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Short Stay

Dubai Visit Visa Services

Thirty days or sixty, single entry or multiple, sponsored by a relative, a company or nobody at all. We file the right one and keep the return-ticket and hotel evidence in order.

Apply for a Visit Visa Call +971 52 933 0454
30 & 60 Day Single or multiple entry
Sponsor Handled Family, company or self
Extension Ready Without an exit run

What is a Dubai visit visa and how long does it last?

A visit visa is a short-stay permit for tourism or visiting family, issued for 30 or 60 days as a single or multiple entry. It does not permit work. Many nationalities receive a visa on arrival instead. Where a visa is needed in advance, it can be sponsored by a UAE resident, a company, a hotel or an airline.

Dubai Visit Visa Services at a glance
Issuing authoritiesICP and GDRFA Dubai
Durations30 days or 60 days; single or multiple entry
Who can sponsorA UAE resident relative, a licensed company, a hotel, an airline, or self-sponsored routes
Work permittedNo
ExtensionAvailable in-country in most cases, for a fee
What MSM handlesEligibility check, sponsor documents, application, extension and status change

Last updated 2 August 2026 · Reviewed by Sarah Jenkins, Residency & Immigration Advisor. Fees and timelines are set by the issuing authority and change without notice — confirm current figures before you budget.

Do you need a visit visa, or do you get one on arrival?

Check this first, because it decides whether you need us at all. Passport holders from a large group of countries receive a visa on arrival at UAE airports, with the duration set by nationality. Everyone else applies in advance.

The list changes. We check the current position for your passport before quoting, and if you do not need a visa we say so.

  • Visa on arrival applies to many nationalities, with duration set per country
  • GCC nationals do not require a visa
  • GCC residents of certain professional categories have their own eligibility
  • Advance application is required for everyone else
Traveller with a passport at a Dubai airport arrivals hall

Who can sponsor a visit visa to Dubai?

Several parties can, and the choice affects the documents rather than the outcome. A UAE resident can sponsor a visiting relative, subject to a relationship proof and, in some cases, a salary condition. A licensed UAE company can sponsor a business visitor. Hotels and airlines sponsor tourists as part of a booking.

There are also self-sponsored routes where no UAE-based sponsor is needed at all, which suits visitors with no family or business connection here.

  • Resident sponsoring a relative: relationship certificate, attested where issued abroad
  • Company sponsoring a visitor: trade licence and a letter on letterhead
  • Hotel or airline sponsorship: tied to the booking
  • Self-sponsored: financial and return-travel evidence carries more weight
UAE resident preparing sponsor documents for a family visit visa at home

What gets a visit visa application rejected?

Rarely one big thing. Usually a small inconsistency: a passport scan with a cut-off corner, a photograph that does not meet the specification, a name spelled differently across two documents, or a previous overstay that was never settled.

The last one is the hardest to fix after the fact. Immigration records travel with the passport number, and an unpaid overstay from a previous trip surfaces at exactly the wrong moment.

  • Photograph must meet the immigration specification, not a phone selfie
  • Names must match exactly across passport, application and sponsor documents
  • Previous overstays or unsettled fines block new applications
  • Passport must have at least six months validity from entry
Visa application documents and a passport laid out on a desk in Dubai

Can a visit visa be converted to a residence visa?

Often, yes, through an in-country status change — and that is the point at which a visit visa becomes genuinely useful to someone relocating. A person here on a visit visa with a job offer can, in many cases, change status to an employment entry permit without leaving.

Eligibility depends on the current visa type and nationality, and it is checked per case rather than assumed. Do not book a job start date around it until it has been confirmed.

  • Status change avoids an exit and re-entry in most cases
  • The employer must have the work permit approved first
  • Some visa types and nationalities are excluded
  • The alternative is a short exit and re-entry on the new permit
Job candidate meeting an employer in a Dubai office ahead of a status change

How MSM handles a visit visa application

  1. Eligibility checkWe confirm whether your nationality needs a visa in advance at all. If it does not, we tell you and there is nothing to pay.
  2. Choose duration and sponsorThirty or sixty days, single or multiple entry, and who sponsors. The sponsor decides which documents you need to produce.
  3. Prepare the packPassport scan to specification, photograph, sponsor documents, and the travel and accommodation evidence the channel expects.
  4. Submit and trackFiled through the approved channel and tracked to issue. Queries from immigration come back to us, not to you.
  5. Issue and briefYou get the visa with the entry deadline and the exit date stated plainly, so the extension decision is not left to the last week.

Which visit visa fits your trip?

Durations and entry types currently offered. Confirm eligibility for your nationality before applying.
VisaBest forNotes
30-day single entryA short holiday or one business tripExtendable in-country in most cases
60-day single entryExtended family visits, job huntingLonger runway if a status change is planned
30-day multiple entryRegional business travel based in DubaiEach entry counts against the stay allowance
60-day multiple entryFrequent GCC travel over two monthsUseful where trips to Oman or Saudi are planned
Visa on arrivalEligible nationalitiesNo advance application; duration set by nationality
5-year multi-entry touristRepeat visitors with financial evidenceStay per visit is capped; conditions apply
The mistake we see most: Counting the stay from the date the visa was issued rather than the date of entry. The visa has an entry deadline and the stay clock starts when you land. People arrive late in the validity window, assume they have the full period from arrival, and are correct — but they book a flight out based on the issue date and end up short.
MSM tip: Settle any old overstay fine on the passport before applying, even a small one from years ago. It surfaces in the application and it is far cheaper to clear it deliberately than to have an application rejected and re-filed.

What documents do you need?

Documents for a Dubai visit visa

Passport copy with at least six months validity, full page and clear
Passport-size photograph meeting the immigration specification
Confirmed return or onward ticket
Hotel booking or the host's address in the UAE
Sponsor's Emirates ID and passport copy, where a resident sponsors
Sponsor's tenancy contract and salary certificate, for family sponsorship
Trade licence and letter on letterhead, for company sponsorship
Relationship certificate, attested, for spouse or child sponsorship

For family sponsorship the relationship certificate is the item that most often fails. A marriage or birth certificate issued abroad usually needs attestation in the country of issue and then by MOFAIC before immigration will accept it.

Visit Visa Extension

Extend your stay in-country without an exit run.

UAE Visa Change

Convert a visit visa to a residence visa without leaving the country.

Family Visa

Long-term sponsorship for a spouse, children or parents.

Sources

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work on a Dubai visit visa?
No. A visit visa permits tourism and family or business visits only. Taking up employment on one, even short-term or unpaid, is a violation that affects both the visitor and the company.
How long can I stay on a Dubai visit visa?
Thirty or sixty days depending on the visa issued, counted from the date you enter the UAE, not the date the visa was issued. The visa also carries a separate deadline by which you must enter.
Do I need a sponsor for a Dubai visit visa?
Not always. Hotels, airlines and self-sponsored routes exist alongside resident and company sponsorship. Which one you use changes the documents required rather than the visa you receive.
What is the fine for overstaying a visit visa?
A daily fine applies from the day after your permitted stay ends, and it accrues until you exit or regularise. Settle it before you travel; an unpaid overstay blocks future applications on the same passport.
Can I convert my visit visa to a work visa?
In many cases yes, through an in-country status change once your employer has the work permit approved. Eligibility depends on your nationality and current visa type, so confirm before planning around it.
How long does a visit visa take to issue?
Commonly a few working days for a complete application. Incomplete sponsor documents, a photograph that does not meet specification, or an unsettled previous overstay are what turn days into weeks.

Bringing family or a colleague to Dubai?

Send us the passport and nationality. We will confirm whether a visa is even needed, then quote the right duration.

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Apply for a Dubai Visit Visa

Tell us the nationality and how long the stay needs to be. We check eligibility before anything is charged.

Hotline: +971 52 933 0454

Email: info@msmdoc.com

Office: Deira, Dubai — serving all seven emirates.