Following Nationalities get Tourist visas free of Charge on Arrival at Dubai Airport

A. Western European Countries:

B. Other Countries:

Nationals not referred to in the chart are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements for the United Arab Emirates. Israeli citizens are not permitted to travel to the UAE.

A passport valid for six months, and a visa if you require one. Though it is often not enforced, it is recommended you have a valid return air ticket, a confirmed hotel booking.

Certain nationalities can extend their 30-day visa for an additional period of 30 days. Visit the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs website for further details (http://dnrd.ae/en). Alternatively extend a 30-day tourist visa on arrival by driving across the land borders to Oman. Overstaying your visa may result in a fine.

If bringing a pet, you should arrange a microchip and a rabies vaccination certificate 30 days prior to travel. You should also obtain an import permit from the Ministry of Environment and Water.

UAE Dirham (AED, also written as Dhs) = 100 fils. Notes are in denominations of AED1,000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of AED1, and 50, 25, 10 and 5 fils (10 and 5 fils coins are rarely used). The Dirham is tied to the US Dollar.

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted. ATMs are found across the UAE, mostly in the major cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

ATMs accept foreign debit and credit cards including Switch, Maestro, Visa, Union Pay and Cirrus, and can be found throughout the UAE, in shopping malls, hotels and petrol stations. However, cash back is not commonly available in the UAE. Plan ahead if you are taking taxis, they will only accept cash and often only small notes and change.

These are widely accepted, though not often used. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller’s cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.

These vary depending on the branch and bank, however a rule of thumb is Sat-Wed between 0800-1300 and Thursdays 0800-noon. Some open later in the evening from 1600-1830. All are closed on Fridays and public holidays.

Travellers can carry a maximum of AED100,000 (or the equivalent in foreign currency) into or out of the country undeclared. Anything over this amount must be declared at customs.

Most hotels will handle the exchange of foreign currency as well as many major banks. Many of the large shopping malls have bureaux de change. Recommended bureaux de change include UAE Exchange located at Dubai Mall and Marina Mall, both in Dubai, or Hamdan Street, Abu Dhabi.

The following items may be imported into the United Arab Emirates without incurring customs duty:

• 400 cigarettes and 50 cigars and 500g of tobacco.
• 4L of wine or spirits or 24 cans of beer.
• Goods to the value of AED3,000.

Narcotics, goods from boycotted countries (eg Isreal), ivory, rhino horn, gambling devices, original engravings, prints or sculptures, any immoral publications or media contradicting Islamic teachings, counterfeit currency, and cooked or homemade food.

If you are planning to carry medication into the country, check with your embassy in advance, as some common, over-the-counter medicines that are freely available elsewhere in the world are prohibited in the UAE. Penalties are severe – you could go to prison if you’re caught.