Dubai Visa Documents

Visa Requirements

An Indian national holding a normal passport with a minimum of 6 months validity can get a visa on arrival for Dubai for a maximum period of 14 days. Further, Indians holding a green card or visit visa issued by the US government can get a visa on arrival for the same number of days. The same goes for the UK and EU residential Indians.

Bear in mind that the visa on arrival, which has a maximum limit of 14 days, can be extended for another 14 days.

• Visa Fee: AED120 or ₹2,678

• Visa Extension Fee: AED250 or ₹5,580

Now, there is another type of visa application for Dubai, and it is called a pre-arranged visa. Pre-arranged visas are the ones that you apply for and get in hand before you commence your journey.

Pre-arranged visas for Indian nationals can have validity for up to 60 days. So if you are willing to apply for a visa, you must find your eligibility.

Eligibility Requirements for a Normal Visit

You can apply for a Dubai visa from India as long as you are an official citizen of India and carry a valid passport.

However, some additional circumstances can help. For instance, you have travelled at least once, to a foreign location, in the last five years. Else, if you have a valid visa for countries like the UK, USA, Canada, Russia, Switzerland, European Union, New Zealand, Australia, Japan or any of the Schengen countries, you may apply for a Dubai visa for Indians. It will also make you eligible if you have proof of travel to the UAE in the last five years.

In any case, here is a list of documents that you, as a visa applicant, must have :

• Visa application form filled and signed along with a coloured photograph of the applicant

• Original passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering UAE) for verification along with a coloured photocopy

• Original Onward and return confirmed tickets of Emirates or Fly Dubai or a codeshare partner airline

• If it is a sponsored visa, you must furnish the invitation letter from the host company based in the UAE

• For female applicants travelling alone will require a:

  • No Objection Certificate from her parents/husband

  • A Photo ID of her parents/husband

  • A coloured copy of the host passport/residence visa in the UAE

Lastly, applicants must pay the visa fees in cash, DD or credit card at the time of application.

• If you are a newly married couple planning to visit Dubai after marriage, you will need the following documents along with the above-mentioned ones.

• If you are travelling immediately after marriage with your spouse, submit a No Objection Certificate from your parents with their photo identity proof, wedding card and a wedding photo of the couple.

Certificate/Notarised Affidavit on ₹100 stamp paper

Eligibility criteria for Visiting on Invitation

People working in the UAE can invite their spouse and children below 21 years of age to Dubai. Parents above 60 years of age can also be invited to the UAE. If you are visiting Dubai on invitation, you will need to submit the following documents.

• Invitation letter from the host person or company in the UAE

• The passport copy and residence visa copy of the host in UAE

• Visa application form filled and signed along with applicant’s coloured photograph

• Original passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering UAE) for verification along with a coloured photocopy

The rest of the documents remain the same as for the normal application.

Dubai is a popular vacation destination for Indians. As per the data shared by the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) of Dubai, almost 8.58 lakh tourists travelled to Dubai from India between January 2021 till June 2022. So, if you are also planning to visit Dubai with your family, there are certain rules regarding the visa application that you must follow.

After June 2018, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai (Immigration) mandated that minors obtain a visa to enter the UAE. Therefore, if you have your minor son or daughter travelling with you, get a visa for them as well.

Here is the procedure for minors travellers to Dubai -

• Parents must fill out an authorisation form for their minor children (18 years and below) with relevant details of their address abroad and in the UAE.

• In case the minors are travelling without their parents, the authorisation form must contain information about who would be receiving them in the UAE.

• Parents’ or guardians’ authorisation letters would still be required if the minor(s) is travelling with family members other than their parents.

If the above-mentioned authorisation form is duly filled and the process to hand them over to the receiving person is duly followed, the airline staffer will escort the Minors through Immigration.

Note: If the immigration authority suspects any illegal activity and the information in the authorisation form does not properly address that, the minor will be deported. The normal INAD process and subsequent fines would be applied in such a case.

If you have not travelled to an international location in the last five years or do not have a valid visa for countries like the UK, USA, Canada, Russia, Switzerland, European Union, New Zealand, Australia, Japan or any of the Schengen countries, you will have to furnish your financial details at the time of visa application for Dubai from India.

Here is a list of documents that you must enclose with your visa application form:

• Salary slips of the last 6 months, Income Tax returns, PAN card or fixed deposit receipt

• Form 16 for the last two years

• Visa application form duly filled and signed along with applicant’s coloured photograph

• Original passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering UAE) for verification

• Original Onward and return confirmed tickets of Emirates or Fly Dubai or a codeshare partner airline

• If it is a sponsored visa, you must furnish the invitation letter from the host company based in the UAE

• For female applicants travelling alone will require a

  • No Objection Certificate from her parents/husband

  • A Photo ID of her parents/husband

  • A coloured copy of the host passport/residence visa in the UAE

Applicants must pay the visa fees at the time of application using cash, DD or credit/debit card.

Note: The applicant should have a gross annual income of more than ₹2 lakhs or an investment of ₹5 lakhs or above in the form of a fixed deposit in the banks or post office.

Visa application process is different for different categories, but the documents are more or less the same. Once you ensure you are eligible to apply for a Dubai visa, get the following documents in place for the interview process.

You should bring the following documents for the visa application interview if you have the necessary travel history.

• Visa application form filled and signed along with a coloured photograph of the applicant

• Original passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering UAE) for verification along with a coloured photocopy

• Original Onward and return confirmed tickets of Emirates or Fly Dubai or a codeshare partner airline

• If it is a sponsored visa, you must furnish the invitation letter from the host company based in the UAE

• For female applicants travelling alone will require a

  • No Objection Certificate from her parents/husband

  • A Photo ID of her parents/husband

  • A coloured copy of the host passport/residence visa in the UAE

In case you do not have an adequate travel history, you should have some additional documents, and here is a list.

• Salary slips of the last 6 months, Income Tax returns, PAN card or fixed deposit receipt

• Form 16 for the last two years

If you are visiting Dubai on an invitation from a company or a host, who is a relative, or a friend, you will have to bring the following additional documents to the visa interview.

For the hosts to sponsor their relatives and friends, they should fulfil the following income criteria:

If you are planning a Dubai trip, you need to know about the types of UAE visa available so that you do not get confused while applying for the same. Here are some of the basic UAE visa types:

Transit Visa:

You will need a transit visa if you have a connecting flight with a layover of more than 8 hours. With a transit visa, you can leave the airport, but you have to leave before 48 to 96 hours, depending upon the visa.

Documentation required:

• A valid passport.

• A passport-size photograph with a white background.

• An onward ticket booking to a 3rd destination other than the one you are coming from.

Visit Visa:

You will need a visit visa if you are visiting a friend or relative in the UAE. A visit visa is provided by the GDRFA office, and a copy of the permit is sent to the applicant once the visa application is approved.

Documents required:

• Visa application form filled and signed along with a coloured photograph of the applicant

• Original passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering UAE) for verification along with a coloured photocopy

• Original Onward and return confirmed tickets of Emirates or Fly Dubai or a codeshare partner airline

Tourist Visa:

Clearly, if you are planning a short vacation in Dubai, you will need a tourist visa. This is probably the most popular type of visa for Dubai from India. This visa is issued with a validity of 30 days.

Documents required:

• Visa application form filled and signed along with a coloured photograph of the applicant

• Original passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering UAE) for verification along with a coloured photocopy

• Original Onward and return confirmed tickets of Emirates or Fly Dubai or a codeshare partner airline

• For female applicants travelling alone will require a

  • No Objection Certificate from her parents/husband

  • A Photo ID of her parents/husband

  • A coloured copy of the host passport/residence visa in the UAE

Employment Visa:

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization issues this type of visa, and if you are going to Dubai for employment, you must have this before leaving the country. A work visa or employment visa is valid for 2 months or 60 days. It allows you to work in Dubai or any city in the UAE.

Documents required:

• Visa application form filled and signed along with a coloured photograph of the applicant

• Original passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering UAE) for verification along with a coloured photocopy

• Education certificates

• Professional qualifications certificate (as applicable)

• Three copies of your employment/labour contract

• Sponsor's employer documents

Residence Visa:

You can only apply for a residence visa after you have secured the employment visa. With a residence visa, you can access Emirates ID and become a resident of UAE. If you want to bring your family to Dubai or UAE, you will need your Emirates ID.

Documents required:

• Emirates ID Application receipt

• Housing lease contract (certified) or proof of owning a residence

• A recent coloured photo with a white background for the dependent

• A medical fitness certificate (for dependents above 18 years)

• A copy of the passport of the dependent

• A copy of the sponsor’s passport with a valid residence permit

• Job contract of the sponsor

• Entry permit

• Attested birth certificate of the dependent (children)

• Mother’s residence photo (for the newborn)

• Medical insurance or health card

For divorced women and widows,

• Divorce or death certificate

• A proof of the woman’s ability to earn a living

Proof of housing

For students

• A certificate issued by the university or institute specifying the duration of the study

If you are going to apply for a Dubai visa, you should get a 43 mm x 55 mm coloured photo. But there are some conflicting instructions where the requirement guides to get a 2-inch x 2-inch picture, which is about 50 mm x 50 mm. So, it is recommended to enquire about the recent guidelines from the Visa application centre or your sponsor.

For online photo upload, the dimension should be 300 pixels in width and 369 pixels in height.

Background, positioning, and quality

• You should take the photo with white background, without any patterns

• It should be a coloured photograph

• You should be in the centre of the photograph with your head, hair, ears, and shoulders visible in the photo

• Your face should take up 70% – 80% of the picture

• There should not be any shadows, over- or under-exposure, or glare in the photograph

• The picture must show your real skin tone

• The photo should be printed on a good quality paper without any creases

• Avoid using pins or staplers on the photo

• Do not edit the photo to remove imperfections, birthmarks, tattoos, or red-eye. You may retake the photos if there is an error.

• Do not sign or mark the picture in any way unless specifically instructed

While applying for a Dubai visa from India, a list of documents is common. But some additional documents might be required depending upon the type of visa you apply for.

The common documents are:

• Visa application form filled and signed along with a coloured photograph of the applicant

• Original passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of entering UAE) for verification along with a coloured photocopy

• Original Onward and return confirmed tickets of Emirates or Fly Dubai or a codeshare partner airline

Required supporting documents depending on the visa type and purpose of visit:

For female applicants travelling alone will require a

• No Objection Certificate from her parents/husband

• A Photo ID of her parents/husband

• A coloured copy of the host passport/residence visa in the UAE

For employment visa applicants

• Education certificates

• Professional qualifications certificate (as applicable)

• Three copies of your employment/labour contract

• Sponsor's employer documents

For those who do not have adequate travel history

• Salary slips of the last 6 months, Income Tax returns, PAN card or fixed deposit receipt

• Form 16 for the last two years

For minors travelling with/without their parents

• An authorisation form filled out by the parents for their minors children (18 years and below) with relevant details of their address abroad and in the UAE.

• In case the minors are travelling without their parents, the authorisation form must contain information about who would be receiving them in the UAE.

• Parents’ or guardians’ authorisation letters would still be required if the minor(s) is travelling with family members other than their parents

Here is a bunch of information that you can provide to prove your purpose of visit.

• If you are a tourist visiting Dubai, you can provide a copy of your travel itinerary, hotel reservations, and any tours or activities you have booked.

• If you are travelling to Dubai for business purposes, you can provide the invitation letter from your investor/ partner/ employer indicating the purpose of your trip, along with other details.

• If you are travelling to Dubai for academic or research purposes, you can provide a letter of acceptance from the academic institution and any other relevant documents, such as research proposals or publications.

• If you are travelling to Dubai to visit family or friends, you can provide a letter of invitation from your host and any proof of their residency or citizenship.

Here is a comprehensive table with all the visa fees.

Here is a comprehensive table showing you an estimated visa processing time, based on the visa type.

Information last updated Aug '23. While this information is sourced reliably, visa requirements can change. For the most current visa details, visit the official Consulate/Embassy website.