Bringing Visitors to the UAEYou can always have friends and family visit you whilst you are living in the UAE. We have had numerous visitors stopping here from Australia on the way to or from Europe, or using Dubai as a base for a middle east holiday. Visitors to the UAE Visa Requirements See http://www.uaeinteract.com/travel/visas.asp for up to date info
VISIT VISAS The UAE issues visit visas on arrival for citizens of 33
countries below who are allowed to enter the UAE without a prior issued visa.
They issue a one month non-renewable visa. This, in fact, means you can stay
59-60 days as you must leave before your visa plus one month's grace period
expires. British citizens do not need a visa. The Canadian Government has had a "spat" with the UAE over landing rights for the airlines and at the moment ( as at Jan 1 2011) Canadians have come off the above list , so they have to join the group talked about in the paragraph below See this article Canadians count cost of UAE visa rulesLast Updated: Dec 29, 2010
ABU DHABI // Canadians who want to travel to the UAE from Sunday Jan 2, 2011 will no longer get free visas. They must now pay 250 Canadian dollars (Dh1,000) for a non-renewable 30-day visitor's visa, $500 for a three-month stay or $1,000 for a multiple-entry six-month visa. Canada had been one of 33 nations whose residents could obtain a free visa on arrival in the UAE. The new regulations follow a diplomatic disagreement between the two countries over airline landing rights in Canada and the closure of Canada's military base in Dubai. According to the UAE Embassy in Ottawa, Canadian citizens who plan to travel to the UAE for tourism or business should arrange their visas through an airline, travel agency or hotel in the UAE. Emirates and Etihad Airways, the only two airlines authorised to issue visas to Canadians, are offering the application process online. The foreign affairs office in Ottawa said those flying with other airlines who are not staying in a hotel must have a sponsor - friend, family or business contact - obtain a visa for them from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yesterday, Canadian Embassy officials in Abu Dhabi were directing queries to the website www.travel.gc.ca and their Emirati counterparts in the Canadian capital. "We recommend for Canadians to contact the UAE embassy in Ottawa, as they are the ones in charge of this process," said Isabel Mainville, the second secretary (political) at the embassy.
For non listed countries you will need to get a copy of the visitor/s passport front pages faxed/emailed to you. With this if they are a relative you can get them a visit visa (otherwise they must organise their own), cost of this is around Dhs 1000 each I think and now with a financial guarantee DHs 1000 for each person against overstaying. You fax/email a copy of the visa to your relative and they must show this copy to get on the plane when coming here. Also please note once you get the visa it must be used within 60 days of issue and it lasts 30 days from the date of arrival. They pick up the original at the counter just before Immigration in Dubai.
To also solve this visa pickup problem at the Dubai airport, you might consider the "Maharba" welcoming service which for a payment will meet visitors at Dubai International Airport, guide them through customs and bring them to you outside. See http://www.marhabaservices.com/. You have to lodge the visitors details including visa with Mahaba at the airport around 72 hrs before they land. The "Maharba" welcoming service staff are easy for visitors to find as they land as they all wear yellow jackets and are VERY helpful.
This page was last updated by Leigh Butler on December 30, 2010
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