Dubai visa for Indians: how to get a UAE tourist visa, official fees

Most Indian passport holders need a UAE visa arranged before they fly to Dubai. You cannot get a UAE tourist visa from a UAE embassy. It is applied for on your behalf, inside the UAE, by an airline, a licensed travel agent, a hotel, or through the UAE’s own immigration authorities.

In Dubai, the official fee for a 30-day tourist visa is AED 200, plus 5% VAT. Anything above that is what the agent or airline charges for arranging it.

Everything below was read on official UAE government pages on 4 October 2026.

How a UAE tourist visa is arranged

The UAE government’s portal says:

You can apply for a tourist visa online through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security or the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai. You can also apply through airlines, licensed travel agents, or hotels.

(u.ae)

It also notes that “The UAE’s embassies do not issue tourist visas.”

The usual routes are:

• Your airline. UAE-based airlines arrange visas, with conditions. “One of the conditions is flying with them.”
• A licensed travel agent or hotel in the UAE, “provided you purchase the ticket through them and maintain hotel reservation with the specific hotel.”
• Directly, through the federal authority (ICP) or, for Dubai, the GDRFA.

Official fees in Dubai

From the Dubai GDRFA’s own service pages:

Visa	Stay	Official fee
Single-entry tourist visa	30 days	AED 200 + 5% VAT
Single-entry tourist visa	60 days	AED 300 + 5% VAT
Visit visa for a relative or friend	30, 60 or 90 days	AED 200, 300 or 400, plus a AED 1,000 security deposit

For the tourist visa, the GDRFA says it is issued through “establishments working in the field of tourism”, and that “Only accredited tourism offices in the emirate can issue this kind of visa.” Its conditions include an onward or return ticket and “Medical insurance valid in UAE” (gdrfad.gov.ae).

One inconsistency on that page: its description mentions paying a “financial security deposit”, but its fee list says “There is no security deposit amount on this type of visa.” Ask whoever arranges your visa which applies to you.

The relative-or-friend visa is for visiting “a relative or friend of a citizen or foreigner residing in UAE” (gdrfad.gov.ae).

Airlines, agents and hotels add their own charges on top of these government fees.

Visa on arrival

The UAE does give visas on arrival to some nationalities. Its portal says “Citizens of several countries can get a visa on arrival” and that the “Lists of countries eligible for visa on arrival may vary from time to time. Please check with the UAE embassy in your country before travelling” (u.ae).

You may read elsewhere that Indian citizens with a US visa or green card, or a UK or EU residence permit, can get a visa on arrival. We could not confirm this on any official UAE government page on 4 October 2026. Do not rely on it until the UAE embassy or your airline confirms it in writing. If it does not apply to you and you arrive without a visa, the airline will refuse to board you.

Your passport

“Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into the UAE.” The Dubai GDRFA says the same for its tourist visa. See also our passport validity rules.

Avoiding fake agents

The UAE government’s own advice:

It is important to check the authenticity of travel agents you are dealing with and refrain from paying or sending copies of your official documents until after you are 100 per cent sure the tour operator is genuine. You can seek the help of the UAE embassy in your country for verification.

If your visa was issued in Dubai, “you can verify its validity on the website of GDRFA” (u.ae).

And a visit visa is not a work permit: “Visit or tourist entry permit/visa does not give you right to work in the UAE.” Anyone offering a job on a tourist visa is offering something illegal. Our guide to fake visa websites covers more warning signs.

Checklist

• Arrange the visa before you fly, through your airline, a licensed agent or hotel, or the UAE authorities.
• Expect the government fee in Dubai to be AED 200 (30 days) or AED 300 (60 days), plus 5% VAT; the arranger may add a charge.
• Have 6 months’ passport validity, an onward ticket and travel medical insurance.
• Do not rely on a visa on arrival unless the UAE embassy or your airline confirms it.
• Check the agent is genuine before sending documents; verify a Dubai visa on the GDRFA site.
• See who needs a visa for the UAE and check every figure on the official page before you pay.