UAE Visa Types for Indian Citizens: Which One Fits Your Plans

UAE visa types for Indian citizens at a glance

The right UAE visa for an Indian citizen depends on why you are going. Holidays use a tourist visa or, for some, a visa on arrival. Jobs need an employment visa that your employer applies for. Joining a working spouse or parent needs a family residence visa, study needs a student residence visa, and people who want to live in the UAE without an employer sponsor look at the green or golden visa. Most of these are applied for by a UAE sponsor, not by you, and none are issued by the UAE Embassy or consulates in India on ordinary passports for tourism.

This page compares the options and helps you choose. If your trip is a holiday, go straight to our Dubai tourist visa guide for Indians. If you already hold a US visa or green card, or a UK or EU visa or residence permit, check whether you qualify for the UAE visa on arrival for Indian passport holders.

UAE visa types for Indians compared (September 2026)

Your purpose	Visa	Who applies	Key condition
Holiday	Tourist visa	UAE tourism company, hotel or airline	30 or 60 days (90 on some ICP visas)
Holiday, with US/UK/EU documents	Visa on arrival	No advance application	Qualifying visa or residence permit
Changing planes	Transit visa	UAE-based airline	48 hours free or 96 hours for AED 50
Visiting relatives or friends	Visit visa	UAE resident host	Host income from AED 4,000 a month
Looking for work	Job seeker visit visa	You, no host needed	Skill level 1 to 3 or recent top-500 graduate
Taking a job	Employment (work) visa	Employer	Job offer; 2-year residence permit
Joining family	Family residence visa	Resident spouse or parent	Sponsor earns AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus housing
Studying	Student residence visa	University or resident parent	Admission to a licensed institution
Skilled or freelance, self-sponsored	Green visa (5 years)	You	AED 15,000 salary or freelance income test
Investor or top talent	Golden visa (5 or 10 years)	You	For example AED 2 million property

Employment visa: what Indians need on both sides

An Indian taking a job in the UAE does not apply for the visa personally. The UAE government portal states that the employer must apply for the work visa, and the resulting residence permit is valid for two years and renewable. In practice the employer obtains the work permit and entry permit, you enter the UAE, pass a medical fitness test, complete Emirates ID biometrics and receive the residence permit. Never start work on a tourist or visit visa.

India-side steps

• ECR passport holders need emigration clearance. The UAE is on India's list of ECR countries, so anyone with an Emigration Check Required passport taking up a UAE job must get clearance through the eMigrate portal. Clearance is not needed for tourist or family trips.
• Non-ECR passport holders do not need clearance, but India's Ministry of External Affairs has urged those going to ECR countries for work to register on eMigrate so the embassy can assist if problems arise.
• Recruitment agents: use agents registered on eMigrate and be wary of anyone charging you large fees for a "visa".
• Certificate attestation: degree certificates used for UAE work permits usually have to be attested in India (state authority, then MEA) and by the UAE mission, then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ask your employer exactly which documents they need before you start.

Family residence visa and visit visas for relatives

These are two different products, and Indians often mix them up.

Family residence visa (to live with a resident)

An Indian resident of the UAE can sponsor family members to live there if they earn at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation, according to the UAE government portal. Eligible dependants are a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs. Family members aged 18 and over must pass a medical fitness test in the UAE, and the family's permits are linked to the sponsor's own residence visa. Marriage and birth certificates issued in India normally need attestation before the application; check the current process with the UAE Embassy in New Delhi or your sponsor's typing centre.

Visit visa sponsored by a relative or friend

For a short visit, a UAE resident can sponsor a relative or friend instead of using a tourist visa. Under ICP's updated conditions, the host needs a monthly salary of at least AED 4,000 for first-degree relatives, AED 8,000 for second and third-degree relatives, and AED 15,000 for friends. Parents visiting a working son or daughter usually go this way.

Student, transit and job seeker visas

Student residence visa

Indian students accepted by a licensed UAE university or college are normally sponsored by the institution, and a resident parent can sponsor a child instead. Ask the admissions office which sponsor applies and what documents they need, since rules differ between institutions and emirates.

Transit visa

Indians connecting through Dubai or Abu Dhabi can leave the airport on a transit visa arranged by the UAE-based airline they are flying with. A 48-hour transit visa is free and a 96-hour transit visa costs AED 50; neither can be extended and both must be approved before travel. Our Dubai layover guide suggests what fits into a short stop.

Job seeker visit visa

This visa lets you enter without a host to look for work, for 60, 90 or 120 days on a single trip. According to the UAE government portal you must be in skill level 1, 2 or 3 of the MOHRE classification, or have graduated in the last two years from one of the world's top 500 universities, hold at least a bachelor's degree and pay a financial guarantee. Once you receive an offer, the employer still has to arrange the employment visa.

Green and golden visas: long-term options without an employer

The green visa is a five-year, self-sponsored residence visa. Skilled employees need a valid UAE employment contract, MOHRE skill level 1 to 3, at least a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 15,000. Freelancers need a MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit, a bachelor's degree and annual freelance income of at least AED 360,000 over the previous two years. Green visa holders can sponsor first-degree relatives.

The golden visa runs for five or ten years with no sponsor, and holders can stay outside the UAE for longer than the usual six months. The best-known routes are property worth at least AED 2 million and, for skilled professionals, a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000 with a bachelor's degree. Other routes cover entrepreneurs, exceptional talent, outstanding students and frontline workers.

• Beware of "lifetime golden visa" offers. In July 2025 ICP denied viral claims that Indians could get a nomination-based lifetime golden visa for about AED 100,000, and said applications are made only through official channels.
• Remote workers employed outside the UAE have a separate route, covered in our UAE remote work visa guide.

Which UAE visa should you pick?

• Two-week family holiday: tourist visa through your airline or a licensed agent, unless everyone holds a qualifying US, UK or EU document for visa on arrival.
• Parents visiting a son or daughter who lives in the UAE: relative-sponsored visit visa, if the host meets the salary threshold.
• Job offer in hand: employment visa via the employer, plus eMigrate clearance if your passport is ECR.
• Want to job-hunt in person: job seeker visit visa if you meet the skill or graduate test; otherwise a tourist visa, but you cannot work on it.
• Spouse and children joining a UAE resident: family residence visa.
• High earner or property investor: compare the green and golden visa before relying on an employer.

Visa rules and thresholds change often. Everything here was checked against u.ae, ICP and GDRFA Dubai in September 2026; confirm on those sites before you apply. Once in the UAE, stays can sometimes be extended, as explained in our guide to UAE visa extensions, and newcomers can read our guide to moving to Dubai as an expat for housing and jobs.

Frequently asked questions

Which UAE visa should an Indian apply for?

It depends on the purpose. A holiday needs a tourist visa or, for eligible travellers, a visa on arrival. Visiting relatives uses a visit visa sponsored by the relative. A job needs an employment visa arranged by the employer, joining a working spouse or parent needs a family residence visa, and long-term self-sponsored stays use the green or golden visa.

Can an Indian work in the UAE on a tourist or visit visa?

No. Tourist and visit visas do not allow work. The employer must apply for a work permit and employment visa. If you want to look for a job in person, the job seeker visit visa lets you search, but you still need an employment visa before starting work.

Do Indians with an ECR passport need emigration clearance for a UAE job?

Yes. The UAE is one of the ECR countries listed by India's Ministry of External Affairs, so an Indian with an ECR-endorsed passport taking up employment there needs emigration clearance through the eMigrate system. ECR passport holders visiting for tourism or family do not need clearance.

How much salary does an Indian resident need to sponsor family in the UAE?

For a family residence visa, the sponsor must earn at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. For a short visit visa for relatives, ICP sets AED 4,000 for first-degree relatives, AED 8,000 for second and third-degree relatives and AED 15,000 for friends.

Can Indians get a UAE transit visa?

Yes. UAE-based airlines arrange 48-hour transit visas free of charge and 96-hour transit visas for AED 50 for passengers connecting through the UAE. Neither can be extended, and they must be approved before you fly.

Is there a lifetime UAE golden visa for Indians for AED 100,000?

No. In July 2025 ICP denied claims of a nomination-based lifetime golden visa for Indians costing about AED 100,000 and said applications go only through official government channels. Golden visa routes include property worth at least AED 2 million or, for skilled professionals, a salary of at least AED 30,000 a month.