United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), also known simply as the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, situated at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal semi-constitutional monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as its national capital. Wikipedia
Cities
Cities with a full Wikivoyage guide, largest first.
Can I go? Entry and visas
From GOV.UK, for United Kingdom passports, updated 24 July 2026:
You can get a visitor or tourist visa issued free of charge when you arrive in the UAE. You do not need to apply in advance of travel. Your passport will be stamped with the visa as you go through immigration. It will be valid for up to 90 days over a 180-day period, which will begin from the date of first entry into the UAE. The stay can either be continuous or divided across multiple visits, provided the total duration does not exceed 90 days within the 180-day timeframe.
You could face fines for exceeding your authorised stay which may accumulate for each day of overstay. If you want to extend your stay, contact:
for Dubai: General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs
for the rest of the UAE: Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship
Passport validity
To enter the UAE, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
If you have a residence permit, your passport’s expiry date must be at least 3 months after the date you arrive in the UAE.
If you’re travelling through the UAE and not passing through immigration, your passport must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the date you will transit.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Your embassy in United Arab Emirates
Finding embassies…
For a lost passport, an arrest or an emergency.
United Arab Emirates's embassy in United Kingdom
Finding embassies…
For a visa before you go.
Entry rules change, sometimes overnight. Always confirm with the official source before you book or travel. This is a pointer, not legal advice.
Good to know
Emergency numbers in United Arab Emirates
- Currency
- United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)
- Time
- UTC+4
- Wed 09:08 there now
- Plugs and power
- Types C, D, G · 220 V
- Driving
- On the right
- Calling code
- +971
- Languages
- Arabic
- English spoken by about 50%
- Capital
- Abu Dhabi
From Wikidata, Unicode CLDR (currency, languages) and the IANA time zone database; checked 10 October 2026.