Dubai Visa Price 2026: Tourist, Transit & Overstay Costs
Every dirham of visiting Dubai — 30-day, 60-day and 5-year tourist prices, transit visas, express fees and the AED 50-a-day overstay rule
Dubai sells several different visas that all look alike until the invoice arrives: a 30-day single-entry tourist visa carries a government fee of just AED 200, a 60-day multiple-entry one is AED 500, the 5-year multi-entry visa is priced around AED 700 in government charges, and transit can be free — yet travellers routinely pay double those figures once 5% VAT, service charges and insurance are stacked on. This guide separates government fees from all-in prices, compares every tourist and transit product, prices express processing and overstay fines, and shows how to apply cheap through airlines and hotels. For the wider Gulf, see Middle East work visas and the UAE visa guide; for your exact party total, use the visa fee calculator.
Fees below follow GDRFA service cards and 2026 official-source reporting, quoted before 5% VAT exactly as the government publishes them. Service packaging — and therefore all-in prices — varies by channel, so figures outside the government-fee column are marked approximately and your itemised quote is authoritative.
How Dubai Visa Pricing Works: Fee + VAT + Service
Every Dubai visit visa stacks three layers: the GDRFA government fee (AED 200–500 for standard tourist products, ~AED 700 for the 5-year multi-entry), 5% VAT on everything, and the channel's service charge — typing, Amer centre handling, agency margin and usually insurance. A 30-day single-entry visa is therefore AED 200 on paper and roughly AED 300–350 in practice; sponsored-from-inside applications add AED 500 + AED 10 + AED 10 more.
Sponsorship is the second key: standard tourist visas need a licensed tourism sponsor (airline, hotel, tour operator or agency), family visit visas need a resident relative plus a refundable AED 1,000 deposit, and only the 5-year multi-entry visa needs no sponsor — trading sponsorship for a $4,000 six-month bank-balance proof. Price the channel, not just the visa.
Dubai Visa Price Comparison Table 2026
Government fees before 5% VAT. All-in street prices add service charges and insurance — compare itemised quotes, never headlines.
| Visa product | Stay per visit | Govt fee (AED) | Typical all-in (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist, single entry 30 days | 30 days | 200 | AED 300–350 |
| Tourist, single entry 60 days | 60 days | 300 | AED 450–600 |
| Tourist, multiple entry 30 days | 30 days per entry | 300 | AED 450–600 |
| Tourist, multiple entry 60 days | 60 days per entry | 500 | AED 650–800 |
| Family/friends 30 / 60 / 90 days | As stated | 200 / 300 / 400 | + AED 1,000 refundable deposit |
| 5-year multi-entry tourist | 90 days (180/yr max) | ~700 issuance | ~AED 3,700+ bundled (verify itemised) |
| Transit 48 hours | 48 hours | ~0 (verify with airline) | Airline handling varies |
| Transit 96 hours | 96 hours | ~50 (verify with airline) | Airline handling varies |
| Extension (30-day tourist) | +30 days, once | Mirrors fresh visa | Fee + service, before expiry |
Onward travel beyond Dubai usually means a separate visa per emirate-state only in the sense that one UAE visa covers all seven emirates — for work rather than visits, see Middle East work visas.
Tourist, Family and 5-Year Visas Explained
The 30-day single-entry visa is the default holiday product: cheapest, extendable once by 30 days, sponsored by your airline, hotel or agency. The 60-day single-entry suits family visits and slower trips and is extendable subject to approval. Multiple-entry versions of both serve Gulf-hoppers combining the UAE with Oman, Qatar or Saudi Arabia in one itinerary — each entry restarts the stay clock within the visa's validity.
Family and friends visit visas (30/60/90 days at AED 200/300/400) need a UAE-resident sponsor and a refundable AED 1,000 security deposit — higher for non-relative sponsors — released after compliant exit. The 5-year multi-entry tourist visa is the frequent-flyer product: unlimited entries, 90 days per visit up to 180 days a year, no sponsor, but strict self-sufficiency proof ($4,000 balance over 6 months, insurance, return ticket, accommodation). Its bundled quotes vary wildly, so demand an itemised government-fee line before paying thousands.
Transit Visas: 48-Hour vs 96-Hour Stopovers
Connecting through DXB or Sharjah? The airline-issued transit products are the cheapest visas in this guide: the 48-hour transit visa has long been free and the 96-hour version approximately AED 50 — but transit inventory changes more often than any tourist product, so verify with your airline (Emirates, flydubai, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, Air Arabia) at booking, not at the airport. You need a confirmed onward ticket inside the window, a hotel booking for the 96-hour version, and no other valid UAE visa on your passport.
Do not confuse transit with visa-on-arrival: many passports (US, UK, EU, and others) get free entry stamps without any transit product, while visa-required nationalities must arrange transit in advance through the airline — it cannot be bought at the immigration counter on arrival. Miss the onward flight and overstay fines (AED 50/day) start immediately.
Express and Urgent Processing Fees
Standard tourist-visa processing runs 3–5 working days; express handling through Amer centres and agencies compresses that to 24 hours and sometimes same-day for approximately AED 100–200 extra — confirm the live surcharge at the counter, since express tariffs are revised periodically. Express buys queue position, not approval: weak files are refused fast rather than approved fast.
Use express only when dates force it, and apply at least two weeks ahead otherwise — weekends, Eid and National Day slow every channel. Anyone promising “30-minute approval” for a premium well above AED 200 surcharge is selling impatience back to you; the government portion of an express file is identical to a standard one.
Overstay Fines: AED 50 a Day, No Grace
The UAE unified overstay fines at AED 50 per day across visit, tourist and residence visas. The arithmetic is linear and merciless: 1 day = AED 50, 7 days = AED 350, 30 days = AED 1,500, 90 days = AED 4,500 — accruing daily including weekends and holidays, plus administrative fees and an exit permit of approximately AED 250–300 on extended overstays. Pre-arranged visit visas have no grace period; fines start the morning after expiry.
Enforcement bites beyond money: unpaid fines block exit at the airport, can convert into bans, and poison future applications. Set a phone reminder for three days before expiry, file extensions before — not on — the last day, and keep the approval e-visa on your phone. overstaying “to save” an extension fee is the most expensive saving in this guide.
How to Apply Cheap: Airlines, Hotels and Amer Centres
Cheapest first: book the airline that sponsors — Emirates, flydubai and Etihad visa desks routinely undercut standalone agencies, and stopover programmes sometimes fold transit in free. Second, ask your hotel: licensed hotels sponsor guests at near-cost service charges. Third, walk into an Amer centre or apply via GDRFA/ICP portals if you have a qualified sponsor document set. Generic online agencies come last — convenient, but with the fattest margins and the most “approximately” line items.
Whatever the channel: demand an itemised quote (government fee + VAT + service + insurance), pay by traceable card transfer, keep the application number, and verify the e-visa yourself on official portals before flying. Compare your shortlist in the visa fee calculator and cross-check trip paperwork with the tourist visa guide — the cheapest visa is the one issued once, on time, without a re-application.
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Prices were checked on October 1, 2026 against GDRFA service cards (30-day AED 200, 60-day AED 300, multi-entry AED 300/500, family 200/300/400, +5% VAT, in-country AED 500+10+10), ICP/GDRFA reporting on the 5-year visa ($4,000 balance rule) and the unified AED 50/day overstay regime, plus April–July 2026 travel reporting. Transit (~free/AED 50), express (~AED 100–200) and bundled 5-year quotes (~AED 3,700+) are marked approximately — confirm with the airline, centre or GDRFA before paying. Read more about our standards on the about us page.