The journey of visa process in Dubai started in 1971 to invite people where the prime concern was to retain talent and get workforce for an oil company, but now they have diversified options such as Dubai Tourist Visa, Golden Visa Dubai, Dubai Travel Visa, Dubai Tour Visa and lots more, so get the complete insight on Dubai visa types: -
Those who are planning to come to Dubai for their needs will be glad to know that Dubai is in 1st position in offering the best visa in the world with its exceptional benefits that serve all in one purpose for professionals, entrepreneurs, students, investors and more by offering them long term residence for up to 10 years.
BEST VISAS IN THE WORLD
So “UAE Golden Visa” is the sought after visa that addresses individual needs, benefits and opportunities. Before giving you an overview of the UAE visa types, look at the list below: -
Today where billions of people travel around the world to enhance job opportunities, exposure to foreign countries, enjoy staycation and for lots more activities, so for this visa is an official endorsement that allows people to travel.
So, in this blog, we are going to give you a breakdown of UAE Residency Visas and also get complete information about travel, employment, investor, student, family, transit and business and multiple entry Dubai Visa.
The entry of all such types of visas has enhanced the city’s reputation, retained talent, attracted investors, promoted global integration, and more for the betterment of the UAE.
So the journey started in the year 1971, with federal immigration laws to initiate the visa process for the entry of foreigners.
At that point of time, oil was the main source of the economy, so the large infrastructures required a trail of workforce in Dubai, so for this, a work visa was introduced to get people from around the world to work for their oil sector.
And also, the types were not well diversified as the focus was just on employment, family and tourism
PURPOSE: Dubai Employment Visa allow foreigners to work in Dubai and also permits employees to live in Dubai for the specific duration mentioned in their employment contract, and this also serves protection under UAE labor laws that is a complete package in itself giving protection in wages, flexible work models, termination and notice period, probation period, discrimination and harassment, and more.
COST FOR DUBAI EMPLOYMENT VISA
It depends on the category, so it starts from AED 300- 5,000+ additional charges.
FINE FOR DUBAI EMPLOYMENT VISA
For 30 days there is no fine so either you can exit the UAE or transfer to another visa, afterwards, the fine is AED 125 for the first day and AED 25 for each subsequent day for 6 months.
PURPOSE: This Dubai Family Visa gives access to family reunification where parents, spouses, and children can live together to support the expatriate and have a balanced work life with the presence of family around.
Furthermore, the families or dependents can get education, healthcare, banking and more to meet all essential needs, so altogether, this visa brings families together and supports everyone by providing a similar culture to have better productivity.
COST FOR DUBAI FAMILY VISA
Starting from the opening of the file that takes AED 200 followed by entry permit (AED 100), residency visa (AED 310), medical fitness test (AED 420) and Emirate ID (AED 370).
FINE FOR DUBAI FAMILY VISA
It grants 30 days grace period, and after that, the fine is AED 125 for the first day and AED 25 for each subsequent day for 6 months.
PURPOSE: A Dubai Visit Visa is related to non-work, where the main purpose is to visit the family, attend an event, or attend a wedding. Leisure activities, business exploration, medical tourism, and other purposes can be fulfilled under this visa.
And it is also a way to allure investors and global talent to exchange the culture that brings an important touch in boosting the economy, and also it is availed by many people around the world.
COST FOR DUBAI VISIT VISA
AED 250 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days and AED 600 for 90 days.
FINE FOR DUBAI VISIT VISA
Grace period for10 days and after this, for overstaying there is a fine of AED 200 for the first day and from second day it is AED 100.
PURPOSE: A Dubai Tourist Visa is important for Dubai as it has become the world’s best tourist spot. For this, a smooth flow of tourists is required, and in this case, a Dubai tourist visa is one of the vital visas that gives freedom to experience the beauty of this place with its hospitality, culture, and beauty.
They are allowed to step into the beauties of Dubai such as Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, Burj Khalifa and more landmarks are widely accessible from this visa.
COST FOR DUBAI TOURIST VISA
AED 250 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days and AED 600 for 90 days.
FINE FOR DUBAI TOURIST VISA
AED 200 for first day and AED 100 afterwards.
PURPOSE: This is for a layover in Dubai. Depending on the duration, which can be 8 to 96 hours, one can explore the place, mainly to rest and get refreshed because waiting at the airport is frustrating, so it is better to relax and explore Dubai in the meantime.
It is also a way to encourage people to experience Dubai in a short span so that they can come again in the future to cherish this place comfortably.
There is other access to in a Dubai Transit Visa where short layovers, to get connecting flights, for business stopovers and more that can be availed as per the purpose of the traveller.
COST FOR DUBAI TRANSIT VISA
Indian citizens are exempt from this visa cost for 48 hours, but for 96 hour it is AED 60.
FINE FOR DUBAI TRANSIT VISA
There is no grace period after 48 or 96 hours, so fine starts immediately that is AED 200 for first day and AED 100 afterwards for every single day.
These are some of the new visas introduced in Dubai where the idea of serving diversified types is to go beyond oil discovery to fetch people for business, increase the impact of tourism, get professionals & even retirees to enjoy the culture of Dubai and its peaceful surroundings.
Let us talk about the new visa that are designed to cater student needs, tourists, investor, employment visa and many more, so get a complete overview below with all deets: -
PURPOSE: This visa was introduced in 2000 where was formed for employees working in Dubai’s free zone areas that includes Dubai Internet City and Jebel Ali Free Zone to smoothen the process for multinational companies to hire expatriates.
So this Dubai Free Zone Employment Visa Dubai is Dubai’s free zone areas to hire pool of talent who can work in Dubai, and it is valid for 2- 3 years, renewable if required. And as it is a separate visa for employees working in above mentioned free zones that requires no other visa to proceed.
COST FOR DUBAI FREE ZONE EMPLOYMENT VISA
Standard visa charges for this visa are AED 1600 plus medical AED 1500.
FINE FOR DUBAI FREE ZONE EMPLOYMENT VISA
30 days grace period is given, and after that, it is AED 125 for the first day and AED 25 for each subsequent day for 6 months.
PURPOSE: This visa gives an access to the investors to get into real estate investment, support entrepreneurs and business owners and more to aid in Dubai’s economy and encourage foreign investors to strengthen their investment portfolio.
Under Dubai Investor Visa, it allows investors to set up a company in a free zone or mainland area for an international business growth, along with this, it ensures residency to the property buyers to have their home with full ownership in Dubai.
So, for this, either you must set up a business or buy real estate property.
COST FOR DUBAI INVESTOR VISA
FINE FOR DUBAI INVESTOR VISA
30 days grace period is given, and after that, it is AED 125 for the first day and AED 25 for each subsequent day for 6 months.
PURPOSE: This is a perfect visa type designed for frequent travellers who either have some business activities, an event to attend, family visit or to visit the adjoining places such as Saudi Arabia, Oman and more.
This actually saves time & money because for frequent travellers they need this all-in-one visa type that resolves all the above-mentioned concerns, and for validity, the Dubai Multiple Entry Visit visa gives you stay for 30 day, 90 days or even for 5 years, so depending on your purpose you can go for the durability of your choice.
COST FOR DUBAI MULTIPLE ENTRY VISIT VISA
AED 250 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days and AED 600 for 90 days.
FINE FOR DUBAI MULTIPLE ENTRY VISIT VISA
No fine for 10 days and from the 11th day the fine starts where AED 200 for the first day and AED 100 from the second day.
PURPOSE: The visa that gives access to the students to get best academic where diversified universities are available to enrol in any recognized college or training institute.
In fact, not just this, but Dubai Student Visa opens a space for cultural exchange, support career-oriented students and allow them legal residency to get their education with all ease.
In addition to this, students can access to healthcare, banking and all amenities that are important for their needs, so a friendly experience encourages them to study hard.
COST FOR DUBAI STUDENT VISA
It depends on the university itself, so let us just take an example of Murdoch University Dubai, AED 2,800 for normal process and for express it is AED 4200.
FINE FOR DUBAI STUDENT VISA
30 days is given for the renewable or to leave the UAE or to switch to another visa, and after this, the fine is taken from the very first day AED 125 and AED 25 for each subsequent day for 6 months.
PURPOSE: The main idea behind Dubai Tourist Visa Expansion is to give tourists a long stay that could be 5 years where this multi entry tourist visa gives a stay of 90 stays at a stretch which is good enough to experience this place.
In fact, if someone is seeking for medical help, they can use this visa to get treatment, and also it is a way to promote Dubai medical tourism where the next level use of technology treats every patient.
And this visa type directly impacts different sectors as people will come to shop, stay in a hotel, pick for best dining options, use transportation and more to add to its economy.
COST FOR DUBAI TOURIST VISA EXPANSION
For Dubai visa extension it is AED 600 for single time.
FINE FOR DUBAI TOURIST VISA EXPANSION
Dubai’s allow 10 days grace period to leave the place or get expansion, and after the grace period it charges AED 200 and afterwards, it is AED 100 for every single day.
For more flexibility and to reach out to every need of the applicant more diversification in the types of Dubai visa are discussed below, so have a look at the latest visas that fit in your requirements: -
PURPOSE: The main purpose of this visa type is to give short term stay in Dubai where different needs are addressed be it to attend an event or wedding, visit family or friends, business meetings, tourism or it could even be a stopover.
So this Dubai 14 day Pre Approved Visa on Arrival is valid for 6 months for 14 days stay, and this could be extended according to the situation. In fact, this visa gives instant approval without having to go through the long visa procedure.
COST FOR 14 DAY PRE APPROVED VISA ON ARRIVAL
For Indian passport holders it is AED 100-150 that is Rs 2,700.
FINE FOR 14 DAY PRE APPROVED VISA ON ARRIVAL
The visa holder will get 10 days grace period to leave the place or get expansion, and after the grace period it charges AED 200 and afterwards, it is AED 100 for every single day.
PROCESS: Great for Indian professionals seeking for employment in Dubai as this visa curtails the entire process of work permits & residency visas which generally takes 30 days, but now can be done in just 5 days.
And from 7 times visits to the visa centre, now it is just 2 times, so it has streamlined the entire process without getting into any kind of fuss and indulging yourself in a long proceed, so in short it has made it flexible and convenient for the desired visa applicants.
The core idea behind this Dubai Simplified Work Visa is to bring an administrative complexity free process for foreign nationals to get residency & work, to recruit talent, professionals and more to come to Dubai with less paperwork to kick start the purpose of coming to UAE.
The duration of this visa is 2- 3 years and can be extended as per the need easily.
COST FOR SIMPLIFIED WORK VISA
AED 200 plus 5% value added tax with additional charges.
FINE FOR SIMPLIFIED WORK VISA
Extra 30 days is given and after this the fine starts AED 200 for the first day and AED 25 for each subsequent day for 6 months.
PURPOSE: This diversified visa is created for many visits to Dubai, which in total is for 5 years. At once, one can stay for 90 days, which is easier when it comes to travelling for any purpose, which might be for staycation, medical aid, meetings, events, and more.
So now the traveller doesn’t have to go for the visa process again and again, as this multiple entry visa is all suitable for persistent travellers.
COST FOR 5 YEAR MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA
The cost for this is AED 650 with a breakdown of applicant free AED 100, issuance AED 500 and electrotonic service fee AED 50.
FINE FOR 5 YEAR MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA
You can access the visa for 10 days, but after that, there is a fine for overstaying AED 200 and AED 100 after the first day which is the 12th day.
PURPOSE: One of the important visas that give investment opportunities in Dubai without any support of a national sponsor and get a long-term residency to live and work too, so this big time opening of visa removes the dependency and lets the entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, talent and more can get 5 to 10 years of residency.
The idea behind this visa is to bring global competitiveness to curtail the oil dependency and dig out other professions to secure talent around the world, and this even contributes to Dubai’s real estate sector to add growth & innovation.
In this, investors need to invest AED 2 million, businessmen to invest in a sustainable business, students with endorsements from recognized UAE entities and more to get benefit from this Golden Visa in Dubai introduced in 2019 to start a long-term residency program.
BUSINESS GROWTH AFTER VISA REFURBISHMENTS
Such types of visas are playing a significant role in forming new age businesses in Dubai, and that is the reason with business friendly policies, the total rise of 75% from 2021 in business establishments has expanded 15% rise in employment, so improvisation in visa holds an optimistic impact on the overall economy and also to create comfortable realm for business who has unique ideas to execute.
And according to the data, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) issued 158,000 Golden Visas which is almost double the number compared to 2022.
COST FOR DUBAI GOLDEN VISA
General cost for Golden Visa is AED 10,000 to AED 15,000.
FINE FOR DUBAI GOLDEN VISA
30 days are given as the grace period under Golden Visa in Dubai, but once the given time is over there is a fine for overstaying AED 200 and AED 100 after the first day which is the 12th day and it is for the first 6 months.
PURPOSE: Introduced in September 2020 for people of age 55 to give them a quality life with all world class amenities around, and this visa is valid for 5 years which is a renewal, so the processing time is 2-3 weeks.
Those meeting all the criteria of age, having 1 million worth of property, and having a monthly income of AED 20,000 and more can plan their retirement to have a safe and secure space to live in where everything is within distance, as well as a luxurious way of living to keep themselves content.
COST FOR DUBAI RETIREMENT VISA
Application fees for retirement visa in Dubai is AED 888.
FINE FOR DUBAI RETIREMENT VISA
It is AED 50 for the first day and continuing for 6 months and extra penalties after this.
The evolution of visa systems in Dubai played an important role in shaping the identity of Dubai that has diversified opportunities for people around the world, so the notable visas for all whether it is students, employees, family, retirees, businessmen or tourists, each of them could get an easy access to Dubai after the introduction of visas in 1971.
So this played a vital role in boosting the economy of Dubai and bringing diversification to it in order to cater for the needs of all.
TOURISM: Tourist visas, multiple entry visas, 14-day pre-approved visas and more made it super easy for the travellers to travel to this iconic place and visit all the significate places such as Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah and more.
And this, it attracted more than 17 million tourists yearly to experience the world’s best place that has so many fascinating things around, so this number is increasing gradually with an ease of tourist visa.
SKILLED TALENT: The opening of different visas has also given a path for global talent to work in their skilled professions, so this way it has benefited both the people with opportunities and Dubai to get a boost in the economy.
Be it technology, logistics, education, or healthcare in every sector they have fetched large talent for Dubai’s workforce.
ENTRY OF EXPATRIATES: The visa served as an easy peasy path for the expatriates to fly to Dubai anytime with flexible policies to consume healthcare, tourism, education, goods and more, and this directly raised the economy of Dubai, and today it has welcomed 90% expatriates to have wider exposure with access to all requirements.
MORE SPENDING: Visas based on business opened a platform to create new companies in Dubai where more employment encouraged more pending in the retail sector, healthcare and entertainment industry, again this has an optimistic impact on Dubai’s economy where more consumption of daily needs encouraged others to go into business sector to reach every need of people.
DEMAND FOR MORE BUILDINGS:The opening of Investor Visa and Golden Visa has let keen investors buy international property in both commercial and residential properties with the minimum investment, so more development of the real estate sector where about 795,000 residential units gives freedom to the buyers to pick their favourable unit from Dubai’s villa and apartment.
In fact, in 2025, about 28,700 villas are going to be added which means more options will bring more investors to have a diversified range of properties for both investment and personal use.
SUPPORT THROUGH OTHER INDUSTRIES: Direct and easy access to Dubai through visa has supported every industry of Dubai where aviation is one of the major ones as more than 17 million people are travelling, and further food, hotel, entertainment and transportation are some of the categories that have not taken advantage from tourism but have also created a pool of job opportunities for the locals.
So these are some non-oil sectors that have enhanced its overall presence where the major addition of visas has fostered the overall economy of Dubai to maintain its growth, international collaboration, occupation and innovation.
Targeting minors, illegal residents and job seekers there are some vital opening for visas that ensures a simplified and flexible experience in Dubai, so check out some of the 2025 visa policies: -
Aiming to give a smooth travelling experience to minors under 18 years of age where they can travel with one parent, now minors can fly too with fewer complications around.
The age limit is 18 years, but in some of the cases, it is 21 years if he is employed.
And in case, the minor is travelling alone, then a guardian letter or call it special permission is required to get trouble free entry in Dubai, so make sure the documentation and consent are taken well otherwise, legal consequences can be encountered.
So total cooperation will protect minors from potential exploitation and even safeguard them from every illegal activity.
FINE FOR DUBAI STRICTER VISA REGULATIONS FOR MINORS
AED 200 from first day and AED 100 from second day.
This program has allowed illegal residents to regularize their status or be out of the country without putting them in bars to face legal consequences, so this gives a ray of hope to a plethora of illegal expatriates living in Dubai.
Another way to allure skilled professionals to work in Dubai including professionals or talented job seekers to get a perfect job in Dubai where they have 6 months to find out their suitable jobs, and the age limit for this is under 55 years of age.
And visa doesn’t require any UAE sponsor or employer, and the cost for this visa is AED 1000 to AED 1500 with an addition of medical charges and Emirates ID.
FINE FOR DUBAI 6 MONTH VISA FOR JOB SEEKERS
One has to bear its fine which is AED 200, but 30 day grace period is enough to either leave or switch to another kind of visa.
For economic growth, security, flexibility, connectivity, real estate boom, innovation and technology, cultural exchange and more, the wide range of visas in Dubai has worked as the pillar to overall boost the niche of this place where more than 17 million people fly to invest, get jobs, settle, open business, study or just to explore this attraction.
And probably this is one of the prime reasons, Dubai is called as an “Expatriate City” where 90% of expats that is 3 million people majorly from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Middle East, the Philippines, Africa and Europe out of 3.5 million population in Dubai.
The tourist visa, employment visa, family visa, golden visa, visit visa, and free zone employment visa are the top six visa types that are highly used by expats, targeting every need and opportunity.
Depending on the visa type you apply for, a tourist visa takes 3 days, an employment visa takes time as it needs labour approval, medical treatment, and more. One can get the visa in 2 weeks, and for a golden visa, you need to wait for 3 weeks.
There is a fine for it, but it depends on the type of visa, so here is the list of visas along with the fine: -
