UAE VISA PRICE: QUICK ANSWER
How much does a UAE visa cost in 2026?
For a straightforward Dubai tourist application, GDRFA currently lists AED 200 for a 30-day single-entry visa and AED 300 for a 60-day single-entry visa, plus 5% VAT. That makes the published base-plus-VAT amounts about AED 210 and AED 315 before any airline, travel-company, insurance or optional handling charge.
Multiple-entry Dubai tourism currently has base fees of AED 300 for 30 days and AED 500 for 60 days, plus 5% VAT—about AED 315 and AED 525 before third-party charges.
A family/friend visit, job-exploration visa, 5-year tourist visa or residence visa can look much more expensive because financial guarantees, insurance, Emirates ID, medical fitness, work permits and status-adjustment charges can be separate line items.
Always ask whether the amount you are being quoted is: government fee only, total payable today, or full end-to-end cost. Those are three different numbers.
Prices on this page are current published official line items as of 21 September 2026. A tourism company, airline, Amer/typing center or other service provider may legally add its own service charge.
WHY TWO QUOTES CAN BOTH BE LEGITIMATE
A UAE visa quote can contain up to seven different cost layers
When someone asks 'how much is a Dubai visa?', the useful answer is not a single number unless the visa type and application channel are known.
A visitor application can include a base issuance fee, VAT, health insurance, refundable financial security, guarantee handling, inside-country charges and sponsor/agency processing. A residence case can add entry permit, work permit, residence issuance, medical fitness, Emirates ID, insurance, delivery and status adjustment.
The biggest source of confusion is a refundable financial guarantee being advertised as though it were a visa fee. A AED 1,000 or AED 3,000 guarantee can be payable upfront but is not the same as a non-refundable government issuance charge.
DUBAI TOURIST VISA FEES
30-day and 60-day tourist visa prices
GDRFA Dubai currently offers 30- and 60-day single- and multiple-entry tourist visas through accredited tourism establishments.
The current service cards state there is no security deposit for these standard Dubai tourist visa categories. Passport validity, onward/departure ticket and valid UAE health insurance conditions still apply.
The figures below are government base fees plus the published 5% VAT only. They do not include an external travel-company or airline processing charge.
PRICE FOR DUBAI VISA FROM INDIA
Indian travellers do not have one nationality-specific tourist price
For an Indian traveller who uses the ordinary pre-arranged Dubai tourist route, the Dubai government base fees are the same tourist-service fees shown above; nationality itself does not create a separate GDRFA tariff for the standard 30/60-day tourism service.
What can change the cost is eligibility for the special 14-day/60-day route, the airline used, or additional documentary/service charges. ICP currently lists the special 14-day permit at AED 100 issuance + AED 100 smart-services fee and the special 60-day permit at AED 250 issuance + AED 100 smart-services fee for eligible nationals who meet the foreign-residence/visa conditions.
Emirates currently publishes its own pre-arranged airline prices in US dollars: US$90 for a 30-day single-entry tourist visa, US$136 for 30-day multiple entry, US$177 for 60-day single entry and US$231 for 60-day multiple entry, inclusive of VAT. Those are Emirates-channel prices, not universal UAE government prices.
VISITING FAMILY OR A FRIEND
A visit visa can cost more upfront because of the financial security
GDRFA Dubai's single-entry relative/friend visit service is available for 30, 60 or 90 days and currently includes a AED 1,000 financial security amount.
It also lists AED 20 guarantee-service fee, AED 40 collection/refund fee, separate insurance and 5% VAT on the visa fee.
The following 'upfront subtotal' adds those published items together. The AED 1,000 security is included because you may need to pay it upfront, but it should not be treated as a permanent visa cost if it is later refunded under the authority's rules.
MULTIPLE-ENTRY RELATIVE / FRIEND VISIT
Multiple-entry visits use a larger AED 2,000 financial guarantee
GDRFA Dubai currently lists multi-entry relative/friend visit base fees of AED 300 for 30 days, AED 500 for 60 days and AED 700 for 90 days, plus 5% VAT.
The financial guarantee rises to AED 2,000 for this multiple-entry category, with AED 20 guarantee-service fee, AED 40 collection/refund fee and insurance of AED 40/60/90 according to duration.
This is why a multiple-entry family-visit quote can be several thousand dirhams even though the actual visa issuance fee is only a few hundred dirhams.
5-YEAR MULTIPLE-ENTRY TOURIST VISA
Current ICP line items total AED 3,720 upfront—AED 3,000 of that is a financial guarantee
ICP's current 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa is available to all nationalities subject to the eligibility requirements.
The published fees are AED 100 application, AED 500 issuance, AED 100 smart-services, AED 3,000 visa financial guarantee and AED 20 financial-guarantee deposit fee.
Those line items add up to AED 3,720 upfront. But calling the full AED 3,720 the 'visa fee' is misleading because AED 3,000 is the financial guarantee. ICP states that the guarantee can be refunded through the prescribed process after compliant visa cancellation/exit and no residence violations.
Applicants must also meet the separate financial eligibility requirement of at least US$4,000 or equivalent during the preceding six months and provide insurance, accommodation and return-ticket evidence.
48-HOUR AND 96-HOUR TRANSIT
Transit visa prices depend on the sponsoring airline
The UAE's transit visas are arranged through UAE-based airlines. This is a good example of why airline price and government service price should not be mixed.
Emirates currently publishes US$10 for a 48-hour visa and US$49 for a 96-hour visa. Etihad currently publishes AED 55 for 48 hours and AED 216 for 96 hours.
Both are legitimate airline-channel figures. The difference does not mean one airline is using an invalid visa; it means the application route and service pricing differ.
60 / 90 / 120-DAY JOB EXPLORATION
Jobseeker visas have a low base fee but a AED 1,000 security amount
GDRFA Dubai currently lists job-exploration base fees of AED 200 for 60 days, AED 300 for 90 days and AED 400 for 120 days, plus 5% VAT.
The current service also includes a AED 1,000 financial guarantee, AED 20 guarantee-service fee and AED 40 guarantee collection/refund fee.
Using only the published government line items, the approximate upfront subtotals before provider charges or inside-country fees are shown below.
PURPOSE-SPECIFIC VISIT VISAS
Study/training and business-exploration visas use their own price tables
GDRFA Dubai's study/training visit visa currently lists AED 200 for 30 days, AED 300 for 60 days and AED 400 for 180 days, plus 5% VAT and a AED 1,000 financial security.
Business-opportunity exploration currently lists AED 200 for 60 days, AED 300 for 90 days and AED 400 for 120 days, plus 5% VAT and a AED 1,000 financial security.
If the purpose of travel is study, training, business exploration or job exploration, use the purpose-specific visa instead of buying a generic tourist visa just because the base price looks similar.
FOREIGN GCC RESIDENTS ENTERING THE UAE
Current Dubai GCC-resident eVisa line items total AED 252.50 before any provider charge
A foreign national resident in another GCC state must obtain the UAE GCC-resident entry permit before travel if using this route.
GDRFA Dubai currently lists AED 52.50 service fee, AED 100 application fee and AED 100 issuance fee.
Those published line items total AED 252.50. The traveler must still meet the residence-validity, passport-validity and approved-profession conditions.
EXTENDING INSIDE THE UAE
Dubai tourist visa extension is currently AED 600 + 5% VAT
GDRFA Dubai currently lists AED 600 plus 5% VAT for extending an eligible single- or multiple-entry tourist visa.
If the sponsored person is inside the country, the service card also lists AED 10 Knowledge Dirham, AED 10 Innovation Dirham and AED 500 inside-country fee where applicable.
That means the headline 'AED 600 extension' can become substantially higher depending on the transaction circumstances. It is another reason to ask whether a quoted price includes the inside-country amount.
The same AED 600 + VAT structure appears on several Dubai visit-extension services, but the maximum permitted stay differs by visa category.
2-YEAR VISA UAE PRICE
A 2-year employment residence does not have one single all-inclusive visa fee
Searches for '2 years visa Dubai price' often mix four separate systems: MOHRE work permit, immigration residence permit, Emirates ID and medical fitness.
For Dubai private-sector residence, GDRFA currently lists a AED 200 residence-permit fee, AED 10 Knowledge Dirham, AED 10 Innovation Dirham and AED 20 delivery. That is AED 240 in published residence line items before any inside-country fee. If the relevant transaction is processed as inside-country, GDRFA lists another AED 500.
ICP's federal residence service uses a different structure: AED 100 application + AED 100 per year residence issuance + AED 100 smart services. For a two-year permit that core ICP residence subtotal is AED 400, before medical, ID, work-permit, insurance or status adjustment.
An Emirates ID for a resident currently costs AED 100 per year plus AED 100 smart-services fee, so a two-year ID has published line items totaling AED 300. Dubai Health's standard medical fitness package is currently AED 270.
For an employment case, the MOHRE work permit is another separate employer-side cost and varies according to establishment/worker classification. UAE labour law places recruitment and employment costs on the employer rather than the worker.
WORKING VISA COST IS NOT JUST IMMIGRATION
MOHRE work-permit fees vary by establishment and worker classification
The private-sector work permit sits alongside the immigration residence process. MOHRE's published service-fee schedule shows different federal permit charges depending on employer classification and skill category.
MOHRE has also published that company classification affects two-year work-permit costs, with lower fees for compliant higher-tier establishments and higher charges for lower categories.
The most important worker-facing rule is simpler: UAE labour law prohibits the employer from charging the worker recruitment and employment costs directly or indirectly.
Therefore, a worker should not use a high MOHRE company fee as evidence that he or she personally owes that amount.
OWN VISA COST IN UAE
'Own visa' is not one official visa category
People commonly search 'own visa', 'self visa', 'freelance visa' or 'Azad visa'. Those phrases are not interchangeable government service names.
Legitimate self-sponsored or sponsor-free routes can include Green Residence for eligible skilled employees/freelancers/self-employed people, virtual-work residence, Golden Residence, property-owner residence and other defined categories.
If somebody sells an 'Azad visa' for one cash price without identifying the actual work permit, residence sponsor, establishment and government service, do not assume you are buying a recognised independent visa category. Ask for the exact ICP/GDRFA/MOHRE service name and application reference.
A residence permit by itself does not automatically give unrestricted permission to work for any employer. Work authorisation follows the applicable labour/work-permit rules.
LONG-TERM SELF-SPONSORED RESIDENCE
ICP's core Green and Golden residence issuance fees are much lower than the full end-to-end cost
ICP currently lists Green Residence issuance at AED 100 application + AED 100 per year for five years + AED 100 smart-services fee. That gives AED 700 in core residence issuance line items.
For a 10-year Golden Residence, ICP currently lists AED 100 application + AED 100 per year for ten years + AED 100 smart-services fee, which gives AED 1200 in core residence issuance line items.
Those figures do not mean a person can obtain a complete Green or Golden Residence for only those totals. Eligibility approvals, entry visa where applicable, medical fitness, Emirates ID, insurance, local authority/nomination costs and category-specific services can be separate.
For example, a Dubai property investor can face real-estate authority service packages that are significantly higher than the core ICP residence issuance line items because the package includes additional property/identity/medical/administrative services.
RESIDENCE PRICE INCLUDES MORE THAN 'VISA'
Resident Emirates ID currently costs AED 100 per year + AED 100 smart-services fee
ICP's current new Emirates ID service lists AED 100 for each year of residence for residents plus AED 100 smart-services fee.
For a two-year residence, the published ID line items therefore total AED 300. For a five-year residence, the ID issuance component becomes higher because the per-year fee follows the residence validity.
This is one reason quotes for a residence visa should state whether Emirates ID is included.
MEDICAL FITNESS IS A SEPARATE COST
Dubai standard visa medical is currently AED 270; faster packages cost more
Dubai Health currently lists AED 270 for its standard medical fitness examination with a published 24-working-hour turnaround.
Its Premium package is AED 700 for a 6-working-hour service, VIP is AED 1,020 for 2 working hours, and Smart Salem is AED 700 with a published 30-working-minute service.
If a residence quote includes medical, ask which package is being used. Paying AED 700 for medical does not necessarily mean the agent has added AED 430 profit—it may mean a Premium or Smart Salem package was selected.
WHAT HAPPENED TO 'VISA STAMPING'?
The old physical residence-sticker system was replaced by Emirates ID and electronic residence data
People still search 'Dubai visa stamping fee' or 'visa stamping fees in UAE', but the federal residence sticker was discontinued in 2022 and Emirates ID became the main proof of residence, with residence details available electronically.
So a modern quote should identify the actual service being charged—residence issuance, Emirates ID, delivery, status adjustment or service-center processing—rather than using 'stamping' as an unexplained blanket fee.
Some local workflows and service-center language may still use the word 'stamping' informally, but do not assume it refers to a separate federal passport-sticker fee.
STATUS CHANGE WITHOUT LEAVING
Inside-UAE processing can add AED 500 on many Dubai services
Several GDRFA visitor and residence service cards list an additional AED 500 inside-country fee when the beneficiary is already inside the UAE.
Dubai services can also list AED 10 Knowledge Dirham and AED 10 Innovation Dirham depending on the transaction.
ICP's residence service separately lists AED 500 for Status Adjustment where applicable.
This is why an inside-country visa change can be materially more expensive than applying while outside the UAE. Ask whether the quote is for outside-country issuance or inside-country status adjustment.
ENDING A RESIDENCE ALSO HAS A FEE
Current residence cancellation charges differ between Dubai and ICP
GDRFA Dubai currently lists AED 100 for residence permit cancellation plus AED 10 Knowledge Dirham and AED 10 Innovation Dirham.
ICP currently lists AED 50 application fee and AED 100 smart-services fee for ordinary residence cancellation, with a separate AED 100 exceptional-cancellation item on its service card.
Large figures sometimes seen on cancellation pages can be financial guarantees for special circumstances, not ordinary cancellation fees. For example, ICP lists AED 5,000 as a guarantee in a sponsor/family residence hold situation; that is not the normal price of cancelling a visa.
BEFORE YOU PAY ANY VISA COMPANY
Ask for these 10 items in writing
CHEAPEST IS NOT ALWAYS SAFEST