Plan your trip
The practical part, with the dates left on.
Visas, transport, weather, money, conduct and connectivity — read off GDRFA, ICP, the RTA, the Federal Tax Authority and the UK FCDO, stamped with the day we last opened them, and honest about what nobody publishes.
Rules change. We confirm the current requirement for every booking.
Everything here was checked against the issuing authority on the date shown. UAE visa rules, government fees, timetables and holiday dates change without notice — confirm with the relevant authority before you travel, or ask us and we will check it for your booking.
TIME-SENSITIVE: Visa rules, fees, tolls, fares, opening hours and holiday dates change without notice. Every published page must carry a visible 'last checked' date and a line telling the reader to confirm with the issuing authority before travel. Re-verify this whole file at least every 90 days.
Whole page checked Re-verified at least every 90 daysNo prices published anywhere on this site
The short version
What a licensed Dubai DMC checks before you fly.
This is the practical half of a Dubai trip: the entry permission, the airport transfer that has to work at six in the morning, the hotel bill that arrives with more lines on it than the room rate, and the handful of rules that are genuinely different from home. Everything below was read off the authority that issues it — the UAE federal portal, GDRFA Dubai, ICP, the Abu Dhabi Residents Office, the RTA, the Federal Tax Authority and the UK FCDO — rather than off another travel site, and every block carries the date we last opened those sources.
Entry is the part worth settling first. Passports must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry. Duration depends on which authority issues the visa rather than on one national rule: GDRFA Dubai’s single-entry tourist visa runs 30 or 60 days, while ICP’s federal visit visa runs 30, 60 or 90 days, with total stay in the UAE capped at 120 days. GDRFA also asks for a ticket to continue the journey or leave the country and medical insurance valid in the UAE, and states a processing time of 48 hours. What you will not find here is a nationality-by-nationality visa-on-arrival table, because no UAE authority publishes one — tell us the passport and we confirm the route in writing before anything is booked.
On the ground, a single nol card covers metro, tram and bus and is accepted in taxis. The detail that breaks more schedules than any other is the shape of the week: the metro does not start until 08:00 on Sunday and the tram not until 09:00, so an early Sunday airport run is a road movement rather than a rail one. Buses run from 04:00, and route C01 runs around the clock. VAT is 5% and shows on retail, restaurant and hotel bills, and Dubai’s Tourism Dirham is charged per room per night for up to 30 consecutive nights on top of the room.
Climate decides the itinerary more than the calendar does. Average daytime highs run from 25°C in January to 41°C in August on the 1991–2020 normals — the difference between a full-day walking programme in Al Fahidi and an indoor-led one with the desert moved to the evening. Conduct matters as much: dress modestly in public places including malls, keep public displays of affection minimal, and note that the legal drinking age is 21 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates while the FCDO states that drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal outright in Sharjah.
None of this is static, and a travel page that pretends otherwise is worse than no page. Rules, government fees, timetables and holiday dates change without notice, so read the date stamped on each block below — and then ask us. Confirming the current requirement against the issuing authority is part of every booking we handle, not an extra.
Deliberately not published here
5 things are missing from this page on purpose. Each one is either not published by any UAE authority in a form we could read, or sits behind a source we could not reach — and a wrong answer on any of them can get a traveller denied boarding or overcharged. We hold them until we have the position in writing, and we confirm each one per booking instead.
- VISA-ON-ARRIVAL NATIONALITY LIST
- INDIAN PASSPORT HOLDERS
- TRANSIT VISAS
- SALIK
- AED/USD PEG
Visas & entry
Who needs one, which authority issues which duration, and what GDRFA asks for.
Checked
- A tourist visa is for travellers who are not eligible for visa-free entry or a visa on arrival. GCC citizens do not need a visa to enter the UAE at all.
- The UAE federal portal states that a tourist visa is applied for through airlines, hotels and travel agents, or online through ICP or GDRFA Dubai — and GDRFA requires the sponsor to be an accredited Dubai tourism establishment, which is exactly what a licensed Dubai DMC is.
- Duration depends on who issues it, so ask by authority rather than by number: GDRFA Dubai's single-entry tourist visa is 30 or 60 days, while ICP's federal visit visa is 30, 60 or 90 days, with total stay in the UAE capped at 120 days.
- Passports must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry. GDRFA also asks for a travel ticket to continue the journey or leave the UAE and medical insurance valid in the UAE, and states a processing time of 48 hours.
- The Abu Dhabi Residents Office states that visit and tourist visas can be extended for 30 days on two separate occasions without leaving the country, with a 10-day grace period after expiry — but GCC visitors and residents, holders of special permits and holders of 96-hour special mission permits are excluded from those rules.
- The five-year multiple-entry tourist visa allows 90 days per visit, extendable by a further 90, on self-sponsorship. The federal portal states it can be issued for all nationalities, subject to a bank-balance, health-insurance and return-ticket condition.
What this does not settle
Visa-on-arrival eligibility depends on your passport and changes without notice — no UAE authority publishes a single nationality list, so tell us your nationality and we will confirm it before you book. Indian passport holders are checked case by case with GDRFA Dubai or ICP rather than from a published table. Rules, fees and processing times change; nothing here is a guarantee of entry.
The nationality question
We do not publish a visa-on-arrival table because no UAE authority publishes one to publish from. Send us the passport, the travel dates and the route, and a coordinator in Bur Dubai comes back with the position confirmed against GDRFA Dubai or ICP — in writing, before anything is ticketed.
Read it at the source
Getting around
Metro, tram, bus, nol and taxis — including the Sunday start times that catch people out.
Checked
- The RTA runs the Dubai Metro on two lines, the Red and the Green, with Gold Class cabins and cabins for women and children. One nol smart card covers metro, tram and bus, and is accepted in taxis.
- The metro runs from 05:00 to midnight Monday to Thursday and on Saturday, and to 01:00 on Friday — but it does not start until 08:00 on Sunday, so an early Sunday airport transfer cannot rely on it.
- The tram runs 06:00 to 01:00 Monday to Saturday and starts at 09:00 on Sunday. Buses run 04:00 to 01:00 daily, with route C01 running 24 hours.
- RTA taxis come in Regular, Family, Female, People of Determination and Safe Hands categories, bookable through RTA's S'hail app or its partners Careem–Hala, Bolt, Zed and YANGO, and take cash, cards, nol, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Alipay.
- Salik, Dubai's road toll, is charged automatically by gantry without stopping, and RTA states that additional fares apply when passing through Salik gates — so it reaches you through the taxi meter or the rental-car bill.
- Driving in from Oman or Saudi Arabia requires an international driving permit and valid vehicle insurance. The UK FCDO warns that drink-driving is illegal no matter how small the amount and is likely to invalidate your insurance, and that crossing a road away from a designated pedestrian crossing can bring a fine or imprisonment.
What this does not settle
RTA timetables, fares and toll charges change without notice, and the late Sunday start on the metro and tram is the detail that most often breaks a schedule. The federal portal does not publish which nationalities may drive on a home licence, so we confirm that with RTA or the rental supplier for your party rather than guess.
Access needs
The only accessibility provision we can put in writing today is the RTA’s “People of Determination” taxi category. Step-free routing, vehicle types and any concession are confirmed with the RTA and the supplier for your specific party before we promise them — we would rather quote a private accessible transfer than let a guest discover a gap at a station.
When to go, month by month.
Copernicus C3S climate averages, 1991–2020. Demand and crowd columns describe availability and how busy the city feels — never a rate. We publish no prices.
Checked
| Month | Daytime high | Night low | Rainfall | Demand | Crowds | Notes & how we tour it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°C | 17°C | 19 mm — the wettest month | Peak | Busiest | Wettest month of the year and the coolest. Highest relative humidity of the year at 65%. Peak comfort season. Full-day outdoor programmes, desert overnights, dhow cruises and walking tours in Al Fahidi all work. Book early — this is high season. |
| February | 26°C | Not published | Not published | Peak | Busiest | Lowest sunshine of the year: about 242 hours in total, roughly 8.1 hours of daily sunlight. Still ideal touring weather. Good for MICE, outdoor gala dinners and desert camps. |
| March | 28°C | Not published | Not published | Peak | Busiest | Excellent. Last comfortable month for extended midday walking itineraries. |
| April | 32°C | Not published | Not published | Shoulder | Steady | Shift outdoor activity to early morning and late afternoon. Desert safaris move later in the day. Pools and beaches at their best. |
| May | 37°C | Not published | Not published | Low | Quietest | Sunniest month of the year: about 350 hours in total, up to 11.7 hours of daily sun. Lowest relative humidity of the year at 53%. Begin the indoor pivot. Museums, malls, aquariums, indoor ski, gallery districts and dining. Keep outdoor exposure to sunrise and after sunset. |
| June | 39°C | Not published | 0.2 mm — the driest month | Low | Quietest | Driest month of the year at 0.2 mm. Fully indoor-led programmes. Air-conditioned transfers door to door. Evening desert experiences only. |
| July | 40°C | Not published | Not published | Low | Quietest | About 11.0 hours of daily sunshine. Indoor pivot essential. |
| August | 41°C | 31°C | Not published | Low | Quietest | Warmest month of the year, and the month with the highest night-time minimum at 31°C. Hottest month. Indoor-only daytime programmes; humidity makes it feel hotter than the number. Plan short outdoor transfers only. |
| September | 39°C | Not published | Not published | Low | Quietest | Indoor-led. Conditions begin easing at the very end of the month. |
| October | 36°C | Not published | Not published | Shoulder | Steady | Outdoor programmes return from late afternoon. Desert season restarts. Good shoulder-season value. |
| November | 31°C | Not published | Not published | Shoulder | Steady | Full outdoor programme viable again. Strong month for MICE and incentive groups. |
| December | 27°C | Not published | Not published | Peak | Busiest | Peak season. National Day (2–3 December) and New Year draw large crowds; book well ahead. |
The table scrolls sideways — swipe it to read a month in full.
Night lows
Average night-time lows are published for January and August only. The other ten months are left blank rather than estimated.
Rainfall
Rainfall is published for January, June and the annual total only, so most months carry no figure. The published annual total is 77 mm, against roughly 3,577 hours of sunshine a year.
Sea temperature
No sea temperature appears in the verified research, so that column is empty for every month and should be hidden rather than filled in.
Our advice, not a source
Touring guidance in this table is our own operational advice, derived from the sourced monthly averages. It is not itself a sourced claim.
How confident we are
Copernicus C3S 1991–2020 normals as republished by weather-and-climate.com, re-read 29 July 2026. The UAE National Center of Meteorology does not expose monthly normals at a fetchable URL, so this remains a secondary source and is labelled 'likely' rather than 'verified'.
Demand, not price
Peak, shoulder and low describe how contested rooms, guides and vehicles are in that month. They are our own operational reading of the sourced averages, and they are never a price signal — this site quotes none.
Read it at the source
Money & payments
The dirham, cards and ATMs, 5% VAT, and the charges that land on a hotel bill.
Checked
- The currency is the UAE dirham, written AED — the unit every UAE government fee schedule is quoted in.
- Foreign currency can be changed at licensed money exchange centres at airports, in malls and in commercial areas; the federal portal links to the Central Bank's directory of licensed centres and to its exchange rates page.
- ATMs are widespread, and credit cards, currency cards and traveller's cheques are accepted. Dubai taxis take cash, credit cards, nol, Careem Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Alipay, QR payment and American Express.
- VAT is 5% and shows on retail, restaurant and hotel bills. The Federal Tax Authority runs a tourist refund scheme with Planet: you must have entered on a tourist visa, be 18 or over, not be a UAE resident, and export-validate the transaction before you leave.
- At validation the FTA wants the original passport or GCC national ID, the goods themselves and a valid ticket or confirmed booking — photocopies are not accepted, and you must depart within six hours of validating.
- Hotel bills carry government charges on top of the room: Dubai's Tourism Dirham applies per room per night for up to 30 consecutive nights, and the federal portal notes properties may also apply room tax, service charge, municipality fees, city tax and a tourism fee.
What this does not settle
Exchange rates and the dirham's peg are published by the Central Bank of the UAE — check there rather than here. The Federal Tax Authority and the u.ae portal publish different refund-fee figures for the tourist VAT scheme, so treat the FTA page as primary. Government fees and thresholds change without notice.
Tipping
Tipping is customary but discretionary, and many bills already include a service charge.
Our own guidance, deliberately without a figure: no authority publishes tipping amounts, so anyone quoting you a percentage invented it.
Why there are no numbers in this section
Government fee schedules, the dirham’s peg and the tourist VAT refund deduction are published by the issuing bodies and move without notice — and the Federal Tax Authority and the federal portal do not currently agree on the refund figures. We describe the schemes and send you to the authority rather than reprint a number that will eventually be wrong beside our name.
Read it at the source
Etiquette & laws
Dress, public behaviour, alcohol and Ramadan — the rules worth reading before you land.
Checked
- The UAE is a Muslim country, and there may be serious penalties for behaviour that would not be illegal at home — particularly during Ramadan or at religious sites.
- Dress modestly in public places including shopping malls: loose clothing covering shoulders, arms and legs. The federal portal states that any form of nudity is strictly forbidden, including topless sunbathing, and that women visiting mosques wear an abaya and head covering, usually provided on site.
- Keep public displays of affection minimal — holding hands is accepted, kissing and hugging are not, and the FCDO states you can be arrested for kissing in public. Swearing and rude gestures, including online, are treated as obscene acts and can bring jail or deportation.
- Drugs are zero-tolerance. The UK FCDO states that possession of even the smallest amount, including cannabis, can bring a minimum three-month prison term or a fine of AED 20,000 to AED 100,000, that trafficking sentences can include the death penalty, and that drugs in the bloodstream count as possession — so something consumed legally elsewhere before flying still counts.
- The legal drinking age is 21 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates — except Sharjah, where the FCDO states that drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal outright. Buying alcohol to take away needs a licence; tourists can get a one-month licence from MMI or African & Eastern.
- During Ramadan the FCDO advises that eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum in public during daylight may cause offence, including in your car. Non-Muslims are not required to fast, restaurants and attractions stay open through the day, and working hours are reduced by two hours a day — which moves supplier and MICE schedules.
What this does not settle
The federal portal's social-responsibility guidance is dated 30 December 2024, the oldest source behind this page, and penalties can change. UAE law on relationships, family matters and LGBT+ travellers differs materially from many home countries and can turn on a third party's complaint — read the UK FCDO's live advice for the UAE and speak to us before you travel.
Medication
Obtain prior UAE Ministry of Health approval for any narcotic, psychotropic, controlled or semi-controlled medicine before you travel. Both the UK FCDO and the UAE Embassy state that prior approval is required; uncontrolled prescription and over-the-counter medicines do not need it. Work from the current MoHAP list rather than any summary — the controlled-medicines list circulated via the federal portal is titled for 2022 and is several years old.
Live regional advice
The UK FCDO’s advice for the UAE currently carries an active regional-security warning. We deliberately publish no summary of it — it would date within weeks and a stale security line is worse than none. Read the live FCDO page, and ask us how it affects your dates.
Connectivity
SIM cards, what you need to buy one, and where the free Wi-Fi actually is.
Checked
- The federal portal names two mobile providers: Etisalat, branded e&, and du.
- A local SIM needs a copy of your passport and UAE visa. e& sells a Visitor Line and du a Tourist Plan; e&'s packs run 28 days, are open to visitors aged 18 and above, and are capped at two SIMs per passport.
- Buy at an e& business centre, outlet or partner with passport and visa in hand, or online — and note the packs can be bought more than once if you stay longer.
- Most hotels offer free Wi-Fi to guests, as do most malls and many other public places, and both operators sell Wi-Fi packages at various locations.
- RTA states the Dubai Metro has Wi-Fi throughout the network and complete mobile phone coverage across the entire network.
- Customer service numbers are 101 or 144 for Etisalat and 155 for du; directory services are 181 and 199 respectively.
What this does not settle
Operator tiers, pack validity and out-of-bundle rates are set by e& and du and change without notice — confirm the current terms with the operator at the point of purchase.
07 — Questions
The ones we answer most.
15 answers, each one a sentence from the sourced research above rather than a rewrite of it. Anything that turns on your passport, your dates or your medication is a conversation, not a FAQ.
Do I need a visa to enter the UAE?
A tourist visa is for travellers who are not eligible for visa-free entry or a visa on arrival. GCC citizens do not need a visa to enter the UAE at all. Visa-on-arrival eligibility depends on your passport and changes without notice — no UAE authority publishes a single nationality list, so tell us your nationality and we will confirm it before you book. Indian passport holders are checked case by case with GDRFA Dubai or ICP rather than from a published table. Rules, fees and processing times change; nothing here is a guarantee of entry.
Read the full sectionHow long is a Dubai tourist visa valid for?
Duration depends on who issues it, so ask by authority rather than by number: GDRFA Dubai's single-entry tourist visa is 30 or 60 days, while ICP's federal visit visa is 30, 60 or 90 days, with total stay in the UAE capped at 120 days.
Read the full sectionWhat does GDRFA ask for, and how long does a tourist visa take?
Passports must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry. GDRFA also asks for a travel ticket to continue the journey or leave the UAE and medical insurance valid in the UAE, and states a processing time of 48 hours.
Read the full sectionCan a UAE visit visa be extended without leaving the country?
The Abu Dhabi Residents Office states that visit and tourist visas can be extended for 30 days on two separate occasions without leaving the country, with a 10-day grace period after expiry — but GCC visitors and residents, holders of special permits and holders of 96-hour special mission permits are excluded from those rules.
Read the full sectionWhat time does the Dubai Metro start on a Sunday?
The metro runs from 05:00 to midnight Monday to Thursday and on Saturday, and to 01:00 on Friday — but it does not start until 08:00 on Sunday, so an early Sunday airport transfer cannot rely on it.
Read the full sectionWhat is a nol card, and what does it cover?
The RTA runs the Dubai Metro on two lines, the Red and the Green, with Gold Class cabins and cabins for women and children. One nol smart card covers metro, tram and bus, and is accepted in taxis.
Read the full sectionHow do Dubai road tolls reach a visitor?
Salik, Dubai's road toll, is charged automatically by gantry without stopping, and RTA states that additional fares apply when passing through Salik gates — so it reaches you through the taxi meter or the rental-car bill.
Read the full sectionWhen is the best time to visit Dubai?
Average daytime highs run from 25°C in January to 41°C in August on the Copernicus C3S climate averages, 1991–2020. Peak comfort season. Full-day outdoor programmes, desert overnights, dhow cruises and walking tours in Al Fahidi all work. Book early — this is high season. Hottest month. Indoor-only daytime programmes; humidity makes it feel hotter than the number. Plan short outdoor transfers only.
Read the full sectionIs there VAT in the UAE, and can visitors claim it back?
VAT is 5% and shows on retail, restaurant and hotel bills. The Federal Tax Authority runs a tourist refund scheme with Planet: you must have entered on a tourist visa, be 18 or over, not be a UAE resident, and export-validate the transaction before you leave.
Read the full sectionWhat gets added to a hotel bill in Dubai?
Hotel bills carry government charges on top of the room: Dubai's Tourism Dirham applies per room per night for up to 30 consecutive nights, and the federal portal notes properties may also apply room tax, service charge, municipality fees, city tax and a tourism fee.
Read the full sectionWhat should I wear in Dubai?
Dress modestly in public places including shopping malls: loose clothing covering shoulders, arms and legs. The federal portal states that any form of nudity is strictly forbidden, including topless sunbathing, and that women visiting mosques wear an abaya and head covering, usually provided on site.
Read the full sectionCan visitors drink alcohol in Dubai?
The legal drinking age is 21 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates — except Sharjah, where the FCDO states that drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal outright. Buying alcohol to take away needs a licence; tourists can get a one-month licence from MMI or African & Eastern.
Read the full sectionWhat changes during Ramadan?
During Ramadan the FCDO advises that eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum in public during daylight may cause offence, including in your car. Non-Muslims are not required to fast, restaurants and attractions stay open through the day, and working hours are reduced by two hours a day — which moves supplier and MICE schedules.
Read the full sectionCan a visitor buy a local SIM card?
A local SIM needs a copy of your passport and UAE visa. e& sells a Visitor Line and du a Tourist Plan; e&'s packs run 28 days, are open to visitors aged 18 and above, and are capped at two SIMs per passport.
Read the full sectionIs there mobile coverage and Wi-Fi on the Dubai Metro?
RTA states the Dubai Metro has Wi-Fi throughout the network and complete mobile phone coverage across the entire network.
Read the full sectionAnswers checked . Confirm with the issuing authority before you travel, or ask us and we will check it for your booking.
Made to measure
Our Dubai team arranges the hotels, transfers and excursions on the ground across all seven Emirates — so the programme is assembled around the dates you send us, not around a fixed departure calendar.
The fleet is ours, and so is the team that dispatches it.