UAE Visas for Canadians

If you love to visit Dubai on a business or a pleasure trip, you primarily need to apply for a visa. There are 2 kinds of visas available to visit Dubai – a transit visa & a visit visa

Transit Visa in Dubai

Transit visas are not issued at the Embassy. It can be issued by the Marhaba Services in the airport and also by the airlines in the UAE : Emirates and Etihad Airlines. A Canadian passport holder who is travelling through the UAE  to a third destination can get a transit visa and it is valid for 96 hours upon arrival at the UAE airport. There are a few criteria that needs to be satisfied, inorder to get a transit visa:

1. The traveler should only be transiting in the UAE and should be on their way to a third destination
2. The validity of his passport should be of at least 6 months
3. He should carry a confirmed ticket for his onward journey which should not exceed 96 hours after his arrival in the UAE

Visit Visa

You can apply for the Dubai Visit Visa in the following ways: 

1. Apply for the visa through the UAE embassy in Ottawa
2. The Dubai Visit Visa can be arranged by hotels or travel agencies.
3. It can be arranged by someone (a sponsor) who resides in the UAE. It can be a friend, family or a business contact
4. If you are a Canadian citizen residing in any of the Gulf Cooperation council (GCC) countries you will be able to obtain a visit visa when you arrive at any of the airports in UAE or the border checkpoints.

Types of Dubai Visit Visa

There are 3 types of Visit  Visas:

1. Short term Visit Visa Dubai

   A Short term Visit Visa is available for a 30 day period and it cannot be renewed. The cost of the visa is around CAD $165

2. Long term Visit Visa Dubai

   A Long term Visit Visa is available for a 90 day period and it cannot be renewed. The Dubai long term visit visa cost is around CAD $330

3. Multiple Entry Visa

   A Multiple Entry Visa is valid for 6 months. The cost of the Multiple entry visa is around CAD $660. The holder of the visa can stay for a maximum of 30 days during each visit.

Any of these visas can be obtained free of cost for a Diplomatic or a special Canadian passport holder.

Dubai Visit Visa through UAE Embassy in Canada

You can apply for the Visit visa through the UAE Embassy in Ottawa. You can either approach them directly or send a mail to them with the required documents for the Visit Visa.

Required Documents for Dubai Visit Visa

1. Completed Application Form
2. Passport Photograph – 1
3. Original Passport
4. Fee for the visit visa
   • It should be paid using a money order, cheque or draft cheque. 
   • it should be for the correct amount in Canadian currency of the required visa
   • It should be payable for UAE Embassy, Ottawa

The time frame to obtain the visit visa is 5 working days. Fees for the visas are not refundable even if the visa application is rejected. Applications can submitted directly or mailed to them with the caption (Attention: Visa Section)

The address is :

United Arab Emirates Embassy
125 Boteler Street
Ottawa, ON K1N0A4
Telephone: (613) 565 – 7272