58 nationalities enter the UAE without a prior visa

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stated that citizens of 58 countries in the world can enter the UAE without a prior visa, including 31 countries from the European Union and the Schengen Area, 20 countries whose citizens are treated according to ministerial decisions, and three other countries according to reciprocity, in addition to citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

According to the visa exemption tables, which the ministry recently published on its website, citizens of the European Union and Schengen Area countries are exempt from entry visas to the country, according to the principle of reciprocity. They include 31 countries: Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Slovakia, Greece, Finland, Spain, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta, Romania, and Montenegro.

Citizens of these countries, who hold diplomatic, official, service and ordinary passports, can visit the country without the need for a prior entry visa, and stay in it for a period not exceeding 90 days.

Citizens of 20 countries holding ordinary passports can enter the UAE without a prior visa, and stay for a period not exceeding 30 days, according to ministerial decisions. These countries are: Andorra, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America, Monaco, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, San Marino, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Vatican, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland, China, the Russian Federation, Mauritius, and India.

There are three other countries whose citizens holding ordinary passports can enter the country according to the principle of reciprocity: Seychelles, Bahamas, and the Argentine Republic.

GCC citizens do not need an entry visa or a sponsor to visit the UAE. They can enter the country after presenting a passport issued by one of the GCC countries, or an identity card, upon arrival at one of the country’s ports of entry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has decided to facilitate the process of issuing the visa service, in order to achieve its vision of being a leading model in customer service globally, based on its belief in the values ​​of excellence in performance and continuous improvement in customer service. The principle of (Exporting the border) has been implemented, where all requirements for the customer’s visa are completed and the customer is granted an entry visa in his country. The sponsored person is also registered to enter the country using the smart electronic gates located at the ports, in an effort by the Ministry to facilitate and expedite procedures for customers. A number of visa issuance service centers have been opened in several countries around the world.

It was previously announced that the UAE has achieved a new historical accomplishment, adding to its history full of achievements in various fields, as the UAE passport has become the most powerful in the world, and has deservedly won first place globally.

The UAE exceeded all expectations when the Emirati passport ranked first globally on December 1, 2018, topping the world’s countries. This success was achieved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, led by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. According to the “Passport Index”, an interactive system that classifies the strength of passports, the holder of the Emirati passport can travel to 167 countries without the need for a prior visa. Thus, the Emirati citizen can travel to 84% of the countries listed in the index without a visa, while the Emirati passport jumped from 27th place in December 2016 to first place globally in December 2018.

This achievement embodies the civilized face of the United Arab Emirates, and the respect and appreciation it enjoys at the regional and international levels, which is backed by a wise policy and leadership that has worked hard to build its bright image abroad, until the UAE became a symbol of wisdom, moderation, coexistence and peace, and at the same time a symbol of achievement, excellence and distinction at the global level.

UAE Passport Power

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation launched the “UAE Passport Power” initiative, with the aim of placing the UAE passport among the list of the five most powerful passports in the world by 2021. However, the UAE was able to achieve this goal three years ahead of the deadline set by the initiative.

Today, the strength of a passport does not only represent a citizen’s identity, but it is an important factor that affects his access to global opportunities, ease of movement, and the quality of life he lives.

The positive returns of ease of movement are not limited to enabling UAE citizens to move freely for tourism purposes, but also include economic, developmental and even humanitarian returns, through facilitating trade exchange and economic investment for individuals and institutions.

Citizens of 20 can

Passport holder country

Regular travel entry

UAE without visa

advance, stay

30 days