Visa rules, fees and requirements since August 2008

New visa rules apply from August 2008. If you're from one of the visa on arrival countries, you'll probably have an easier time of it. Bring money for visa fees, patience, and politeness, and assume visa rules will be implemented randomly depending on the mood of the official you're dealing with at the entry point or visa office.

Types of Visas, fees and requirements.

Type	Length	Cost	Renew	Effective	Notes
Conference Visit Visa	30 days	Dh100	no	01 Aug 2008
Employment Visa	30 days				employer arranges, not a work permit, entry only
Exhibition Visa					see Conference Visa
Family Visit Visa	60 days	Dh100		*	min 3-6k salary requirement, Dh2000 deposit
Friend Visit Visa	60 days	Dh100		*	min 3-6k salary requirement, Dh2000 deposit
Investor Visa	3 yrs	Dh300			invest Dh70k in company with UAE National
Medical Visit Visa	90 days	Dh1000	yes, 1x	01 Aug 2008	renewal Dh500
Mission Entry Visa	14 days	Dh220	no	*	only from hotels or companies
Mission Visa	90 days	Dh600	yes, 1x	*	renewal Dh1200, need Temporary Work Permit first?
Mission Visa	90 days	Dh200	no	01 Aug 2008
Multi-entry Visa	180 days	Dh1000		*	30 day max per visit, company application only
Multi-entry Visa	180 days	Dh2000	yes, ?x	01 Aug 2008	14 day max stay each visit
Parent Visa	1 yr	Dh100	yes	01 Aug 2008	deposit Dh5000, need special FNRD permission
Relative Visa					see Family Visa
Residents Permit					see Residence Visa
Residence Visa	3 yrs		yes		employer should arrange
Residence Visa - property	3 yrs	Dh5000*	yes		*estimated, may vary
Residence Visa - family	1-2 yrs				Dh5000 deposit needed
Student Visa (residence)					ask college or university when applying for entry
Student Visit Visa	60 days	Dh1000	yes, 2x	01 Aug 2008	UAE university registration, renewal Dh500
Tourist Visa	30 days	Dh120	no	*	only from hotels and tour operators
Tourist Visa	30 days	Dh110	yes? 1x	01 Aug 2008	only from hotels and tour operators
Transit Visa	96 hours	Dh30	no	*	may be free - conflicting information seen
Transit Visa	96 hours	Dh100	no	01 Aug 2008	need outbound ticket, some reports say 14 days
Visit Visa 30 days	30 days	Dh500	no	01 Aug 2008
Visit Visa 60 days	60 days		yes, 2x	*
Visit Visa 60 days	60 days	free*	yes, ?x		*see list of free visit visa nationalities
Visit Visa 90 days	90 days	Dh1000	no	01 Aug 2008
Visit Visa GCC residents?	30 days	Dh100	yes, 1x	01 Aug 2008	renewal Dh500
Visit Visa GCC nationals*	30 days	Dh100	yes, 1x	01 Aug 2008	renewal Dh200, *visitors with GCC nationals
Visit Visa extension	30 days	Dh500	no	*
Work Permit					not a visa, employer arranges after arrival in UAE
Work Visa					see Work Permit or Employment Visa

• This information is correct to the best of our knowledge.
• * in "Effective" column means that visa type is expected to be no longer available after 01 August 2008.
• Nationalities eligible for free visit visas on arrival will continue to be able to receive them after 01 August 2008, according to statements reported on 09 June 2008.
• If "Effective" column is empty, then that visa type will continue to be available as far as we know.
• Most Visit Visas will require a deposit of 1000-2000 dhs to be left with the Naturalisation and Residency Department, refunded after visitor departs the UAE.
• Limitations on renewal for free visit visas supposed to be 2x but many visitors have exceeded that with no problems.
• Employers are required to arrange and pay for employee residence visas and work permits (but not their families).

To be noted: Visa rules and regulations can and do change suddenly and without warning. The UAE embassy in your country or the relevant authority in the UAE (DNRD in Dubai) is probably the only source of information you can rely on - even government websites can be slow to update