New Delhi:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that Indian citizens holding ordinary passports will now be eligible for visa-on-arrival at all ports of entry across the country.
Visa Options
Eligible Indian travellers will have two options for obtaining a visa upon arrival:
- A 14-day visa, extendable for an additional 14 days.
- A 60-day non-extendable visa.
Both visa types will require travellers to pay the prescribed fees as per UAE norms.
Are You Eligible?
The visa-on-arrival policy is also applicable to individuals holding permanent resident cards, green cards or valid visas from the United States, United Kingdom or any European Union nation.
Passport Validity Requirement
To qualify for the visa-on-arrival, passports must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry into the UAE.
Update regarding Visa-on-arrival facility for Indian citizens travelling to the UAE pic.twitter.com/aFrqnX8jTx
— India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) October 17, 2024
The recent visa-on-arrival announcement builds on previous efforts to make travel easier for Indian nationals. Earlier in February 2023, Emirates airline, in collaboration with VFS Global, introduced a pre-approved visa-on-arrival service for Indian passport holders. “We’ve partnered with VFS Global to introduce a pre-approved visa on arrival facility for Indian passport holders who have booked their travel with us. The new process will help customers skip queues when arriving in Dubai,” they wrote on X at the time.
In the same month, Dubai also began offering Indian nationals a five-year multiple-entry visa. This policy was introduced to enhance business, tourism, and economic ties between India and the UAE.
India remains a vital source of tourists for Dubai. In 2023, Dubai saw a 25 per cent rise in Indian visitors compared to pre-pandemic levels, with 2.46 million overnight stays recorded. This surge solidified India’s position as Dubai’s top tourism market, according to a report by Dubai’s department of economy and tourism in February 2023.