UAE visa update: More than 80 nationalities can enter UAE without prior visa

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The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced that nationals from 82 countries can now enter the Emirates without a prior visa, according to a report by leading local newspaper Al Khaleej and other media publications.

Citizens from 115 countries still have to obtain a visa before entering the UAE.

GCC residents can enter the UAE without a visa

Citizens of the GCC countries do not need a visa or a sponsor to visit the UAE. They can present a passport issued by a GCC country or their ID card on arrival at the UAE entry ports.

International travellers can find lists of nationalities that can obtain a visa upon arrival here.

Depending on their country of origin, they may be granted an entry visa valid for either 30 days (with an additional grace period of 10 days) or 90 days.

UAE citizens can also enjoy visa-free travel to more than 170 countries worldwide.

Read: UAE rises four places in passport index, this nation holds the top spot

Citizens from the countries listed below can enter the UAE visa-free*:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Argentina
• Austria
• Australia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Barbados
• Brazil
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Hong Kong
• Special Administrative Region of China
• Iceland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Kiribati
• Kuwait
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Oman
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Republic of Ireland
• Romania
• Russia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• San Marino
• Saudi Arabia
• Seychelles
• Serbia
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• The Bahamas
• The Netherlands
• UK
• US
• Ukraine
• Uruguay
• Vatican

Travellers can visit the MOFA or the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security websites for more details.

*Based on the MOFA list  Keywords: UAE visa-free travel, visas, GCC