United Arab Emirates Visa and Entry Requirements

The short version

You can get a visitor or tourist visa issued free of charge when you arrive in the UAE, and your passport will be stamped with it as you go through immigration. Your passport must have an expiry date at least six months after the date you arrive. Entry terms differ by passport, so confirm your own rather than assuming this transfers.

Passport validity, and the transit exception

Six months from arrival for entry. If you are only transiting, the requirement is at least three months after the date you transit. Two different numbers for two different journeys, and the airline will apply whichever one fits your ticket.

The rule that ends holidays

If you entered on a visit visa and want to work, you must obtain a probationary work permit first. If you are caught working on a visit visa you could get a fine or a prison sentence, and you risk deportation. This catches people who consider what they are doing to be a favour, a trial or remote work for a foreign employer; the definition is not yours to interpret.

Medication approval

There are strict rules on what medication you can bring in, and you need approval from the UAE authorities for anything classed as narcotic, psychotropic, controlled or semi-controlled. Apply in advance, carry everything in its original packaging with the prescription, and do not assume that legal at home means admissible here. See the packing list.

Verify Before You Travel

Entry rules change without notice. Read the FCDO entry requirements for the UAE against your own passport before you book. Next: travel safety and when to go.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UAE entry requirements: the visitor visa issued free of charge on arrival, six months of passport validity, the medication approval rules and the penalties for working on a visit visa. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: United Arab Emirates travel advice: the FCDO issues no advisory against travel to any part of the UAE. Accessed 15 September 2026.