How to apply for a tourist visa to Dubai

Writing from a personal experience, I cannot really tell whether obtaining a tourist visa to Dubai is easy or difficult. I am such a results-oriented person and I despise waiting because it is just prolonging the agony. It is either I applied too early or I am just a very impatient person. I applied in December and I got it in February-  just 5 days before my scheduled flight.  Yes, I waited for two  long months before I was issued a visa. But friends who going in and out of Dubai told me that it is just so easy to apply for a visa, it was just that I applied too early. Dubai visit visa is issued just one week after complete application is submitted.

I went to Dubai as part of our United Arab Emirates cruise via Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas ship. And as a Filipino, I had to apply for a visa in order to enter UAE. Some say that it is much easier to get a visa if you have relatives or friends to sponsor or help you. Unfortunately, I don’t so I had to do it myself.  It is very important to know that the Dubai embassy in the Philippines does not entertain visa applications. So, don't waste your precious time going there to inquire about your tourist visa. 

There are some lucky countries that don’t need a visa to enter Dubai though. But for the unlucky ones like the Philippines, they have to go through a grueling process in order to enter Dubai.


Here are the tips to successfully obtain a visa to Dubai:
1.    Make sure you have a passport and your passport is valid for 6 months from your date of departure from Dubai.

2.    Do your research if you are eligible for a 30-day tourist visa. If you are from a qualifying country and your trip is less than 30 days long, you don’t need a tourist visa because it is issued to you when you arrive at the Dubai airport. It is free of charge.

Here are the countries that are exempt from Dubai Visit Visa policy:
United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Spain, Monaco, Vatican City, Iceland, Andorra, San Mario, Liechtenstein, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

If you are a member of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country, you do not need a visa to visit Dubai. However, you must have a valid passport. These countries include: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

3.    If your trip or your nationality does not qualify you for the 30-day visa – YOU HAVE TO FIND A SPONSOR. Popular sponsors are major hotels, Emirates Airlines and tour or travel companies.
Book your flight with Emirates Airlines, and at least 1 night at a hotel or travel with a tour group or travel company. Some hotels may require that your housing during the length of your stay in Dubai be booked with them.

If you are applying thru Emirates airlines, here is the link to the visa application : https://www.dubaivisa.net/ek-onlinevisa/Terms.aspx

(For Filipinos, the most popular and the easiest way to obtain a Dubai tourist visa is through a relative or friend who is either legally working in or a resident of Dubai. You can ask your relative or friends who are currently working in Dubai to process it for you. If they agree, you can send them the requirements and they can submit it to a travel agency.  Once your visa is approved and issued, they need to go to Philippine Consulate to get an authenticated "affidavit of support" and it's all done.  You need to receive the original copies and you're ready to go.)

4.    Fax the airline, hotel or travel company a color copy of your passport, your travel itinerary and the reason for your visit. You can state the reason simply as "tourism." You have to pay the visa fee. During the time of my application, I paid US$ 70.

5.    Email or fax a credit card authorization and a color copy of your credit card to the company. The copies of your credit card must be in color and include both the front and back sides. A credit card authorization is a letter stating that these fees can be charged to the card. It must be dated and signed. You have to be ready to take the risks in providing the company the details of your credit card that is why it is very important that you choose only the established and reputable agencies/companies.

6.    A visa usually takes approximately 3 days to be processed. Contact the company to ensure they will email or fax you a copy of the visa when it is ready. The original copy of the visa will be kept at your point of entry in Dubai, such as the Dubai airport. Most airlines will require you show them a copy of the visa, before you can board a flight to Dubai.