAE entry permit. A 96 hour transit visa is available to visitors to the UAE. The transit visa can be obtained in one of the following ways:
- Pre-apply through the airline, travel agent, or UAE hotel that you are booked with before you fly. It has to be noted that the time between the arriving flight and connecting flight must be 8 hours or more. The fee for a transit visa to Dubai is 165 AED Virtual Admin Fee and a 165 AED e-form Fee. The Passport should be valid for a minimum of 6 months from date of entry to the UAE. Urgent applications can be processed in some cases for an extra AED 100 approximately. Transit Visa applications take 1-2 weeks for normal processing once all the correct forms have been submitted, and 2-3 days for urgent applications. Emirates has tie up with VFS Global in India to help you get your transit visa.
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Obtain one on arrival in Dubai at the Marhaba services counter in Terminal 1, or the Emirates Hotels and Visas for Dubai desk in Terminal 3.
- The Marhaba services offer a city stop service at Dubai Airport on arrival where a 96 hour Transit Visa is supplied (subject to immigration department approval) if you buy a hotel package. The Marhaba Services Counter is in the arrival hall of Terminal 1 (open 24 hours) or Tel +971-4-2164628 / +971-4-2162709 / +971-4-2162975. Email: marhaba@emirates.co
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- Emirates Airlines offer a Dubai Stopovers on Arrival package which includes a 96 hour Transit Visa if you fly with Emirates Airlines. The service is available from the Emirates Hotels & Visas for Dubai desk in the arrival hall of Terminal 3. Visa issue is subject to immigration department approval.
Citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Niger, Somalia, or Yemen might not be eligible for a 96 hour transit visa. Transit visas are also not issued to passengers with a return flight from Dubai (e.g. London-Dubai-London) and only to those with an onward flight or booking means flying to a destination different to your origin before landing in Dubai e.g. London-Dubai-Singapore.
The documents required for a transit visa are:
- Original Passport
- Transit Visa Application
- Airline Tickets (showing departure info)
- Hotel Reservation (i.e. print-out etc).
Special Mission Entry Visa
Companies can apply on your behalf for a 16 day transit visa, otherwise known as a Special Mission Entry Visa, or Service Visa, which is different from the UAE Mission Visa , and is valid for a longer stay. This visa is usually issued to short term temporary workers or employees on probation. The visa is valid for 14 days for a single entry to the UAE prior to arrival, and after entry, the visa holder can stay for a maximum of 16 days.
- Cost of visa is AED 310-320.
- Deposit (refundable) of AED 1000 is required.
- Health insurance is required.
- The Service Visa is not renewable.
- Restricted to businessmen and high level professionals (doctor, teacher, engineer, etc).
- A UAE based company needs to apply for the Service Visa.