A group trip to Dubai usually starts in a chat thread. Someone finds cheap flights, someone else has a hotel in mind, and the dates are agreed before anyone mentions passports. For British travellers that is rarely a problem, because a UK passport is stamped in on arrival. The difficulty comes when the group is mixed: a partner who travels on an Indian passport, a friend from university who kept their Nigerian nationality, a colleague with a Pakistani passport and a UK residence permit.
Those travellers often need to arrange a visa before they fly, and the person who books the group trip is usually the last to find out. This guide is for that person.
Why nationality matters more than where you live
UAE entry rules follow the passport, not the address on your driving licence. Two people who have lived on the same street in Manchester for ten years can face completely different requirements if they hold different passports.
British citizens travelling on a British passport can currently get a visitor visa on arrival at no cost, so there is nothing to apply for in advance. The length of stay allowed has changed over the years, so check the current figure before you book a long trip.
For everyone else in the group, the first job is to check their own passport against the current list published by the ICP, the UAE’s federal immigration authority. Do it before anyone pays for a non-refundable flight.
The useful exception for Indian passport holders
Indian passport holders are the group most often caught out, because many of them do not need to apply in advance at all. If your partner or friend is Indian and lives in Britain, their UK residence permit or UK visa is usually the key. Holding one, or the equivalent from the US or an EU country, lets them collect their UAE visa at the airport. Residency in South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Canada, New Zealand or Australia counts as well.
At the desk they pick between two stamps: 14 days, with the option of one extension, or 60 days with no extension possible. Tell them to pack the physical UK document, not just a photo of it, and to check its expiry date against the return flight.
For everyone who needs a visa before flying
Anyone not covered by a visa on arrival applies online for an e-visa. Nobody has to visit an embassy or send off their passport. Approval normally lands in the inbox, as a PDF, three or four working days later. The express option gets it back within 36 hours.
The common options are:
- 14 days, single entry, from $185
- 30 days, single entry, from $205
- 60 days, single entry, from $325
Express adds $50. Children pay the same as adults, so budget per person rather than per room.
For most group holidays of a week or ten days, a 30 day Dubai visa is the sensible default. It costs only $20 more than the 14-day option and gives room if the trip is extended or a flight is moved. Each person’s 30 days start when they clear immigration in Dubai. Separately, there is a deadline for arriving at all: the visa expires unused if its holder has not entered within 60 days of approval.
The order to do things in
Group trips go wrong when bookings are made in the wrong sequence. A calmer order looks like this.
- Collect everyone’s nationality before choosing dates, and check each one.
- Book flights and hotels that can be changed or refunded, at least until every visa is approved.
- Apply for the e-visas around one to two weeks before departure. Apply more than 60 days ahead and the visa can lapse before anyone travels.
- Once approvals arrive, convert the flexible bookings if you want the cheaper fares.
The friend who needs the visa should not be left to sort it out alone in the final week. Agree early who is checking what.
Small details that cause big delays
Most hold-ups on e-visa applications come down to paperwork rather than the person applying.
The name on the application must match the passport exactly, in the same order, including middle names. The passport needs at least six months of validity left. The photo should be recent, taken against a plain white background, with the face fully visible. The scan of the passport page needs to be sharp and complete, not a quick phone shot taken at an angle on a kitchen table.
The application also asks for a return or onward flight and an address in the UAE. A group hotel booking works, as long as the person applying is named on it or the hotel confirmation shows the guests.
If the trip includes a side trip
A single-entry visa ends the moment the holder leaves the UAE. If your group is planning a night in Oman or a quick hop to another Gulf country in the middle of the holiday, anyone travelling on a single-entry visa will need a fresh visa to get back in. A multiple-entry visa avoids that. It costs more, so it only makes sense if the side trip is definite.
At the airport
Everyone joins the immigration queue for visitors, whatever their passport. British travellers receive their entry at the desk. Anyone with an e-visa should keep the PDF on their phone and a printed copy in their hand luggage. The visa is linked to the passport electronically, but airlines can ask to see it before boarding in London, and having it ready saves an awkward few minutes at check-in.
A few situations worth thinking about
A partner who lives in the UK on a spouse visa. The UK visa decides their right to live in Britain. It does not decide their entry to Dubai, unless their nationality is one of those covered by the Indian visa on arrival rule above. Check their passport, not their UK status.
A hen or stag group with a dozen people. Assign one person to collect passport details and check nationalities. One missed visa can leave someone stuck at check-in on the morning of the flight.
A family with young children on different passports. Children need their own visa if their passport requires one, even when a parent does not.
British passports are fine on arrival. Indian passport holders with UK documents often are too. Everyone else should check their own passport against the ICP list and, if they need a visa, apply online once the dates are fixed and a week or two before flying. Do that, and the only thing the group has to argue about is where to have dinner on the first night.