Tourist Visa for Dubai Price: What You'll Actually Pay in 2024

If you're planning a trip to Dubai and trying to figure out the real tourist visa for Dubai price, the answer depends on three things: your nationality, who issues it, and how long you want to stay. Most travellers pay between AED 350 and AED 1,200. The fee bracket isn't fixed — it shifts depending on whether your airline, hotel, or a UAE-licensed agent processes the application.

Quick answer

For most nationalities that need a pre-arranged visa, the tourist visa for Dubai price sits at around AED 350 for a 30-day single entry, AED 650 for a 60-day single entry, and AED 1,000-1,200 for a 60-day multiple entry. Add roughly AED 100-150 in service or VFS fees if you apply through a third party. Citizens of 70+ countries (UK, EU, US, Australia, etc.) get free visa-on-arrival stamps for 30 or 90 days. GCC nationals don't need one at all.[1][2]

Who actually needs to pay for a tourist visa

Honestly, most people overthink this. Before you even look at the tourist visa for Dubai price, check whether you need a visa at all.

Three categories matter here. GCC citizens — Saudi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar — enter with just their national ID. Citizens of 38 countries with a visa-on-arrival agreement get a free stamp on landing. That includes the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, most of the EU, and a handful of others. The third group — everyone else — needs a visa sorted before flying.[1]

If you're in that third bucket, you can't apply directly to the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) as a tourist sitting abroad. You need a UAE-based sponsor: an airline (Emirates, flydubai, Etihad), a hotel, a licensed tour operator, or the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai portal via a UAE resident relative.

Worth knowing before you click "pay".

The real fee breakdown (2024 rates)

Here's where things get specific. The GDRFA Dubai and ICP publish official tourist visa fees, but the price you see online almost always includes markups. The base government fees, as published on the GDRFA Dubai portal, are:[2][3]

• 30-day single entry: AED 350 government fee
• 60-day single entry: AED 650 government fee
• 30-day multiple entry: AED 650 government fee
• 60-day multiple entry: AED 1,000 government fee
• 48-hour transit visa: AED 50 (sponsored by airline only)
• 96-hour transit visa: AED 100 (sponsored by airline only)
• 5-year multi-entry tourist visa: AED 650 government fee (added in 2022 under Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022)[4]

Then come the add-ons. Emirates and flydubai typically charge a AED 100-200 processing fee on top. Hotels usually add AED 150-300. Third-party agents on Smart Dubai, dnata, or VFS Global can push the total to AED 500-1,500 depending on urgency.

Express processing — 24 hours instead of the standard 3-4 working days — adds AED 100-200.

Costs callout

• Base 30-day visa: AED 350
• Plus typical service fee: AED 100-300
• Plus Emirates ID/medical (NOT required for tourists): AED 0
• Express processing: +AED 100-200
• Realistic total: AED 450-650

A small note: you do not need an Emirates ID or medical test for a tourist visa. Anyone telling you otherwise is upselling.

Visa-on-arrival vs pre-arranged: which is cheaper

For 38 nationalities, visa-on-arrival is free. The stamp goes in your passport at Dubai International or Al Maktoum, you walk out, done.

Brits, Irish citizens, and most Schengen-area passport holders get 90 days. Americans, Canadians, Australians, Japanese, Singaporeans, and most others on the list get 30 days, extendable once for AED 600 plus a AED 250 service fee inside the country.[1]

Indian passport holders are a special case. If you hold a valid US visa, US green card, or UK/EU residence permit, you qualify for a visa-on-arrival at AED 100 for 14 days (extendable once for another 14 days at AED 250).[5] Without one of those, you need a pre-arranged tourist visa at the standard rates.

So the real question isn't always about the tourist visa for Dubai price. It's whether you qualify for a free stamp on landing. Check your passport against the GDRFA list before paying anyone.

Where to apply (and where to avoid)

You've got four legitimate routes. They're not all equal.

Airline-sponsored is the most popular. Book your Emirates or flydubai ticket, then apply through their visa portal. Fee is roughly AED 350-450 for 30 days, including their service charge. Processing takes 3-4 working days. Refundable deposit (AED 1,000) is sometimes required and returned after you exit the UAE.

Hotel-sponsored works if you've booked a stay at a UAE-licensed hotel. The hotel handles the paperwork and the visa is tied to your booking. Slightly pricier — expect AED 500-700 — but useful if you're not flying with a UAE carrier.

GDRFA Dubai or ICP smart services — direct application via a UAE resident sponsor (a relative on a residence visa). Cheapest route at AED 350 plus minimal portal fees. Requires the sponsor to log in with UAE Pass.[3]

Third-party visa agents — convenient, but the most expensive. AED 600-1,500 depending on speed. Only use ones licensed by the UAE Ministry of Economy. Frankly, most clients who get burned do it here, paying premium rates to unlicensed operators who just resubmit the same online form.

In my experience, going through your airline is the sensible default unless you have a specific reason not to.

Visa extensions and overstays — the part nobody reads

Your tourist visa can be extended once for 30 days inside the country, for AED 600 plus a typical AED 250 typing centre fee. Apply through an Amer service centre or the GDRFA Dubai app at least a week before your visa expires.[3]

Overstay fines are AED 50 per day, effective from 2022 under Cabinet Resolution No. 64 of 2022. That used to be AED 100/day plus a AED 200 service fee, so this is one of the rare cases where things got cheaper.[6] Still — 30 days of overstay is AED 1,500. Don't.

Watch out: if you get a visa-on-arrival stamp on entry, the 30 or 90 days starts the moment that stamp lands in your passport, not when you check into your hotel. Travellers count from the wrong date all the time.

The 5-year multi-entry tourist visa: worth it?

Introduced in 2022, this one lets you enter the UAE multiple times over five years, staying up to 90 days per visit (extendable once to 180 days total per year). Government fee: AED 650, plus around AED 100 service.[4]

Requirements include a bank statement showing USD 4,000 (or equivalent) in the last six months, valid health insurance, and a return ticket.

For repeat visitors — anyone coming more than twice a year — this is a no-brainer at AED 750 all-in versus AED 350+ per trip. For one-off tourists, stick with the 30 or 60-day option.

What you'll actually pay — realistic scenarios

Scenario one: British tourist, one week in Dubai. Free visa-on-arrival, 90 days. Total cost: AED 0.

Scenario two: Indian tourist (no US/UK visa), two weeks. 30-day single-entry pre-arranged via Emirates. Total: roughly AED 450.

Scenario three: Pakistani tourist, one month visit, family sponsoring via GDRFA. AED 350 government fee plus AED 50-100 portal fees. Total: about AED 420.

Scenario four: Frequent Russian visitor, business and leisure trips. 5-year multi-entry visa. AED 750 once, valid until 2029.

The tourist visa for Dubai price isn't really one number — it's a band that depends entirely on your passport and your sponsor.

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[1] GDRFA Dubai, "Visa on Arrival — Eligible Nationalities," gdrfad.gov.ae [2] ICP UAE, "Tourist Visa Fees," icp.gov.ae [3] GDRFA Dubai, "Tourist Visa Services and Fees," gdrfad.gov.ae/en/services [4] UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022 on Entry and Residence of Foreigners [5] GDRFA, "Visa on Arrival for Indian Passport Holders with US/UK/EU Documents" [6] UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 64 of 2022 on Administrative Fines for Visa Violations

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