UAE Visit Visa for Egyptians: Routes, Fees and Documents

The short answer: An ordinary Egyptian passport does not get visa-free or on-arrival entry to the UAE. Every Egyptian visitor needs a visit visa arranged before travel, through one of two routes. A UAE resident relative can sponsor you, through ICP (smartservices.icp.gov.ae or the UAEICP app) if they live outside Dubai, or through GDRFA Dubai (gdrfad.gov.ae, the GDRFA smart app or Dubai Now) if they live in Dubai. Or you can book a visit visa through a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel, which Holidayys arranges; this route does not depend on a relative's residence visa or salary. Visas run 30, 60 or 90 days, single or multiple entry. GDRFA Dubai's own service pages, read in October 2026, set the relative-sponsored single-entry fee at AED 200 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days or AED 400 for 90 days, plus 5% VAT. Unlike some nationalities, GDRFA does not ask Egyptian applicants for any extra document beyond the standard passport copy and photo.

Egyptians are one of the UAE's largest expat and visitor communities, and a visit visa is usually the first step for a family occasion, a job-hunting trip, a medical appointment or a holiday in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah.

UAE visit visa for Egyptians at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Who can sponsor the visa	A UAE resident relative (through ICP or GDRFA Dubai), or a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel
Visa lengths available	30, 60 or 90 days, single or multiple entry
Where Dubai-bound applications go	GDRFA Dubai: gdrfad.gov.ae, the GDRFA smart app, Dubai Now, or an Amer centre
Where applications for the other emirates go	ICP: smartservices.icp.gov.ae or the UAEICP app
Extra document GDRFA asks of some nationalities	A national ID card copy, but GDRFA's service pages name only Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan; Egyptian applicants are not on that list
GDRFA single-entry visit visa fee (relative-sponsored)	AED 200 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days, AED 400 for 90 days, plus 5% VAT, GDRFA's service page states
Security deposit (relative-sponsored visa)	AED 1,000 single entry or AED 2,000 multiple entry, refundable, per GDRFA's service pages
Visa-free or on-arrival entry	None found on an official page for Egyptian passports; the UAE's own 25 June 2026 expansion named six other nationalities, not Egypt
Overstay fine	AED 50 a day, per ICP's service page

How to apply: two routes

There are two ways to get a pre-arranged UAE visit visa. Neither depends on the other, so pick whichever fits your circumstances.

• A UAE resident relative sponsors you, through ICP if they live outside Dubai, or through GDRFA Dubai if they live in Dubai. The application rests on the sponsor's own residence visa, Emirates ID and income, not on yours.
• Book a visit visa through a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel. Holidayys arranges this route; it does not need a sponsoring relative at all, which is the simpler option if you have no UAE-resident relative, or your relative's income does not clear the sponsor threshold.

Through a UAE resident relative

Which authority your relative deals with depends on where they live, not where you are flying from. Residents of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah apply through ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, at smartservices.icp.gov.ae or the UAEICP app. Residents of Dubai apply through GDRFA, at gdrfad.gov.ae, the GDRFA smart app, Dubai Now, or an Amer centre. Our UAE visa for parents guide sets out the sponsor-income rules ICP and GDRFA publish by relationship; the figures below cover what GDRFA's own pages state for a single-entry or multiple-entry visit visa sponsored by a relative or friend, read directly in October 2026.

• Single entry: AED 200 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days, or AED 400 for 90 days, plus 5% VAT
• Multiple entry: AED 300 for 30 days, AED 500 for 60 days, or AED 700 for 90 days, plus 5% VAT
• Refundable security deposit: AED 1,000 for single entry or AED 2,000 for multiple entry, plus a AED 20 deposit service fee and a AED 40 collection and reimbursement fee
• Medical insurance: AED 40, 60 or 90, for 30, 60 or 90 days
• If you are already inside the UAE when your relative applies: GDRFA's pages add a further AED 500 in-country fee, plus two AED 10 Knowledge and Innovation Dirham charges

GDRFA's pages list processing at about 48 hours. Documents are a personal photo, your passport copy valid for at least six months, proof of the relationship (such as a birth or marriage certificate) and your relative's salary certificate, employment contract or partnership papers. GDRFA's service pages for both this visa and the tourist visa list one extra document for some nationalities, "identity card for the country of origin," but the pages name only Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan; an Egyptian passport copy is enough on its own.

Through a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel

UAE immigration law also lets a licensed travel agency, hotel or UAE-based airline sponsor a visit visa, separately from the relative-sponsored route above. GDRFA's tourist-visa service pages describe the sponsor requirement plainly: the host must be "one of the establishments working in the field of tourism," and only an accredited tourism office can issue this type of visa. This is the visa Holidayys sells: it does not rest on a relative's residence visa, Emirates ID or salary. Choose 30, 60 or 90 days by how long you are staying. See our UAE visa services page for the current visa types, including the 14-day, 30-day, 60-day, 90-day and 90-day multiple-entry options, or go straight to the family visit section for the relative-sponsored and agency-sponsored routes side by side. We cannot speed up or guarantee the outcome of either route; the decision sits with GDRFA or ICP.

Is there a UAE visa on arrival for Egyptians?

No, as far as any official page we checked states. The UAE's own 25 June 2026 announcement, reported by the state news agency WAM, expanded its on-arrival scheme for holders of an approved foreign residence permit (from the United States, an EU state, the UK, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada) to six nationalities: Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa. Egypt is not among them, and we found no earlier or separate announcement adding Egypt to this scheme or to the UAE's general visa-free list. If you have heard that a US, UK or Schengen visa lets an Egyptian passport holder in on arrival, that is not the position stated on any official page we could read; confirm it directly with ICP or GDRFA before relying on it, and do not book travel against an unconfirmed on-arrival claim.

Documents an Egyptian applicant needs

• A passport valid for at least six months
• One or two recent personal photos (the exact number depends on the route and visa type)
• A return or onward travel ticket
• Proof of where you are staying: your UAE-resident relative's address and Emirates ID, or a hotel booking
• Medical insurance valid in the UAE (GDRFA bills this as part of the fee on the relative-sponsored route; check whether the agency-sponsored route includes it)
• If a relative is sponsoring you: proof of the relationship (such as a birth or marriage certificate) and their proof of income

Beyond the visa file itself, your airline may ask to see your return ticket and accommodation details at check-in, and UAE border officers can ask the same on arrival. We could not confirm a specific minimum cash amount on an official UAE or Egyptian government page, so we have left that figure out; carry a return ticket and proof of accommodation regardless, and check with your airline if you are unsure what it wants to see.

Flights from Egypt to the UAE

Egyptair, Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia all fly between Egypt and the UAE, with Cairo the busiest link and some flights from Alexandria and other cities. Your departure airport usually decides the airline. Routes and timetables change by season, so check each airline's own site for current days and times before you book.

Travelling to work rather than to visit

This guide covers the visit visa: a trip to see family, attend to business or take a holiday, where you leave again before it expires. A visit visa does not allow paid work. If you want to come to look for a job, the UAE has a separate visit visa for exploring job opportunities, covered in our UAE job seeker visa guide; once an employer hires you, it applies for your work permit and residence visa. Egypt has its own rules for citizens who go abroad to work, so check them with Egypt's Ministry of Labour before you take up a job.

Egyptian missions in the UAE

For consular help, such as a lost passport or a problem while you are in the UAE, the Egyptian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai are the official contacts, not GDRFA or ICP, which only handle the UAE side of the visa. Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists both missions on its website, mfa.gov.eg: check it for current addresses, phone numbers and opening hours before you go.

Extending or changing a visit visa inside the UAE

A visit visa can usually be extended from inside the UAE before it expires, and GDRFA's extension pages for the relative or friend visit visa list a fee of AED 600 plus 5% VAT, with a cap of 180 days' total stay across any extensions. If your plans change after you arrive, rather than extend the same visa, you may want to change its category, for example to a different visit-visa length. See our full UAE visit visa extension guide for the extension process and deadlines, or our visa change services if you would rather have us handle the paperwork: by bus (30 days or 60 days) or by flight (30 days or 60 days).

Frequently asked questions

Do Egyptians need a visa to visit the UAE?

Yes. An Egyptian visitor needs a visit visa arranged before travel, through a UAE resident relative (via ICP or GDRFA Dubai) or through a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel. We found no official exemption for an ordinary Egyptian passport.

Can an Egyptian get a UAE visa on arrival?

Not as far as any official page we checked states. The UAE's visa-on-arrival expansion of 25 June 2026 named six nationalities, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa, not Egypt. Visit visas for Egyptian passport holders must be arranged before travel.

What documents does an Egyptian need for a UAE visit visa?

A passport valid for at least six months, a recent photo, a return ticket, proof of accommodation, and, if a relative is sponsoring you, proof of the relationship and their income. GDRFA's pages do not ask Egyptian applicants for the extra national ID card copy they require of some other nationalities.

How long does a UAE visit visa take for an Egyptian?

GDRFA Dubai's service pages list processing at about 48 hours once the application is complete. Apply well before your flight, since a missing document or an unclear photo sends the application back for correction.

Can I enter the UAE on a visit visa and then look for a job?

You can look for work on a visit visa, but you cannot work on one. The UAE also offers a visit visa for exploring job opportunities, explained in our job seeker visa guide. Once you are hired, your employer applies for the work permit and residence visa.

How long can an Egyptian stay in the UAE on a visit visa, and can it be extended?

The base visa runs 30, 60 or 90 days. GDRFA's extension pages for the relative-sponsored visit visa allow extensions up to a total of 180 days, for a fee of AED 600 plus 5% VAT per extension. See our visit visa extension guide for the full process.

Plan your visit

Whether a relative is sponsoring you or you would rather not depend on their visa file, the visa and the trip are easier to sort out together, since the same details, your dates, where you are staying, your return flight, go into both. Browse our UAE visa services for the visit visa lengths we arrange, use the free UAE visa check to confirm a visa's status and expiry, or talk to us about which route suits your trip. If you are already planning what to do once you land, see our tour packages for ideas.

Related guides

• UAE visit visa for Pakistanis: routes, fees and documents
• UAE visa for parents: routes, fees and documents
• UAE visa guide: types, rules and status check
• UAE visit visa extension: process and deadlines

Last checked 9 October 2026 against GDRFA Dubai's service pages for the single-entry and multiple-entry tourist and relative or friend visit visas, ICP's service page for issuing an entry permit, the UAE state news agency WAM's report on the 25 June 2026 visa-on-arrival expansion, and Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs missions listing. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements with ICP, GDRFA, the Egyptian Embassy, Egypt's Ministry of Labour or our team before you apply or travel.