Visa · by passport

UAE entry is not a work visa — and it is not the same for every passport

Last checked 5 September 2026. Two layers: how you enter, and who files the job. Confirm on ICP before you book. This is orientation, not a filing.

Enter

Visit / on arrival / visa-free

This is tourism and interviews. Passport usually needs six months from the day you enter (u.ae, 13 July 2026).

Work

Employer files residence

Same stack for almost every nationality: work permit, medical, Emirates ID. You do not buy it.

June 2026

On-arrival with a permit

India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Kenya, South Africa — only with residence in United States, a European Union member state, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. 14 days AED 100 (extend once) or 60 days AED 250 (no extend). Overstay AED 50/day.

20 passports · tap a country in Ask for the move sequence

India

On arrival only with a third-country residence permit

Entry: Not visa-free. ICP (25 June 2026) lets Indian nationals — and accompanying family — take a 14-day (AED 100, extend once) or 60-day (AED 250, not extendable) entry visa if they hold a valid residence permit from the US, an EU state, the UK, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. Ordinary Indian passports from India without that permit still need a visit visa arranged before the flight.
Work: The employer files the work permit. Degree attestation (HRD → MEA → UAE embassy) if HR asked. A visit stamp is not a job.
Watch: Press still describes an older 14-day Indian facility that accepted a US/UK/EU visa, not only residence. The ICP wording for the June 2026 expansion is residence permit. Ask the airline and ICP before you rely on a visit visa in the passport.

Pakistan

Apply for a visit visa before you fly

Entry: Apply for a visit visa before you fly — airline, hotel, tour operator, ICP or the UAE mission. Pakistani passports are not on the June 2026 visa-on-arrival nationality list. A multi-year tourist visa, if you have one, is still a visit product: interviews only.
Work: Employment visa is the company’s filing (MOHRE / ICP), not a Karachi agent. Attest degrees and family papers at home if HR or family sponsorship will need them.
Watch: Anyone quoting a ‘work visa fee’ on WhatsApp is selling a scam. Overstay is AED 50 a day (ICP, June 2026).

Bangladesh

Apply for a visit visa before you fly

Entry: Pre-arranged visit visa. Bangladeshi passports are not on ICP’s June 2026 on-arrival nationality list. Passport must be valid at least six months from the day you enter (u.ae, 13 July 2026).
Work: Same as everyone else: employer sponsors. Construction, logistics, hospitality and some clinics still hire — on the company site, not a Dhaka Facebook page.
Watch: Do not pay for a ‘free visa’. Entry and work are different stamps.

Philippines

On arrival only with a third-country residence permit

Entry: A Philippine passport from Manila does not get visa on arrival by itself. From 25 June 2026, Filipino nationals who hold a qualifying residence permit (US, EU, UK, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada) can take the 14-day or 60-day ICP entry visa, including accompanying family.
Work: Hotels and hospitals still hire. If you deploy through an agency, keep the DMW/POEA paper trail. The UAE side is the employer’s work permit.
Watch: OFW groups confuse ‘visa on arrival’ headlines with a free pass from NAIA. Read the residence-permit condition.

Nigeria

Apply for a visit visa before you fly

Entry: Visit visa in advance. Nigerian passports are not on the June 2026 on-arrival list. Airlines and UAE missions are the path, not an Instagram ‘embassy’. Passport: six months’ validity.
Work: Employer sponsors. Cabin crew, engineers, hospitality — official careers pages only.
Watch: Paid ‘medical and visa’ WhatsApp offers targeting Lagos and Abuja are the default scam. A visit visa is not permission to clock in.

Egypt

Apply for a visit visa before you fly

Entry: Pre-arranged visit visa for ordinary Egyptian passports. Egypt is not in ICP’s June 2026 on-arrival nationality set. Confirm at the UAE embassy in Cairo or through the airline.
Work: Employer-sponsored residence. Arabic helps in government-facing roles; English is enough in many private offices.
Watch: Family follow-on uses the ICP salary floor, not a cousin’s letter.

Nepal

Apply for a visit visa before you fly

Entry: Apply before travel. Nepali passports are not on the June 2026 on-arrival nationality list. Six months on the passport from the day of entry.
Work: Employer files. Construction, hospitality and some hospitals. Attest what HR listed in Kathmandu, not after you land.
Watch: A ‘manpower’ invoice is not a UAE work permit. The company name on the entry must match the sponsor.

Sri Lanka

Apply for a visit visa before you fly

Entry: Pre-arranged visit visa. Not on ICP’s June 2026 on-arrival nationality list.
Work: Employer-sponsored. Hospitality, logistics, some professional roles.
Watch: Visit ≠ work. Overstay AED 50/day.

Kenya

On arrival only with a third-country residence permit

Entry: Kenyan nationals were added on 25 June 2026 — only if they hold a qualifying residence permit from the US, EU, UK, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. A Kenyan passport issued in Nairobi without that permit still needs a visit visa in advance.
Work: Employer sponsors the residence visa. Same medical + Emirates ID stack as every other nationality.
Watch: Headlines said ‘Kenya gets visa on arrival’. The missing half of the sentence is the third-country residence permit.

South Africa

On arrival only with a third-country residence permit

Entry: Same June 2026 ICP rule as Kenya and the Philippines: South African nationals with a qualifying residence permit from the listed countries can take 14- or 60-day entry, with family. From Johannesburg on a local passport only — apply for a visit visa first.
Work: Employer-sponsored. RTA often will not swap a South African licence — budget a driving school, not a counter swap.
Watch: Do not mix this up with UK/EU visa-free entry. A South African passport is not visa-free.

Indonesia

On arrival only with a third-country residence permit

Entry: Added 25 June 2026: 14- or 60-day entry if you hold a qualifying residence permit from the ICP list. Without that permit, apply for a visit visa before the flight.
Work: Employer-sponsored residence.
Watch: Accompanying family must also be Indonesian nationals with the same residence condition (ICP).

United Kingdom

Visa-free visit ~90 days

Entry: British passports are treated as visa-free for a visit of up to 90 days in a 180-day window (Khaleej Times compilation of ICP categories, 27 June 2026). You still cannot work on that entry. Passport: six months from the day you enter.
Work: The company files a work permit. A 90-day visit is for looking, not for starting the job.
Watch: HMRC still cares if you keep a UK home. RTA usually swaps a UK photocard once you are a resident.

EU / most European passports

Visa-free visit ~90 days

Entry: Most EU and several other European passports sit on the same 90-day visa-free visit list as the UK and the US. Ireland is the common exception: 30 days, not 90. Confirm your exact passport on ICP / u.ae before you fly.
Work: Employer-sponsored. Visit days are not employment.
Watch: Ireland: 30-day visa-free, not 90. Licence swap is country-by-country at RTA.

United States

Visa-free visit ~90 days

Entry: US passports: visa-free visit up to 90 days (same ICP category as UK/EU/Canada). Not permission to work.
Work: Employer files. ESTA thinking does not apply here — this is a UAE stamp, not a US one.
Watch: A US visa in someone else’s passport is a different product (see India / Philippines rows).

Canada

Visa-free visit ~90 days

Entry: Canadian passports: visa-free visit up to 90 days. Canadian residence permits also unlock the 14/60-day on-arrival scheme for Indian, Filipino, Kenyan, South African, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese nationals.
Work: Employer-sponsored if you are moving, not visiting.
Watch: CRA residency is a separate question from the UAE stamp.

Australia

Visa-free visit ~90 days

Entry: Australian passports: visa-free visit up to 90 days. Australian residence also counts as a qualifying permit for the June 2026 on-arrival nationalities.
Work: Employer-sponsored.
Watch: A working holiday mindset does not map onto UAE labour law.

China

Visa-free visit ~90 days

Entry: Chinese passports are on the 90-day visa-free visit list used in June 2026 round-ups of ICP categories. Still not a work visa.
Work: Employer-sponsored residence. Some roles add extra security paper.
Watch: Confirm on ICP before you travel — lists move.

Russia

Visa-free visit ~90 days

Entry: Russian passports appear on the same 90-day visa-free visit list. Work still needs an employer.
Work: Employer-sponsored.
Watch: Banking and card acceptance can be messier than the stamp. Plan the first week.

GCC (Saudi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar)

No visa (GCC)

Entry: GCC citizens do not need a visa to enter the UAE (u.ae, updated 13 July 2026). Passport or national ID, depending on the corridor.
Work: Living and working in Dubai as a GCC national is still a residence/labour filing, not ‘I showed my ID at DXB’.
Watch: GCC ID entry is not a work permit for a Dubai company.

Ghana

Apply for a visit visa before you fly

Entry: Pre-arranged visit visa. Ghana is not on the June 2026 on-arrival nationality list.
Work: Employer-sponsored. Same scam pattern as Nigeria: paid ‘embassy’ WhatsApp.
Watch: Visit visa ≠ WPS salary.

Questions people actually type

Can I get a UAE visa on arrival from India, the Philippines or Kenya?

Only if you are a national of India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya or South Africa and you hold a valid residence permit from United States, a European Union member state, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. ICP announced this on 25 June 2026. A passport from home without that permit still needs a visit visa before the flight.

Do Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria or Egypt get visa on arrival?

No. Those passports are not on ICP’s June 2026 on-arrival nationality list. Arrange a visit visa through the airline, a hotel, ICP, GDRFA or the UAE mission. That visit is for interviews, not for starting work.

Is a UK, US, EU, Canadian or Australian passport visa-free for Dubai?

For a visit, yes — typically up to 90 days in a 180-day window (ICP categories as compiled 27 June 2026). Ireland is usually 30 days, not 90. A visit stamp is not a work permit. The employer still files residence if you take the job.

Is the work visa different by nationality?

The stack is the same: the employer files, you do medical and Emirates ID. Extra paper (degree attestation, licences, police clearance) depends on the role and what HR listed, not on a secret nationality fee. Nobody legitimate sells a work visa on WhatsApp.

Official sources

Lists move. Airlines can still refuse boarding if the passport or the permit does not match. We do not file visas.

How the work visa actually works Job-hunting on a visit visa

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