UAE Visit Visa for Nepalese: Routes, Fees and the Labour Permit Rules

The short answer: A Nepali passport holder needs a UAE visit visa arranged before travel. Nepal is not on the UAE's visa-on-arrival list, including the expansion the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on 25 June 2026. There are two routes. A UAE resident relative or friend can sponsor you, through GDRFA Dubai if they live in Dubai or through ICP if they live in another emirate. Or a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel can sponsor the visa, which Holidayys arranges and which does not depend on a relative's residence visa or salary. GDRFA Dubai's pages 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 and a refundable deposit.

The UAE is one of the biggest destinations for Nepali workers, and a visit visa is often the first trip, whether for a family visit, a wedding or a medical appointment. A visit visa is not a work visa, though, and Nepal has its own rules for citizens who go abroad to work. This guide covers both sides.

UAE visit visa for Nepalese at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Visa on arrival or visa-free	No: arrange the visa before you travel
Who can sponsor the visa	A UAE resident relative or friend, or a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel
Relative-sponsored, single entry (GDRFA Dubai)	AED 200 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days, AED 400 for 90 days, plus 5% VAT
Relative-sponsored, deposit	AED 1,000 single entry or AED 2,000 multiple entry, refundable
Agency-sponsored tourist visa (GDRFA Dubai)	AED 200 for 30 days or AED 300 for 60 days, plus 5% VAT, no deposit
Extension	AED 600 plus VAT; up to 180 days in all on a relative's visa, 120 days on a tourist visa
Dubai applications	GDRFA Dubai: gdrfad.gov.ae or an Amer centre
Other emirates	ICP: smartservices.icp.gov.ae or the UAEICP app
Working in the UAE	Needs a work visa from a UAE employer, and a labour permit from Nepal's Department of Foreign Employment

Is there a UAE visa on arrival for Nepalese?

No. On 25 June 2026 the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a wider visa on arrival for six nationalities, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa, and only for holders of a valid residence permit from countries such as the United States, the UK or an EU state. Nepal is not on that list or on the UAE's visa-free list. If someone tells you otherwise, confirm it with ICP or GDRFA before you book travel on it.

Route 1: a UAE resident relative or friend sponsors you

The authority depends on where your sponsor lives, not where you fly into. Residents of Dubai apply through GDRFA Dubai, online at gdrfad.gov.ae or at an Amer centre. Residents of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah apply through ICP, at smartservices.icp.gov.ae or on the UAEICP app. The application rests on the sponsor's residence visa, Emirates ID and income; our UAE visa for parents guide covers the sponsor rules by relationship.

GDRFA Dubai's own service pages list these fees for a visit visa sponsored by a relative or friend:

• 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 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 refund fee
• Medical insurance: AED 40, 60 or 90, for 30, 60 or 90 days
• If you are already in the UAE when the application is made: a further AED 500 in-country fee

GDRFA gives processing as about 48 hours. The documents are two personal photos, a copy of your passport valid for at least six months, proof of the relationship, such as a marriage or birth certificate, and the sponsor's salary certificate or employment contract. GDRFA's pages ask a few nationalities for an extra home-country ID card; Nepal is not one of them.

Route 2: a travel agency, airline or hotel sponsors you

A licensed tourism company can sponsor a visit visa on its own, with no relative involved. GDRFA Dubai's tourist visa pages list AED 200 for 30 days or AED 300 for 60 days for a single entry, plus 5% VAT, with no deposit; multiple entry is AED 300 or AED 500. Only an accredited tourism office can issue this visa, and this is the route Holidayys arranges. It suits you if you have no relative in the UAE, or if your relative's income or visa does not meet the sponsor rules.

See our UAE visa services for the visit visas we arrange, including the 30-day and 60-day visas, or the visiting family section to compare the two routes. The decision on any visa sits with GDRFA or ICP, so we cannot guarantee or speed up an approval.

Documents to have ready

• A passport valid for at least six months
• A recent personal photo
• A return or onward ticket
• Where you will stay: your relative's address, or a hotel booking
• On a relative's visa: proof of the relationship and of their income

Your airline may ask to see your return ticket and accommodation at check-in, and UAE border officers can ask on arrival. Requirements for a particular nationality can change at short notice, and not always with a public notice, so ask your sponsor or agency whether any extra document, such as a police clearance certificate, is being requested for Nepali passports at the time you apply.

Leaving Nepal: departure checks and the labour permit

Nepal checks its own citizens as they leave. At Tribhuvan International Airport, expect the immigration officer to ask about your destination and the purpose of the trip, and carry your visa, return ticket and documents that show why you are travelling, such as your relative's details or a hotel booking. Check the Department of Immigration's current rules before you fly, since its requirements for visit-visa travellers have changed more than once.

If you plan to work, the visit visa is the wrong document. Nepal requires a citizen taking a job abroad to hold a labour permit (shram swikriti) from the Department of Foreign Employment, applied for through its FEIMS system, and the UAE requires a work visa sponsored by the employer. A worker cannot convert a visit visa into a work visa alone: the UAE employer applies. Our UAE job seeker visa guide covers the visa made for looking for work. If you are travelling to see family or for a holiday, none of this applies to you.

Extending your visit visa

A visit visa can be extended from inside the UAE before it expires. GDRFA's extension page for a relative or friend's visit visa lists AED 600 plus 5% VAT, up to 180 days in total. Its page for the tourist visa lists the same fee, up to 120 days in total. See our UAE visit visa extension guide for the steps. If an extension is not possible, a visa change by bus or flight gets you a new visa after a short trip out of the country.

The Embassy of Nepal in Abu Dhabi

For passports, travel documents, attestations and other consular help while you are in the UAE, the Embassy of Nepal is in Abu Dhabi. Its website, ae.nepalembassy.gov.np, lists office hours of Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00, with consular and passport services from 9:00 to 14:00, the email eonabudhabi@mofa.gov.np, and +971 2 634 4385 for urgent matters. The embassy does not issue UAE visas: that is GDRFA's or ICP's job.

Flights from Nepal to the UAE

• Kathmandu to Dubai: Himalaya Airlines lists the route on its own site.
• Kathmandu to Sharjah: Air Arabia's route map lists the route.

Other airlines fly the corridor too, and schedules change, so check the airline's own site before you book.

Frequently asked questions

Do Nepalis need a visa to visit the UAE?

Yes. A Nepali visitor needs a visit visa arranged before travel, sponsored either by a UAE resident relative or friend, through ICP or GDRFA Dubai, or by a licensed travel agency, airline or hotel.

Can a Nepali get a UAE visa on arrival?

No. The UAE's June 2026 visa-on-arrival expansion covers Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa, not Nepal. Arrange the visa before you travel.

How much is a UAE visit visa for a Nepali citizen?

On a relative's sponsorship in Dubai, GDRFA lists AED 200 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days or AED 400 for 90 days for a single entry, plus 5% VAT and a refundable AED 1,000 deposit. A tourist visa through an agency is AED 200 for 30 days or AED 300 for 60 days, plus VAT, with no deposit; an agency adds its own service charge.

What documents does a Nepali citizen need for a UAE visit visa?

A passport valid for at least six months, a recent photo, a return ticket and proof of where you will stay. On a relative's visa, add proof of the relationship and of their income. Ask your sponsor or agency whether any extra document is being requested when you apply.

Can a Nepali work in the UAE on a visit visa?

No. Working needs a UAE work visa sponsored by the employer, and Nepal requires a labour permit from its Department of Foreign Employment before a citizen takes a job abroad.

How long can a Nepali stay in the UAE on a visit visa?

30, 60 or 90 days on a relative's visa, or 30 or 60 days on an agency's tourist visa. Extensions cost AED 600 plus VAT each, up to 180 days in all on a relative's visa or 120 days on a tourist visa.

Plan your visit

Sort the visa and the trip out together, since your dates, where you stay and your return flight go into both. Browse our UAE visa services, 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 visit visa for Pakistanis
• UAE visit visa for Bangladeshis
• 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 relative or friend and tourist visit visas and their extensions, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs' 25 June 2026 visa-on-arrival announcement, the Embassy of Nepal in Abu Dhabi's website, and the route pages of Himalaya Airlines and Air Arabia. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements with ICP, GDRFA, Nepal's Department of Immigration or our team before you apply or travel.