UAE Visit Visa for Indians: Routes, Fees, Documents and the 5-Year Visa

The short answer: An ordinary Indian passport does not get visa-free entry to the UAE. Most Indian visitors need a visit visa arranged before they 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. GDRFA Dubai's own pages, read on 9 October 2026, price the agency-sponsored tourist visa at AED 200 for 30 days or AED 300 for 60 days, single entry, plus 5% VAT, and the relative-sponsored visit visa at AED 200, 300 or 400 for 30, 60 or 90 days. There is also a standalone 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa, sold with no sponsor at all, which GDRFA Dubai prices at AED 3,713.50 in total. One group of Indian travellers is different: those who already hold a valid US visa or green card, or a residence permit from the UK, an EU country or one of several other listed countries, can get a visa on arrival or ICP's entry visa instead; see our UAE visa on arrival for Indians guide if that is you. This guide covers the pre-arranged visit visa that most Indian travellers need.

Indians are one of the UAE's largest visitor and resident communities, and a visit visa is usually the first step for a family wedding, a holiday in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, a business meeting or a medical trip. Getting the right visa type, length and sponsor sorted before you book flights helps you avoid a rejected application or a missed departure date.

UAE visit visa for Indians at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Does an Indian passport get visa-free or on-arrival entry	No, unless you already hold a qualifying US, UK, EU or other listed document; see our visa on arrival guide
Who can sponsor a visit visa	A UAE resident relative (through ICP or GDRFA Dubai), or a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel
Agency, airline or hotel visit visa (GDRFA Dubai)	30 or 60 days, single or multiple entry
Relative or friend visit visa (GDRFA Dubai)	30, 60 or 90 days, single or multiple entry
Visit visa issued outside Dubai	ICP: 30, 60 or 90 days, priced per month
GDRFA Dubai single-entry tourist visa fee	AED 200 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days, plus 5% VAT
GDRFA Dubai relative-sponsored single-entry fee	AED 200, 300 or 400 for 30, 60 or 90 days, plus 5% VAT and a refundable AED 1,000 deposit
5-year multiple-entry tourist visa (GDRFA Dubai)	No sponsor needed; AED 3,713.50 in total; up to 90 days a visit, 180 days a year
Overstay fine	AED 50 a day, ICP's fine page states
Emigration clearance from India	Not required for a visit; India's Ministry of External Affairs limits it to travel for employment

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 suits you 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. ICP's service page sets the sponsor's minimum income at AED 4,000 a month for a first-degree relative, which includes a parent, spouse, son or daughter, AED 8,000 for a second or third-degree relative, and AED 15,000 for a friend; our UAE visa for parents guide covers the rest of the sponsor's paperwork. GDRFA Dubai's own pages ask for a salary certificate or employment contract but do not state a figure, so confirm the current Dubai threshold with GDRFA.

The figures below cover what GDRFA Dubai's own pages state for a single-entry or multiple-entry visit visa sponsored by a relative or friend, read directly on 9 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

ICP's own page for the other six emirates prices the same relative-sponsored visa by the month: an AED 100 application fee, AED 100 a month for single entry or AED 200 a month for multiple entry, an AED 100 Smart Service fee, and a refundable guarantee of AED 1,000 for single entry or AED 2,000 for multiple entry, plus a AED 20 guarantee deposit fee. Both authorities 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 certificate, and your relative's salary certificate, employment contract or partnership papers. GDRFA's and ICP's pages ask some nationalities for an extra national ID card copy; GDRFA names Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, and ICP names Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. An Indian 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 as a business that works in tourism, and state that 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. GDRFA Dubai's own tourist-visa pages list this route at 30 or 60 days, single or multiple entry, priced at AED 200 for 30 days or AED 300 for 60 days single entry, and AED 300 or AED 500 multiple entry, plus 5% VAT. ICP's equivalent tourism-establishment category, for the other six emirates, lists 30, 60 or 90 days, at the same per-month rate as the relative-sponsored visa above. 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.

If you already hold a US, UK or EU document

Some Indian travellers do not need either route above. GDRFA Dubai's own page grants a 14-day visa on arrival, costing AED 253, to Indian citizens holding a valid US green card or visa, or a UK or EU residence visa, each valid at least six months; Emirates and flydubai also accept a residence permit from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea or Singapore. Since 25 June 2026, ICP has separately offered an entry visa to Indians with a residence permit from the US, the UK, an EU state or any of those six countries, at AED 100 for 14 days or AED 250 for 60 days. Our UAE visa on arrival for Indians guide covers who qualifies, the fees each channel lists, and where the rules disagree. If none of this applies to you, the pre-arranged visit visa below is your route.

The 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa

GDRFA Dubai also sells a visa that needs no sponsor at all. Its page for the 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa, read on 9 October 2026, lists these charges: an AED 100 application fee, an AED 500 issuance fee, a AED 3,000 guarantee, a AED 21 warranty service fee, a AED 20 guarantee collection and return fee, two AED 10 Knowledge and Innovation Dirham charges, and an AED 52.50 service fee, for a published total of AED 3,713.50. The applicant, not a relative or agency, applies directly. GDRFA's page asks for a bank balance of at least USD 4,000, or the equivalent, over the six months before you apply, valid health insurance, a passport with at least six months left, and a round-trip ticket. Processing is listed at about 48 hours.

Each entry lets you stay up to 90 days, extendable once for a further 90 days, provided your total days in the UAE in any one year do not pass 180; unused days do not carry over. You must make your first entry within two months of issue, extendable by two more months, and the 5-year validity is then counted from that first entry. Our UAE multiple entry visa guide sets this visa beside the shorter options.

Documents an Indian 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, which GDRFA bills 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 and their proof of income

Our UAE visa photo requirements guide covers the photo specification in full. GDRFA's and ICP's pages for the ordinary visit visa set no minimum amount of money to carry; the 5-year visa's USD 4,000 bank-balance condition above is a separate rule for that visa alone. Carry your return ticket and proof of accommodation anyway, since airlines can ask for them at check-in.

What Indian travellers are checked for at boarding

Immigration is not the only check. Airlines verify your visa before you board, separately from GDRFA or ICP, and the rule depends on the airline and sometimes the departure city.

• Air India: its own travel-information page states that OKTB has not been required for passengers travelling to the UAE since 15 December 2024. It adds that a visa issued in Dubai can be checked through GDRFA Dubai's website, and one issued in the other six emirates through ICP's website, and advises carrying a printout of the visa for verification at check-in and immigration.
• IndiGo: its own Visa Information page lists an Ok to Board step for travel to Dubai and Sharjah. It is not required for a resident permit or visa holder, a visa-on-arrival-eligible traveller of any nationality, or a printed tourist or business e-visa. It is required for an ECR, Emigration Check Required, passport holder, or a printed labour or work e-visa. IndiGo processes it at its Dubai Sales Office or through named agents in India, for an AED 20 service charge.
• flydubai: its own visa page makes the Ok to Board step mandatory only for passengers flying from Delhi. For a tourist or visit visa it applies only to ECR passport holders; for an employment or residence visa it applies regardless of ECR status. A stamped visa or a valid Emirates ID does not need it. flydubai asks for a minimum of 48 hours through its Travel Shop, with the original visa, a passport copy and the booking confirmation, and its page states that anyone travelling on a tourist or visit visa must have a return ticket booked.
• Emirates: its own visa page lists, among the documents it checks, a confirmed hotel reservation or a valid tenancy contract in a hosting relative's name, and a copy of your return Emirates ticket, or a codeshare starting with the code EK, with the travel dates matching your hotel booking.

Does India require emigration clearance for a UAE visit visa?

No, as far as the Ministry of External Affairs' own guidance states. Its pre-departure information manual for the UAE defines emigration as leaving India to take up employment abroad, and limits the emigration clearance requirement to ECR, Emigration Check Required, passport holders travelling to an ECR country for work. The UAE is one of the ministry's ECR-listed countries, but that status is tied to the purpose of travel, not the destination alone: a visit, a holiday or a business trip is not employment, so emigration clearance does not apply to it under the ministry's own guidance. Thirteen categories of passport holders, such as income-tax payers and holders of a professional degree, are classified Emigration Check Not Required regardless of destination. The same manual also warns that a visit visa is not an employment visa and does not carry the same labour-law protection, so do not use one to take up paid work.

Extending or changing a visit visa inside the UAE

A visit visa can usually be extended from inside the UAE before it expires. GDRFA Dubai's extension page for the agency-sponsored tourist visa lists a fee of AED 600 plus 5% VAT, with a cap of 120 days' total stay; its extension page for the relative-sponsored visit visa lists the same fee but a higher cap, 180 days in total. There is also a narrower, separate extension for Indian nationals who entered on the visa on arrival described above: GDRFA Dubai's pages for that group give 14 more days from approval, and its two pages for the fee disagree, at roughly AED 282.50 on one and AED 630 or more on the other, so confirm the amount before you pay. See our full UAE visit visa extension guide for the process and deadlines, and our UAE visit visa validity guide for how the entry window and the stay length differ across visa types. If your plans change after you arrive, rather than extend the same visa, you may want to change its category instead: see our visa change services, by bus (30 days or 60 days) or by flight (30 days or 60 days).

What goes wrong

Neither ICP nor GDRFA publishes a list of refusal reasons or ban lengths; a rejection notice from either authority is the only reliable account of why a specific application failed. Our UAE visit visa rejected guide covers what to check and how to reapply. Overstaying the visa without extending, changing it or leaving brings ICP's published fine of AED 50 a day; our UAE overstay fines guide covers the detail. If you are coming to explore work opportunities rather than to visit, the UAE offers a separate visit visa for that, covered in our UAE job seeker visa guide; once an employer hires you, it applies for your work permit and residence visa.

Frequently asked questions

Do Indians need a visa to visit the UAE?

Yes. Most Indian passport holders need 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. The exceptions are travellers who already hold a qualifying US, UK, EU or other listed document.

Can Indians get a UAE visa on arrival?

Only if you already hold a qualifying document: a US green card or visa, a UK or EU residence visa, or, per Emirates' and flydubai's own pages, a residence permit from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea or Singapore. See our UAE visa on arrival for Indians guide for the fees and the catch with each channel. Everyone else applies for the pre-arranged visit visa covered in this guide.

How much does a UAE visit visa cost for an Indian citizen?

Through GDRFA Dubai, the agency-sponsored tourist visa is AED 200 for 30 days or AED 300 for 60 days single entry, plus 5% VAT. The relative-sponsored visa is AED 200, 300 or 400 for 30, 60 or 90 days, plus VAT and a refundable deposit. ICP prices the same categories by the month for the other six emirates. See our UAE visa services for the visit visas we arrange.

What is the 5-year UAE multiple-entry visa and who can get it?

A standalone tourist visa, sold with no sponsor, that GDRFA Dubai prices at AED 3,713.50 in total. It needs a bank balance of at least USD 4,000 over the previous six months, valid health insurance and a passport with at least six months left, and allows stays of up to 90 days at a time, up to 180 days a year, over its five-year validity.

Do I need emigration clearance to visit the UAE from India?

No, as far as the Ministry of External Affairs' own pre-departure guidance states. Emigration clearance applies to ECR passport holders travelling to an ECR country for employment, not to a visit, a holiday or a business trip.

What do airlines check before Indian passengers board for the UAE?

It depends on the airline. Air India states that OKTB has not been required for UAE-bound passengers since 15 December 2024. IndiGo and flydubai both still require an Ok to Board step for ECR passport holders on a tourist or visit visa, flydubai's only for departures from Delhi. Emirates checks your accommodation and return-ticket documents. Confirm the current rule with your own airline before you fly.

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.

Related guides

• UAE visa on arrival for Indians: who qualifies and the fees
• UAE visa for parents: routes, fees and documents
• UAE visit visa extension: process and deadlines
• UAE multiple entry visa: the 5-year visa and shorter options

Last checked 9 October 2026 against GDRFA Dubai's service pages for the single-entry and multiple-entry tourist, relative or friend, and 5-year multiple-entry visit visas and their extensions, ICP's service page for issuing an entry permit, Air India's, IndiGo's, flydubai's and Emirates' own visa and travel-information pages, and the Ministry of External Affairs' pre-departure information manual for the UAE. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements with ICP, GDRFA, your airline or our team before you apply or travel.