The UAE has quietly expanded one of its most popular entry schemes, adding Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa to the list of nationalities eligible for a visa-on-arrival when they meet certain residency conditions overseas. Under the policy—confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and updated on June 27, 2026— travellers who hold a valid residence permit from the United States, the United Kingdom, an EU member state, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Singapore or South Korea can obtain a UAE visa at the airport instead of applying in advance.
![UAE widens visa-on-arrival to six emerging markets, easing entry for millions of travellers]()
For individual travelers or corporate mobility teams needing certainty before departure, VisaHQ offers a one-stop portal where passports and qualifying residence permits can be pre-screened against the latest UAE rules; their UAE page (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) also provides fee calculators, renewal reminders and on-the-ground support services that simplify everything from first-time applications to last-minute extensions.
Two products are offered: a 14-day multiple-entry visa that can be extended once for the same period, and a single-entry 60-day visa that is not extendable. Fees are set at AED 100 and AED 250 respectively, with overstay penalties of AED 50 per day. The move follows similar waivers granted to Indian and Chinese residents in 2025 and is part of a deliberate strategy to diversify visitor source markets as Gulf carriers restore capacity after the Iran-US conflict–related airspace shutdown earlier this year. The six countries added this week represent some of the world’s fastest-growing outbound segments; Indonesia alone sent 11 million travellers abroad in 2025, while Kenya and South Africa anchor Africa’s aviation recovery. From a mobility perspective, the change is a boon for multinational employers with operations in the Emirates. Regional HR teams can now rota qualified staff from those markets into UAE projects on very short notice, avoiding the two-to-three-week lead times required for pre-arranged visit visas. Tourism operators also expect a lift: Philippine travel agencies surveyed by The National reported a 38 per cent jump in forward bookings to Dubai for Q3 once the news spread on social media. Importantly, overstay fines remain in force and airlines are required to verify that passengers possess both an eligible passport and qualifying third-country residency before boarding. Companies have been advised to update their travel-approval systems to include a residency-permit check and to brief mobile employees on the distinction between extendable and non-extendable stays.
For individual travelers or corporate mobility teams needing certainty before departure, VisaHQ offers a one-stop portal where passports and qualifying residence permits can be pre-screened against the latest UAE rules; their UAE page (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) also provides fee calculators, renewal reminders and on-the-ground support services that simplify everything from first-time applications to last-minute extensions.
Two products are offered: a 14-day multiple-entry visa that can be extended once for the same period, and a single-entry 60-day visa that is not extendable. Fees are set at AED 100 and AED 250 respectively, with overstay penalties of AED 50 per day. The move follows similar waivers granted to Indian and Chinese residents in 2025 and is part of a deliberate strategy to diversify visitor source markets as Gulf carriers restore capacity after the Iran-US conflict–related airspace shutdown earlier this year. The six countries added this week represent some of the world’s fastest-growing outbound segments; Indonesia alone sent 11 million travellers abroad in 2025, while Kenya and South Africa anchor Africa’s aviation recovery. From a mobility perspective, the change is a boon for multinational employers with operations in the Emirates. Regional HR teams can now rota qualified staff from those markets into UAE projects on very short notice, avoiding the two-to-three-week lead times required for pre-arranged visit visas. Tourism operators also expect a lift: Philippine travel agencies surveyed by The National reported a 38 per cent jump in forward bookings to Dubai for Q3 once the news spread on social media. Importantly, overstay fines remain in force and airlines are required to verify that passengers possess both an eligible passport and qualifying third-country residency before boarding. Companies have been advised to update their travel-approval systems to include a residency-permit check and to brief mobile employees on the distinction between extendable and non-extendable stays.
