United Arab Emirates: passport and entry requirements
The UAE issues UK visitors a free visa at the airport and needs six months left on every passport. Sort the passport dates before you book and there's little else to arrange.
On this page
Your passport
Each passport needs at least six months left on it after the day you arrive. That's counted from your arrival date, not your return, so a passport that expires soon after you get home still falls short at the UAE border.
Children's passports need renewing more often than an adult's, so they're often the ones closest to expiry. Check every passport in the family when you book, and there's time to renew a short one before you fly.
Getting in
British citizens don't arrange a visa in advance. You're given a free visit visa when you land, with no online form, and it allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period, taken in one trip or split across several. Every traveller gets their own, so your children are covered without a separate application.
Every child needs their own passport, from birth, and it meets the same rule as the adults'. Each child gets the free visa on arrival as well, so there's nothing to apply for on their behalf before you go.
Bringing medicines and other goods
Some everyday items are restricted or have to be declared when you arrive, and that includes certain medicines. If anyone in the family takes regular medication, check it's allowed into the UAE before you travel. The full list of restricted and controlled goods is on the GOV.UK UAE entry page, so read it before you pack.
Where we cover in United Arab Emirates
Our family guides to the parts of United Arab Emirates we've researched.
Official sources
Last checked 11 August 2026. Passport and entry rules change, so always confirm on GOV.UK before you book or travel.
