Indian passport holders need a UAE visa to enter Dubai, and in 2026 it is the easiest visa an Indian traveller can get: applied for online, issued as a PDF in three to four working days, no interview and no consulate visit. This guide covers the documents, the types and their fees at September 2026 prices, the timing, the visa on arrival that lets some Indians skip the application, and the mistakes that get applications refused.
Who needs one
Every Indian passport holder needs a visa or an entry permit for the UAE. There are two routes:
- Apply in advance for a tourist visa: the route for most travellers, and the one our Dubai packages handle for you.
- Visa on arrival, 14 days, for Indians who hold a valid visa or residence permit from the United States, the United Kingdom, an EU country, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore or South Korea, or a US green card. The supporting document should be valid for at least six months from the date of entry. The 14 days can be extended once, for a fee, at the airport immigration office or online.
An expired US visa does not qualify, and neither does a visa for a country outside that list. When in doubt, apply in advance: the visa costs less than a day lost at the airport.
Documents
- A colour scan of the passport's front and back pages. The passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you enter the UAE and have two blank pages.
- A recent colour photograph on a plain white background, passport size, no glasses.
- A confirmed return flight ticket. Some processors ask for it, some issue the visa first; either way, book the flight before the visa.
- A hotel booking, asked for by some processors. The package confirmation covers it.
- For children, the child's passport and the parent's passport; for a first-time international traveller, some processors ask for a PAN card copy or a bank statement as proof of funds.
- Travel insurance covering the UAE is asked for by a few processors and is sensible anyway; ₹600 to ₹1,200 for a week.
Scan quality matters more than people expect. A phone photo of the passport at an angle, with a shadow across the number, is the commonest reason an application bounces back a day later.
Visa types and fees, September 2026
| Type | Stay | Fee, all in | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-day single entry | 30 days | ₹7,500 to ₹9,500 | Every normal Dubai holiday |
| 60-day single entry | 60 days | ₹14,000 to ₹18,000 | Long stays, Dubai plus Oman loops |
| 30-day multiple entry | 30 days, in and out | ₹12,000 to ₹16,000 | Dubai and Oman by road and back |
| 48-hour and 96-hour transit | 2 or 4 days | ₹1,500 to ₹4,000 | A stopover on a longer flight |
| 14-day visa on arrival | 14 days | About AED 100 to 120 at the airport | Holders of the visas listed above |
The government's own fee for the 30-day visa is AED 252 plus 5 percent VAT, roughly ₹6,900 at September 2026 rates; the rest of what an agent charges is processing. Airlines (Emirates, IndiGo, Air India Express) and large agents sell visas at similar prices, and the visa does not have to come from the airline you fly. Fees change without much notice; confirm the current figure before you pay.
Timing
- Standard processing: three to four working days. Fridays and Saturdays are the UAE weekend for government offices, so an application filed on a Thursday evening moves on Monday.
- Express: 24 to 36 hours, for about ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 extra.
- Validity: the visa is valid for entry for 60 days from the date of issue. Apply a month ahead without worry; apply two months ahead and it may expire before you fly.
- Peak seasons: the queue lengthens in the second half of December and around Eid. Apply at least ten days before flying then.
How the process works, step by step
- Book the flight. The visa application asks for the travel dates and often the ticket.
- Send the passport scan, photo and ticket to the processor. With a Travloger package, you send them to your planner on WhatsApp and the visa is added to the quote as a separate line.
- The application is filed with the UAE immigration authority. You may be asked for one more document if the scan is unclear.
- The visa arrives by email as a PDF, usually within three to four working days. Check that the name and passport number match your passport exactly.
- Print two copies and keep one on your phone. The airline checks it at check-in in India; immigration in Dubai scans your passport and does not need the paper, but carries it anyway.
Why applications get refused
Refusals are rare for tourists with a clean passport and a return ticket. When they happen it is usually one of these:
- A previous UAE visa that was overstayed, or an earlier employment visa that was never cancelled properly.
- A name that matches a person on a watch list; the fix is a second application with extra documents, which the processor handles.
- A passport that was handwritten or is damaged; the UAE does not accept handwritten passports.
- A photo that does not meet the white-background rule, or a scan that cannot be read.
- Applying for a single woman traveller under 25 through certain processors, which some still flag; a hotel booking and a return ticket in the file settle it.
A refusal fee is not refunded, so it is worth telling the planner about any earlier UAE work visa, overstay or refusal before applying.
At Dubai airport
Immigration at Dubai International uses passport scanners and face cameras; for most Indian tourists it is a two-minute stop. Keep the return ticket and hotel confirmation on your phone. There is no landing card. If you arrive on a visa on arrival, go to the marked counter before immigration, pay the fee by card, and get the permit stamped.
Questions we are asked most
Can I get a Dubai visa on arrival with a US visa?
Yes, if the US visa is valid and has at least six months left. You get 14 days, extendable once. A US green card qualifies too. An expired US visa does not.
Do children need a separate Dubai visa?
Yes, every traveller including infants needs a visa, at the same fee. Children under 18 travelling with a parent are processed on the parent's application.
Is a Dubai visa the same as a UAE visa?
Yes. A UAE tourist visa is valid for all seven emirates, so Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the rest are covered by the one visa.
Can I extend a 30-day visa inside the UAE?
A 30-day tourist visa can be extended once for another 30 days, for a fee, before it expires, without leaving the country. Overstaying costs a daily fine and is recorded.
Does Travloger arrange the visa?
Yes. Every Dubai package can include the visa; it appears as a separate line so you can see the fee, and the planner files it once your flight is booked. If you would rather apply yourself through an airline or agent, that is fine too.
Once the visa is sorted, the rest of the planning is on the Dubai tour packages page: the full trip cost, the best months and the 5-day itinerary.
