United Arab Emirates Travel requirements, advice , Coronavirus status and Visa Policy
2023-07-13 16:19:04
United Arab Emirates is located in Western Asia. It is a developing country. Current Travel Advice to visitors travelling to United Arab Emirates is Exercise Increased Caution. Check United Arab Emirates Travel Advisory, visa Requirements below.
Travel advice and advisories
Published 21.03.2022
1. The following passengers are allowed to enter.
- nationals and residents of United Arab Emirates;
- domestic workers who are traveling with the sponsor or with the first degree family members of the sponsor;
- passengers with an entry permit issued by United Arab Emirates;
- passengers traveling as tourists to Abu Dhabi (AUH), Dubai (DXB), Ras-al-Khaima (RKT) or Sharjah (SHJ) with a return/onward ticket;
- passengers traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH) with a pre-arranged visa issued by Abu Dhabi;
- nationals and residents of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia;
- nationals of Korea (Rep.) traveling under the Fast Track program and traveling to Dubai (DXB). They must have a pre-arranged visa or a pre-approval to enter;
- nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China (People\'s Rep.), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea (Rep.), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Fed., San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Isl., Spain, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vatican City (Holy See), passengers with a British passport with nationality "British Citizen" and passengers with a Hong Kong (SAR China) passport, traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH);
- nationals of India with a visa issued by the USA or with a residence permit issued by USA, United Kingdom or an EU Member State traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH);
- passengers traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH) with a resident visa;
- passengers traveling to Abu Dhabi (AUH) with a pre-arranged visa issued by any emirate;
- nationals of Indonesia traveling under the Safe Travel Corridor program. They must have an entry permit and a return ticket.
2. Passengers arriving at Dubai (DXB):
- are subject to medical screening, and
- must download and register the COVID-19 DXB Smart App before departure or upon arrival.
3. Passengers traveling as tourists arriving at Dubai (DXB) or Sharjah (SHJ) must have health insurance.
4. Residents of United Arab Emirates with a residence visa returning to Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) and arriving from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan or Sri Lanka must have a GDRFA approval obtained before departure at https://smart.gdrfad.gov.ae/Smart_OTCServicesPortal/ReturnPermitService.aspx .
- This does not apply to:
- first degree family members of nationals of United Arab Emirates and their accompanying domestic workers;
- nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia;
- passengers with a golden residence visa issued by United Arab Emirates.
5. Passengers entering Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) must have:
- a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), Covaxin, Covishield, Covovax, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Nuvaxovid (Novavax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V. The certificate must have a QR code (except the US COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card); or
- a negative COVID-19 PCR or RT-PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates. The test certificate must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by a laboratory accredited by the departure country. The test certificate must also have a QR code; or
- a COVID-19 recovery certificate with a QR code issued at most 1 month before departure.
- This does not apply to:
- nationals of United Arab Emirates and their first degree family members;
- domestic workers who are traveling with the sponsor or with the first degree family members of the sponsor;
- passengers younger than 12 years;
- passengers with disabilities.
6. Passengers entering Abu Dhabi (AUH), Fujairah (FJR), Ras Al Khaimah (RKT) or Sharjah (SHJ) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Viet Nam, Zambia or Zimbabwe must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR or RT-PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure of the last direct flight to United Arab Emirates. The test certificate must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by a laboratory accredited by the departure country.
- This does not apply to:
- passengers younger than 16 years;
- passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate with a QR code showing that they were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), Covaxin, Covishield, Covovax, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Nuvaxovid (Novavax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V;
- passengers with a COVID-19 recovery certificate with a QR code issued at most 1 month before departure;
- passengers with disabilities.
7. Passengers entering Abu Dhabi (AUH), Fujairah (FJR), Ras Al Khaimah (RKT) or Sharjah (SHJ)Â from a country other than Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Viet Nam, Zambia or Zimbabwe must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR or RT-PCR test taken at most 48 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. The test certificate must be in Arabic or English and must be issued by a laboratory accredited by the departure country.
- This does not apply to:
- passengers younger than 16 years;
- passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate with a QR code showing that they were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), Covaxin, Covishield, Covovax, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Nuvaxovid (Novavax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V;
- passengers with a COVID-19 recovery certificate with a QR code issued at most 1 month before departure;
- passengers with disabilities.
8. A negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result issued in United Arab Emirates presented upon departure from United Arab Emirates can be accepted for re-entry into Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) if it meets the specific requirements based on the departure country.
9. Passengers entering Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC) could be subject to a COVID-19 RT-PCR test upon arrival and quarantine until the test result is ready.
10. Passengers entering Abu Dhabi (AUH), Ras Al Khaimah (RKT) or Sharjah (SHJ) are subject to a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival.
11. Passengers could be subject to quarantine.
- This does not apply to passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), Covaxin, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V.
12. Visa on arrival facilities at Abu Dhabi (AUH) restarted.
13. Expired residence permits issued by the United Arab Emirates that have been extended until December 2020 are accepted for entry. Passengers must present proof of the extended validity.
14. Nationals of Korea (Rep.) traveling under the Fast Track program must have an \'Isolation Exemption Certificate\'.
15. Passengers are not allowed to transit through Abu Dhabi (AUH) for more than 24 hours. Passengers must have a confirmed airside hotel booking if their transit time exceeds 12 hours.
16. Nationals of Nigeria must have a return ticket, and a hotel booking or proof of accommodation address for the period of intended stay.
- This does not apply to passengers with a resident visa.
17. Passengers arriving at Sharjah (SHJ) must download the ALHOSN App.
18. Airline crew without a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test result of a test taken at most 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point are subject to quarantine until their next flight.
19. Passengers entering Abu Dhabi (AUH) must register before departure on https://smartservices.ica.gov.ae/echannels/web/client/guest/index.html#/registerArrivals . This will generate a QR code which must be presented before departure and upon arrival.
- This does not apply to nationals of United Arab Emirates.
Travel Advisory By USA
Thu, 13 Jul 2023
Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.
Exercise increased caution in the United Arab Emirates due to the threat of missile or drone attacks and terrorism.
Country Summary: The possibility of attacks affecting U.S. citizens and interests in the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula remains an ongoing, serious concern. Militant groups operating in Yemen have stated an intent to attack neighboring countries, including the UAE, using missiles and drones. Missile and drone attacks in early 2022 targeted populated areas and civilian infrastructure.
Due to risks to civil aviation operating within the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman region, including the United Arab Emirates, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an advisory Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM). For more information U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation Administration’s Prohibitions, Restrictions and Notices.
While residents and visitors generally find a safe and secure environment in the UAE, the country continues to face the threat of terrorism. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, and local government facilities.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to the United Arab Emirates.
If you decide to travel to the United Arab Emirates:
- Monitor local media for breaking events and be prepared to adjust your plans.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
- Review the Country Security Report for the United Arab Emirates.
- Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.
- Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
Visa Policy for Visitors travelling to United Arab Emirates
Visa required
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
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- Bangladesh
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- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
eVisa
- Albania
- Dominica
- Egypt (30 days)
- Indonesia
- Morocco
- Pakistan
- Saint Lucia
- Vanuatu
Free visa on arrival
- Andorra (30 days)
- Australia (30 days)
- Brunei (30 days)
- Canada (30 days (multiple))
- Hong Kong (30 days)
- Ireland (30 days)
- Malaysia (30 days)
- Maldives (90 days)
- Monaco (30 days)
- New Zealand (30 days)
- Singapore
- United Kingdom (30 days)
Visa not required
- Argentina (90 days)
- Austria (90 days)
- Bahamas (90 days)
- Bahrain (Freedom of movement ID card valid)
- Barbados (90 days)
- Belarus (90 days)
- Belgium (90 days)
- Brazil (90 days)
- Bulgaria (90 days)
- Chile (90 days)
- China (30 days)
- Colombia (90 days)
- Costa Rica (90 days)
- Cyprus (90 days)
- Czech Republic (90 days)
- Denmark (90 days)
- El Salvador (90 days)
- Estonia (90 days)
- Finland (90 days)
- France (90 days)
- Germany (90 days)
- Greece (90 days)
- Honduras (90 days)
- Hungary (90 days)
- Iceland (90 days)
- Israel (90 days)
- Italy (90 days)
- Japan (30 days)
- Kazakhstan (30 days)
- Kiribati (90 days)
- Kuwait (Freedom of movement ID card valid)
- Latvia (90 days)
- Liberia (30 days)
- Liechtenstein (90 days)
- Lithuania (90 days)
- Luxembourg (90 days)
- Macau (30 days)
- Malta (90 days)
- Mexico (180 days)
- Montenegro
- Nauru (90 days)
- Netherlands (90 days)
- Norway (90 days)
- Oman (Freedom of movement)
- Paraguay (90 days)
- Peru (90 days)
- Poland (90 days)
- Portugal (90 days)
- Qatar (Freedom of movement ID card valid)
- Romania (90 days)
- Russia (90 days)
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (90 days)
- Saudi Arabia (Freedom of Movement)
- Serbia (90 days)
- Seychelles (90 days)
- Slovakia (90 days)
- Slovenia (90 days)
- Solomon Islands (90 days)
- South Korea (30 days)
- Spain (90 days)
- Sweden (90 days)
- Switzerland (90 days)
- Ukraine (30 days[Note 1])
- Uruguay (90 days)
Electronic Visa
- Botswana
Visa free access
- Croatia
Visa Required
- Grenada (30 days)
Visa on arrival
- Mauritius (30 days)
- San Marino (30 days)
- Vatican City (30 days)
Visa Requirements for United Arab Emirates Citizens
References
- U.S Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs
- Systematic dataset of Covid-19 policy, from Oxford University
- International Air Transport Association (IATA)