Dubai Visit Visa Cost in 2024: Real Fees, Not Estimates

If you're planning a trip to Dubai and trying to figure out the actual dubai visit visa cost, you've probably noticed that every website gives you a different number. Some quote AED 350. Others say AED 1,200. The truth sits somewhere in between, and it depends entirely on which visa you apply for and who processes it.

Quick answer

The dubai visit visa cost in 2024 ranges from roughly AED 370 for a 30-day single-entry tourist visa to about AED 1,150 for a 90-day multiple-entry. These are ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) and GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai) base fees. Add typing centre charges, courier fees, and any sponsor markup if you go through a travel agent or airline. Express processing costs an extra AED 100 or so. Insurance is now mandatory and adds AED 50–100.

The base fees, broken down properly

Let me give you the numbers the regulators actually publish, not the marked-up versions you'll see on Booking.com.

For a 30-day single-entry tourist visa, GDRFA charges around AED 370 in standard processing. The ICP equivalent (used when you apply through the federal portal) runs about the same. [1]

A 30-day multiple-entry sits at roughly AED 720. You're paying for the right to leave and re-enter — useful if you're hopping over to Oman or Bahrain mid-trip.

The 60-day single-entry comes in at around AED 670. Multiple-entry of the same duration: about AED 1,070.

90-day visas are the priciest standard option — AED 870 single-entry, AED 1,150 multiple-entry. [2]

Honestly, most tourists don't need 90 days. They book it because the agent upsells them. Think about whether you actually need that window before paying double.

Costs at a glance (2024, AED)
- 30-day single: ~370
- 30-day multiple: ~720
- 60-day single: ~670
- 60-day multiple: ~1,070
- 90-day single: ~870
- 90-day multiple: ~1,150
- Express processing: +100
- Mandatory medical insurance: 50–100

These are base regulator fees. What you actually pay is usually 30–50% higher.

Why your final bill looks nothing like the base fee

Three things inflate the dubai visit visa cost between the regulator's price list and your credit card statement.

Service provider margins. Whether you apply through Emirates, flydubai, Etihad, a typing centre in Karama, or a third-party site like VFS Global or VisaHQ, each adds a service fee. Emirates charges around AED 350 in service fees on top of the visa itself for non-passengers. For their own ticketed passengers, it's lower. [3]

VAT. Five percent on the service fee, not on the government fee. Small, but it's there.

Insurance. Since 2018, visit visa applicants must have health insurance covering their stay in the UAE. Cabinet Resolution No. 7 of 2018 made this binding. [4] Some providers bundle it, some don't. A basic 30-day policy runs AED 50–100.

Deposit refunds. Several agents collect a refundable deposit of AED 1,000–2,000 against you actually leaving the country on time. You get it back when you exit and they confirm departure. Annoying, but legal.

So a 30-day visa advertised at AED 370 frequently ends up costing AED 600–700 once everything settles.

Who can apply, and through which channel

Citizens of about 40 countries get visa-on-arrival access to the UAE — most of the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and a few others. If you're on that list, you don't pay anything for a 30 or 90-day stamp at the airport.

Everyone else needs a pre-arranged visa. You have three realistic channels:

1. Through your airline (Emirates, Etihad, flydubai). Convenient if you're already flying with them. Pricing is transparent but not always the cheapest.
2. Through a UAE-based sponsor — a hotel, tour operator, or relative who is a UAE resident. The hotel route is common; many four and five-star hotels arrange visas for booked guests.
3. Through the ICP smart services portal or the GDRFA Dubai app directly. Cheapest, but you need a UAE sponsor or relative to initiate it, or use it as a returning resident.

The five-year multiple-entry tourist visa launched in 2022 is a separate animal — AED 650 for the application, valid five years, max 90 days per entry, extendable once. [5] Worth it if you visit twice a year or more.

Extensions and overstay — where it gets expensive

You can extend a visit visa twice, 30 days each time, without exiting the country. Each extension costs around AED 600 through GDRFA Dubai. That's the official figure; typing centres add another AED 50–100.

Overstay fines are the part nobody warns you about until it's too late. The current rate is AED 50 per day of overstay (it used to be AED 100/day plus a one-time fee, but Cabinet decisions in 2022 simplified it). [6] Add roughly AED 100 for the exit service charge if you settle at the airport.

A two-week overstay costs you AED 700+ at the immigration counter. They will not let you board until it's paid. In my experience, clients who try to "just sort it at the airport" end up missing flights.

Watch out: If your visa expires while you're inside the UAE, you have a 10-day grace period before fines start (this used to be zero for tourist visas — check the current GDRFA notice before relying on it). After that, the clock runs daily.

Common mistakes that cost extra money

A few patterns I see repeatedly:

People book the 90-day visa "just in case" and pay almost triple what they needed.

People skip insurance, get rejected at the immigration desk on arrival, and have to buy emergency cover at Dubai International — at airport prices.

People apply through three sites simultaneously hoping one works faster. All three charge them. Refunds on rejected applications are partial at best; the government fee is non-refundable once submitted.

People use a relative's Emirates ID to sponsor them, then can't extend because the sponsor relationship is incorrectly logged. Sort the sponsor route out properly the first time.

And — this one's avoidable — people pay AED 1,500 to a random WhatsApp agent who promises "guaranteed approval." There is no such thing. Approval sits with ICP and GDRFA, not with any agent.

What about refunds and rejections?

If your application is rejected, the government fee is typically not refunded. The service fee (the agent's cut) sometimes is, sometimes isn't — read their terms. Rejection rates for straightforward tourist applications from low-risk nationalities sit in single digits, but rise sharply for certain passports and for applicants with prior UAE overstays.

If you've been deported or have an active UAE ban, no agent can fix it. You'd need a formal ban-lifting application — a separate, slower, more expensive process, and one where you genuinely want a UAE-licensed lawyer involved rather than a typing centre.

For more on entry-related rules and timelines across the Emirates, see our visa category page.

So what should you actually budget?

For a typical 30-day tourist trip, plan for AED 600–750 all-in. For 60 days, AED 900–1,100. For 90 days, AED 1,200–1,400. These include the visa fee, service charges, VAT, and basic insurance — but not any deposit your sponsor might hold.

If you're a frequent visitor, the five-year multi-entry at AED 650 pays for itself after your second trip.

Skip the agents who refuse to itemise their pricing. Any legitimate provider will show you the breakdown: government fee, service fee, VAT, insurance. If they quote one lump sum and won't break it down, walk.

---

Citations

[1] ICP — Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, e-services fee schedule, icp.gov.ae

[2] GDRFA Dubai — Tourist visa services, gdrfad.gov.ae

[3] Emirates Airlines — UAE visa services pricing, emirates.com

[4] UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 7 of 2018 on mandatory health insurance for visit visa holders

[5] UAE Cabinet decision on five-year multiple-entry tourist visa, announced April 2022, u.ae portal

[6] UAE Cabinet Resolution amending overstay fines, 2022 — published via WAM, the Emirates News Agency

Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →