UAE rolls out new visa-on-arrival policy for Indians: All you need to know

Indian passport

All Indian nationals holding ordinary passports will now be granted visa on arrival at all ports of entry in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The new visa-on-arrival policy will also be extended to persons holding permanent resident or green cards or valid visas issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, or any nation belonging to the European Union.

The above-mentioned persons will have the option to obtain a visa on arrival for 14 days, extendable for a similar period, or obtaining a visa on arrival for 60 days, which will be non-extendable, after paying the prescribed fees in accordance with the applicable norms in the UAE.

These passports shall be valid for six months, the Indian mission in the UAE announced via a post on social media on October 17.

Update regarding Visa-on-arrival facility for Indian citizens travelling to the UAE pic.twitter.com/aFrqnX8jTxIndia in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) October 17, 2024

“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,” the airline had written in a social media post.

In the same month, Dubai had introduced a five-year multiple-entry visa for Indians to foster economic, tourism, and business ties.

In 2023, the city-state had welcomed 2.46 million overnight visitors from India, a 25 percent increase from the pre-pandemic era. This made India the number one source market, Dubai's department of economy and tourism said on February 22.