Indian passport holders need a UAE visa (commonly searched as a Dubai visa) to enter Dubai, and there is no visa-free route: you either qualify for visa on arrival on the strength of a visa or residence permit you already hold from another country, or you apply for a tourist visa in advance. There is no separate document called a “Dubai visa”. UAE entry permits and visas are issued under federal law through two administering authorities: the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA-Dubai) for Dubai, so a traveller entering through Dubai normally holds a GDRFA-issued visa ( u.ae , where to apply for entry permits or visas , accessed 2026-08-10).
This guide is maintained by Zurich Kotak General Insurance, an IRDAI-registered general insurer in India and part of the Zurich Insurance Group. It covers the visa routes, the official fees, the documents and the timelines, and it links out to a dedicated guide wherever a step deserves more room than a summary. If you are only checking whether you can skip the visa entirely, the short answer is on our page on whether Dubai is visa-free for Indians , and the wider picture is in our guide to visa-free countries for Indians .
Travelling to Dubai? Get covered before you fly. Your entry permission pays nothing towards a hospital bill, and private healthcare in Dubai is expensive and billed upfront. Compare cover and get a quote for travel insurance for Dubai .
Types of Dubai visa for Indians
Indians travelling to Dubai use one of three tourist routes (visa on arrival if you qualify, a 30 or 60-day tourist visa, or the 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa) plus transit, business, employment and student categories for other purposes. The fees below are the official GDRFA-Dubai government charges. A package price from an airline, hotel or agent sits above them, partly because it carries a service charge and partly because the Dubai tourist route requires an accredited tourism establishment in the chain.
Tourist visa
The standard tourist visa comes in 30-day and 60-day versions, each available as single-entry or multiple-entry, and GDRFA-Dubai lists an expected completion time of 48 hours for the single-entry version. u.ae is explicit that this route is for people who do not qualify for something easier: “A tourist visa is for those who are not eligible for visa on arrival or a visa-free entry to the UAE” ( u.ae , tourist visa , accessed 2026-08-10).
Tourist visa | Permitted stay | Official fee (AED) | Approx. INR |
Single entry, 30 days | 30 days | 252 + 5% VAT | 6,860 |
Single entry, 60 days | 60 days | 352 + 5% VAT | 9,590 |
Multiple entry, 30 days | 30 days per entry | 300 + 5% VAT | 8,170 |
Multiple entry, 60 days | 60 days per entry | 500 + 5% VAT | 13,620 |
Fees are GDRFA-Dubai’s published government charges ( GDRFA-Dubai, single-entry tourist visa and multi-entry tourist visa , both accessed 2026-08-10), converted at 1 AED = INR 25.94 on 2026-08-10. For the full cost picture including agent service fees, express charges and what you can avoid paying, see our breakdown of Dubai visa fees and cost for Indians .
Multiple-entry and 5-year tourist visa
The 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa lets you stay 90 days per visit, extendable by a further 90 days, capped at 180 days in any one year. GDRFA-Dubai’s fee build-up totals AED 3,713.50 (about INR 96,330 at 1 AED = INR 25.94 on 2026-08-10), but AED 3,000 of that is a refundable guarantee deposit, not a charge, so the money you do not get back is AED 713.50, about INR 18,510. The build-up is application 100, issuance 500, refundable guarantee 3,000, warranty service 21, guarantee collection and return 20, Knowledge Dirham 10, Innovation Dirham 10 and a service fee of 52.50 ( GDRFA-Dubai, 5-year multi-entry tourist visa , accessed 2026-08-10).
This route asks for more than the standard tourist visa: a personal photo, a passport copy valid at least six months, a six-month bank statement showing a balance of USD 4,000 or the equivalent, a valid health insurance policy applicable in the UAE, valid for 180 days, and a ticket showing a continuing or return journey ( u.ae , tourist visa , accessed 2026-08-10).
Business visa
A business visa is ideal for those visiting Dubai for professional or commercial activities, such as attending meetings, conferences, or exhibitions.
Duration: Usually issued for a short period (14 to 30 days) but can be extended depending on the purpose of the visit.
Transit visa
A transit visa covers a stopover of no more than 48 or 96 hours and is applied for through an approved airline, not directly by the traveller. GDRFA-Dubai’s service card lists a fee of AED 50 (about INR 1,300 at 1 AED = INR 25.94 on 2026-08-10) plus the airline’s mediator fee, requires a recent colour photograph on a white background, a passport copy valid at least six months and a flight ticket confirming onward travel, and gives an expected completion time of 48 hours ( GDRFA-Dubai, transit visa , accessed 2026-08-10). A hotel booking is not on GDRFA’s required-documents list for this service. Our full guide covers when a stopover needs a visa at all and how the airline route works: Dubai transit visa for Indians .
Employment visa
For Indians seeking to work in Dubai, an employment visa is necessary. This visa is typically sponsored by the employer in Dubai.
Duration: Initially issued for 30 days, after which the company facilitates the processing of a work permit and residency visa.
Sponsorship: Must be provided by an employer in Dubai.
Student visa
Indians who wish to pursue their studies in Dubai can apply for a student visa. The institution you're enrolling in usually sponsors this visa.
Duration: Varies based on the length of the study program, typically issued for one year and renewable.
Dubai visa application process for Indians
Whether you can apply for yourself depends on the route. ICP’s federal channel accepts an application from the visitor directly for certain visa types, while GDRFA-Dubai’s tourist visa requires a UAE tourism establishment as the sponsor, which is why a hotel, airline or agency is normally in the chain on the Dubai route ( ICP smart services and GDRFA-Dubai, single-entry tourist visa , both accessed 2026-08-10). u.ae names the same set of channels: ICP, GDRFA-Dubai, “airlines, licensed travel agents, or hotels” ( u.ae , tourist visa , accessed 2026-08-10). So the gap between the government fee and a package price is part service charge and part structure, not simply a markup you can route around.
Step 1: Determine the type of visa
The first step is to decide the type of visa based on the purpose of your visit. Whether you're travelling for tourism, business, or transit, it's important to choose the appropriate visa.
Step 2: Gather required documents
The documentation required for a Dubai visa varies depending on the type of visa. However, some standard documents are common across most visa types:
Have your passport (valid at least six months from your date of entry) and one recent photo on a white background ready before you start; for a standard tourist visa, GDRFA-Dubai asks for very little else. Requirements differ sharply by visa type, and most agent checklists ask for more than the government does. The full list per route, and what a rejection usually turns on, is in our guide to the Dubai tourist visa documents and requirements for Indians .
Step 3: Apply through ICP, GDRFA-Dubai or an approved channel
Apply through ICP if you are entering through one of the other six emirates, and through GDRFA-Dubai if you are entering through Dubai. ICP’s smart services accept an application from the visitor directly for certain visa types. GDRFA-Dubai’s single-entry tourist visa works differently: its service card states that the sponsor or host in the UAE should be an establishment working in the field of tourism, and that only accredited tourism offices in the emirate can issue this kind of visa, so a hotel, airline or licensed agent is normally the applicant of record on that route ( ICP smart services and GDRFA-Dubai, single-entry tourist visa , both accessed 2026-08-10). Our walkthrough of both flows, screen by screen, is in how to apply for the Dubai e-visa online .
Step 4: Pay the visa fee
The official GDRFA-Dubai fee for a 30-day single-entry tourist visa is AED 252 plus 5% VAT, about INR 6,860, and AED 352 plus 5% VAT for the 60-day version, about INR 9,590 (1 AED = INR 25.94 on 2026-08-10). Multiple-entry versions are AED 300 and AED 500 plus VAT. What you actually pay is usually higher, because airlines, hotels and agents add a service charge and often bundle a small insurance policy into the package price; those are commercial charges, not a government tariff, and on the Dubai tourist route an accredited tourism establishment has to be involved either way. See the full breakdown, including which express options are worth paying for, in Dubai visa fees and cost for Indians .
Step 5: Visa processing time
GDRFA-Dubai lists an expected completion time of 48 hours for a single-entry tourist visa ( GDRFA-Dubai, single-entry tourist visa , accessed 2026-08-10). Timelines by visa type, what pushes an application into extra checks and how much buffer to leave before a booked flight are in Dubai visa processing time .
Documents required to apply for Dubai visa
For a standard 30-day or 60-day tourist visa, GDRFA-Dubai’s required-documents list has only two items for Indian applicants: one personal photo and a copy of your passport, valid at least six months ( GDRFA-Dubai, single-entry tourist visa , accessed 2026-08-10). UAE-valid medical insurance and a return ticket appear separately, in that service card’s terms and conditions rather than in the required-documents list, and there is no bank-statement requirement on this route. The 5-year multiple-entry visa is the exception and does require health insurance, a six-month bank statement and a return ticket as documents.
The complete checklist per visa type, the scan and file-format rules, and the mistakes that cause most rejections are in our guide to the Dubai tourist visa documents and requirements for Indians . Photograph specifications have their own page: Dubai visa photo size and specifications .
How to check Dubai visa status online?
For a Dubai-issued visa, check your status on the GDRFA-Dubai status enquiry service using your application number, transaction number and the date you paid; for a visa issued through one of the other six emirates, use ICP smart services instead ( GDRFA-Dubai status enquiry and u.ae , track visa application and validity , both accessed 2026-08-10). The web form does not accept a passport number on its own.
Our step-by-step guide covers both portals, the passport-number route inside the GDRFA-Dubai mobile app, what each status message actually means and what to do when a status has not moved: how to check your Dubai visa status online .
Dubai visa on arrival for Indians
Indians do not get visa on arrival in the UAE on the strength of an Indian passport alone. It is available only to an Indian ordinary-passport holder who also holds a qualifying document from another country: a US visa or permanent residence card, a residence visa issued by the UK or by a European Union member state, or a valid residence permit from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea or Singapore ( ICP media centre, 2026-06-25 and UAE Embassy New Delhi , both accessed 2026-08-10). Note the word residence: a Schengen visitor visa is a short-stay visa, not an EU residence visa, and does not qualify. Your passport and the qualifying document each need at least six months of validity.
There are two visa-on-arrival products rather than one, and a third figure applies to the Dubai channel: ICP publishes a 14-day visa at AED 100 that may be extended once, and a 60-day single-entry, non-extendable visa at AED 250, while GDRFA-Dubai quotes AED 253 for applications through its own Dubai channel ( ICP media centre, 2026-06-25 and GDRFA-Dubai, visa on arrival for citizens of India , both accessed 2026-08-10). Different authorities publish those figures for different things, so confirm which applies to your entry point before you budget.
Rupee equivalents, the full eligibility test, what happens at the immigration counter, the documents to carry, how the 14-day extension works and how family members are assessed are in Dubai visa on arrival for Indians . If you do not hold any of those documents, you are on the tourist visa route above, and the short version of why is on is Dubai visa-free for Indians .
Travel insurance and your Dubai visa
The UAE conditions its tourist visas on holding medical insurance valid in the UAE, and for the 5-year multi-entry visa it is an explicit required document alongside a six-month bank statement and a return ticket. For a standard 30-day or 60-day tourist visa, GDRFA-Dubai does not ask you to upload a policy, but UAE-valid medical insurance is a stated condition of the visa, set out in the terms and conditions of the same service card that lists the two documents you do upload ( GDRFA-Dubai, single-entry tourist visa and 5-year multi-entry tourist visa , both accessed 2026-08-10).
Agents and airlines routinely bundle a small policy into their visa package price, which is why aggregator sites quote figures like AED 40 for a 30-day policy. Those are agent and market prices rather than a government tariff, and a bundled minimum-cover policy is sized to clear a paperwork condition, not to pay a Dubai hospital bill. Confirm what your own visa channel requires, and on what terms, before you rely on anything bundled.
What Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel plan covers for Dubai
A Dubai hospital admission is billed upfront and at commercial rates, and your visa pays none of it. That is the reason to carry cover, whichever visa route you are on.
Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel plan covers Dubai on the Asia geography, on the Excel tier with a sum insured up to USD 100,000 or the Prime tier up to USD 500,000, with a maximum entry age of 70. Cover includes emergency medical treatment and hospitalisation, evacuation and repatriation, baggage and passport loss, and trip delay, cancellation and interruption, up to plan limits. Cashless treatment is offered through the overseas assistance network where available, which in Dubai includes hospitals such as Mediclinic City Hospital; the network list can change, so confirm the current empanelled hospitals with the 24x7 assistance line before you rely on cashless care.
If your visa is refused, the optional Visa Cost Cover reimburses the visa fee itself, not the insurance premium, on rejection or on denial of entry on arrival; this cover is not available on annual multi-trip policies.
Travelling to Dubai? Get covered before you fly. Compare the Excel and Prime tiers and get a quote for travel insurance for Dubai in three steps, before or after your visa is approved.
How can Indians extend their Dubai visa?
A UAE tourist visa can be extended without leaving the country, one or more times, up to a cumulative maximum of 120 days. GDRFA-Dubai’s extension service asks only for a passport copy, gives an expected completion time of 48 hours, and lists fees of AED 600 plus 5% VAT, a Knowledge Dirham and an Innovation Dirham of AED 10 each, and an inside-country fee of AED 500, so budget roughly AED 1,150 in total, about INR 29,830 at 1 AED = INR 25.94 on 2026-08-10 ( GDRFA-Dubai, extending a tourist visa , accessed 2026-08-10). Apply before your current visa expires: as of 2026 there is no grace period on a tourist visa, so an application filed late is an overstay.
Visa on arrival is a separate case, and which of the two versions you were given decides whether you have any option at all: the 14-day visa on arrival may be extended once during your stay, while the 60-day version is issued as single-entry and non-extendable ( ICP media centre, 2026-06-25 , accessed 2026-08-10). The mechanics are covered on our Dubai visa on arrival for Indians page.
What are overstaying fines for Indians in Dubai?
Overstaying a UAE visa is charged at AED 50 per day, about INR 1,300 at 1 AED = INR 25.94 on 2026-08-10 ( ICP media centre, 2026-06-25 , accessed 2026-08-10). That single rate replaced the different tariffs that previously applied by visa type and by emirate, which is why older guides still quote AED 100 a day. Reporting also indicates that the 10-day grace period which used to apply to tourist and visit visas has been removed, so charges start the day after your visa expires. Fines are checked and paid through ICP smart services, the GDRFA-Dubai website or the UAE Pass app.
Extend before you expire rather than after. An unpaid fine is also a practical problem on the way out, and a poor compliance record can affect a future UAE visa application.
Frequently asked questions
Do Indians need a visa for Dubai? Yes. Indian passport holders are not visa-free for the UAE. You either qualify for visa on arrival, which depends on already holding a qualifying visa or residence permit from another country, or you apply for a UAE tourist visa in advance through ICP, GDRFA-Dubai, an airline, a licensed travel agent or a hotel.
Can Indians get a Dubai visa on arrival with a UK visa? Yes. ICP’s announcement of 2026-06-25 names the United Kingdom explicitly among the qualifying countries of residence, and does so while expanding the scheme rather than narrowing it, so the claim circulating on some non-government websites that the UK route was withdrawn during 2026 is not supported by any UAE government source. The qualifying document must be a UK residence visa rather than a short-stay visitor visa, and it and your passport each need at least six months of validity.
How much does a Dubai visa cost for Indians? GDRFA-Dubai’s official fees are AED 252 plus 5 percent VAT for a 30-day single-entry tourist visa and AED 352 plus 5 percent VAT for the 60-day version, which is about INR 6,860 and INR 9,590 at 1 AED = INR 25.94 on 2026-08-10. Multiple-entry versions are AED 300 and AED 500 plus VAT. Agent package prices are higher because they include a service fee and often a bundled insurance policy.
Is travel insurance mandatory for a Dubai visa? It depends on the visa. The UAE conditions its tourist visas on holding medical insurance valid in the UAE, and for the 5-year multi-entry tourist visa it is an explicit required document alongside a six-month bank statement and a return ticket. For a standard 30-day or 60-day tourist visa, GDRFA-Dubai does not ask you to upload a policy, but UAE-valid medical insurance is a stated condition of the visa.
How long does a Dubai visa take to process? GDRFA-Dubai lists an expected completion time of 48 hours for a single-entry tourist visa, and the same 48 hours for a transit visa and for a visa extension. Allow longer around UAE public holidays and if your application goes to additional checks.
What happens if you overstay a Dubai visa? Overstaying is charged at AED 50 per day, about INR 1,300 at 1 AED = INR 25.94 on 2026-08-10, a single rate published by ICP that replaced the different tariffs previously applied by visa type and by emirate. Reporting also indicates the previous 10-day grace period for tourist and visit visas has been removed, so charges start the day after your visa expires. Fines are paid through ICP smart services, the GDRFA-Dubai website or UAE Pass.
Before you book your Dubai trip
Work out your route first (visa on arrival if you qualify, otherwise a 30-day, 60-day or 5-year tourist visa), then apply through the channel that route uses: ICP directly for the other six emirates, and an accredited tourism establishment for the GDRFA-Dubai tourist visa. Check the current fee on the government service card on the day you apply, because UAE fees and entry rules have both changed more than once in the last two years. Leave a buffer between your visa approval and your flight, and extend before your visa expires rather than after, since there is no grace period.
Then sort the cover. Whatever your visa route asks for, entry permission pays nothing towards a hospital bill, and a Dubai private hospital bills upfront. Get a quote for travel insurance for Dubai before you fly.
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