Get Your Dubai Transit Visa
Before You Board

What it is: a Dubai transit visa is a short entry permit for passengers changing planes in Dubai who want to leave the airport between flights. It is issued electronically, so there is no sticker in your passport. You receive a PDF like the sample shown here, and immigration matches it to your passport number when you land.

Who needs one: if your passport is eligible for visa-free entry or a visa on arrival, you can leave the airport without a transit visa. Everyone else needs the permit approved before boarding. Airlines check for it at the departure airport, and it cannot be bought at Dubai immigration on arrival.

The two permits: the 48-hour transit visa has no government fee and suits an overnight connection; the 96-hour transit visa carries a small government fee and gives you up to four days. Both are single entry, valid to enter within 30 days of issue, and cannot be extended or renewed once you are in Dubai.

What immigration expects: a passport valid for at least six months, a confirmed onward ticket to a third country that departs inside your permit window, and a hotel booking or host address in Dubai. Your hours are counted from the moment you are stamped in.