As mentioned before, getting your visa can be quite the hassle when traveling to or from UAE. There are so many departments that need to process your paperwork and time frames vary depending on who is doing what!
As you probably know already, it’s not easy being friendly at times. The waiting game really doesn’t help anyone's mood, and it’s totally unnecessary since there are only two cases where visas aren't issued: if someone is officially banned or deported and if you're working while visiting the country (which most people are not).
In both of those instances, the employee will go above and beyond to make sure you don’t return but otherwise, it’s just wasting everyone else’s time. And we all know how expensive time is in the desert.
The process of obtaining a tourist visa to visit or work in the UAE is typically quite straightforward, however there are instances where this can become slightly more complicated.
The length of time that it takes to receive your passport back from the embassy will depend on a number of different factors, not all of which you have control over. Some things like day of week and time of year can play a significant role too.
It is not possible to receive your UAE work visa at the embassy or consulate on the very same day that you arrive in the country. This is due to time it takes to process visas and the limited number of people who can handle them while you are traveling.
Most countries allow only one person per tourist to visit their national representative while they are working on an entry visa, this usually includes taking documents as well as photos.
This means that even though there may be no official rules against it, most people do not try to do it. In fact, it is highly discouraged because it creates quite a lot of extra workload for those working on visas and for your colleagues if they have to take over when you’re done.
It also puts more pressure on them since they will have to quickly come up with fake information about where you will stay during your trip and what business you will be doing. All of these things must be verified so nobody gets into trouble.
Even though it may seem like there is no progress being made, you can be sure that your application will move at its own pace. It’s important to remember that each country has their own set of rules when it comes to visas and residency permits.
Some countries require only a few days or even hours to process paperwork, while others take much longer. The length of time needed for processing depends on several things, including the volume of applications, whether there are suspicious activity reports (SARs) attached to your file, and how well connected you are within the embassy.
With that said, most embassies around the world allow one to expect visa processing times of two weeks at the very least. Sometimes it takes longer, but that’s just because some applicants make it difficult for themselves by adding extra red flags to their profile.
The next step is to figure out how long it will take for your visa to be processed. This is not as simple as just looking up when you need to pick it up at the UAE Embassy or Consulate, because there are several different stages that every embassy has to go through before they can give it to you!
Most people are under the impression that once their visa gets sent off to another country, then it takes one week for them to receive it back. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Some countries only send half of the documents back so they don’t have to wait as long for it to come back.
The length of time needed for your visa to get back depends on two things: how fast your passport expires and what kind of visa you have. If your passport doesn’t expire until more than six months from now, then it won’t matter nearly as much but we wanted to make sure you know about that anyway!
We talked about this before, but here it is again – if your passport does expire within 6 months, then it really doesn’t matter too much whether your visa comes back early or late.
The first step to obtaining a visa is deciding if you are eligible! There are several documents that determine your eligibility, so it is important to know what each one means.
You will need to have proof of your identity (this can be done through government issued photo IDs such as passports or driver’s licenses),proof of residence (this can be an apartment lease, bank statement with house address, or bills sent to the same address) and proof of intent (to stay in Abu Dhabi for at least six months).
The last two items can be seen as either “yes” or “no,” but depending on whether you are asked them during the processing of your visa they can make a difference. For example, if you say that you plan to remain in Abu Dhabi for only three months then there may not be too much of a rush to get these proofs.
Visas to visit or work in the UAE are not free. You will need to pay for them, either at your destination or in advance. Some must be obtained before you travel, while others can be done online or through your country’s embassy here.
There is no one clear answer as to how many days it takes to process a tourist visa in the UAE, but we do have some numbers that could help determine this for you.
We've gathered all of the information you'll likely need about visas into one place so you don't have to search around like I did! The below article contains everything you need to know about what documents you'll require, when they're needed, and where to find them.
The latest update regarding visa processing times is that it can take anywhere from one to three days, even weeks depending on what country you are traveling from!
Many people will be familiar with the popular rumor about how long it takes to process visas in Dubai, but not many know just how bad things have gotten here in other Gulf States like Kuwait or Bahrain where it has been reported to take up to two years!
This isn’t necessarily a good thing since tourists spend money while they are here which benefits the economy. Having a longer wait time could hurt if you need to travel during those hours.
Another common topic is whether or not travelers can visit during their stay, something most people assume is allowed until they read “visa run” somewhere else.
There is one major thing to know about visas in UAE — they are totally free! Yes, you have to pay some money for your trip, but everything else- including traveling to and from the country, staying overnight, and exploring the area is completely free of charges.
This can be very helpful information as it removes an important factor that may deter people from visiting or living in the Middle East. Some countries charge large amounts of money for tourist visits so having no international transaction fees makes traveling here much more accessible to the average person.
However, there is still one small cost related to visas which is what most people call the “Visa Application Fee”. This is typically around 100 AED (USD 27) depending on how many documents you need to submit with your application.
But this does not apply to all nationalities or types of visas. Also, even if you do not require a visa at this time, you will likely be asked to fill out a form confirming that you will leave the country once your visa expires.
