Free UAE Transit Visa for 48 hours coming in 2018!

UAE has long been the promised land. With some big airlines, such as Emirates being built out there, they have captured massive market share from the Indian customers, and a long-standing cultural relationship between the two countries, Dubai has always been on the wishlist of everyone who wants to travel abroad. Now what if we told you, you could get a Dubai Transit Visa, free of cost, to be able to step inside the country and not just the airport.

Dubai Transit Visa

The UAE has been making it easier for people to enter the country over the past couple of years. While many western nations already got a Visa on Arrival (for 30 days or 90 days), the rules have been changed recently to make it easier for Indians to visit the UAE. First, there was the Visa on Arrival for Indians, which I tried out and reported back on. It costs 100 Dirham only and is a great tool to plan last minute trips to the UAE.

But now, there is an even better thing coming, and not just for Indians but for everyone. In a cabinet meeting last week to consider Visa reforms, the UAE government decided that everyone who is transiting the country shall be able to get a 48-hour free transit visa to enter the country for free. If they want to stay on for another 48 hours, they would be able to adjust their visa status for AED 50 ($14/INR 932). Obtaining transit visa will be facilitated by some express counters at the passport-control hall across UAE airports.

dubai transit visa

Remember, 70% of the people who use the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other UAE airports are transit passengers, and not originating or terminating their journey in the Middle-East. So, these millions of passengers who fly through Dubai, Abu Dhabi or other UAE airports, who can now access Dubai or Abu Dhabi for a day or two are an excellent way for the country to introduce more people to their country and increase their tourism.
While the date for this notification is not notified yet, it won’t be long before it should be able to plan a stopover in the UAE. If you end up in the UAE, do remember, the Entertainer App and the Dubai Pass are two ways to find your way around town for cheap!
What do you think about the new move from the UAE to give out free Transit visas to everyone who wants it?

About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

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Comments

  1. As usual UAE announces something without any implementation plan. I tried to book this but Emirates and Etihad are not even aware of it. Guess Qatar will get my business and benefit from my visit.

    • @Haroon, if you would have clicked past the headline and read through the whole thing, it said clearly that the policy decision is made but the final details are yet to be worked out.

  2. I have a group of 50 pax travelling back from Cairo (Egypt) to Mumbai (India) visa AUH. can we avail transit visa for our group for 96 Hours.

  3. Hi Ajay,

    I have a plan to visit Dubai in November while returning from Poland and I am planning to book tickets from Poland to Dubai and then from Dubai to Poland as separate one-way tickets.

    Will this be considered as transit stay and in turn will be eligible for transit visa? or, only a single PNR ticket with layover of whatever time is considered for transit visa?

    • I meant to say ‘planning to book tickets from Poland to Dubai and then Dubai to India’ above. Sorry for the typo.

      • @Ajay, the above itinerary is fixed regardless of the fact whether the policy come into effect before my travel dates :).

        My main query is whether my stay will be treated as transit stay or not,
        so that if at all this policy gets implemented before my travel dates, whether I will save Visa fees or not:).

        Thanks in advance.

        • @Prashant, like I said ahead, I wouldn’t know. The decision has been taken by the ministers right now. How the bureaucracy implements it, is unknown.

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