Entry permit

A visa may be required depending on your nationality to enter the UAE.

Nationals of Gulf Cooperation Council countries (full list available here) do not need any visa at all: they are free to enter the UAE without additional formalities.

Citizens of a number of countries (including Russia) do not need to prepare in advance for their trip either: they are granted a free tourist visa on arrival. Such free arrival visa can be granted for 30 (e.g. for citizens of Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand) or 90 days (e.g. for citizens of Israel, Russia, Latvia, Malta), depending on your nationality. You can check the information for each specific country here.
Should you have a passport from one of these countries, you will be stamped with the date of entry and the period of validity (30 or 90 days), the main thing is to either obtain another reason for being in the UAE (such as registering a company and obtaining a shareholder visa) or leave the UAE before this period expires.

NB! Should you enter the UAE and get such a stamp and proceed to obtain a shareholder or work visa for a longer period of time, it will cost you more as you will have to pay for the change of status. To avoid overpaying, the best option is to apply for a long-term visa from outside the UAE, and then enter on an entry permit.

For those who do require an entry permit, however, you need to take care of the grounds for entry in advance.

• Working purposes
• Tourism and transit
• Medical treatment
• Education
• Visiting relatives

An entry permit can allow single or multiple entries into the UAE and can be issued for different periods of time.

Please note that in order to obtain an entry permit, you will need a sponsor who will apply for your entry permit. Such a sponsor may be:

• UAE national
• An overseas resident with a residence permit valid in the UAE
• UAE registered airline
• UAE hotel or travel agent
• Public authority
• Private sector companies (including free zone companies).

You can find out more about the different types of entry permits and apply for an entry permit here.

What to do once you have obtained it

You normally have 60 days after you receive your entry permit to enter the UAE. You have to present this document at border control so that the border guard puts a border crossing stamp on it. Failure to do so may result in problems with obtaining a long-term residence permit.

Any entry permit can be renewed twice for 30 days. In the event of your permit expiring and you have no other legal reason to be in the UAE, you may be fined: AED 200 for the first day, AED 100 for each subsequent day and AED 100 as a fee.