Guide to passport and visa services in the UAE
Looking for information on the various UAE visa services that are available to expatriates and local residents in the country? You have come to the right place! Whether you are a UAE citizen planning to travel abroad or an expat wishing to take a trip to your dream holiday destination, these dedicated visa services have got you covered with the most up-to-date information on obtaining relevant travel documents.
DISCLAIMER: The information, although accurate at the time of publishing, is subject to change without notice. Please refer to the official sources for up-to-date information before making any travel plans.
Here’s an overview of the different UAE passport and visa services.
VISA FREE COUNTRIES FOR UAE NATIONALS
UAE nationals can travel to several countries without applying for a visa. One can simply bypass visa services in the UAE if they wish to travel to the following countries:
- Albania
- Latvia
- Andorra
- Lebanon
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Liechtenstein
- Argentina
- Lithuania
- Armenia
- Luxembourg
- Austria
- Macedonia
- Bahamas
- Malaysia
- Bahrain
- Mali
- Belarus
- Malta
- Belgium
- Mauritius
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Micronesia
- Botswana
- Moldova
- Brunei
- Monaco
- Bulgaria
- Montenegro
- Burkina Faso
- Morocco
- Canada
- Nauru
- Chad
- Netherlands
- Chile
- New Zealand
- China
- Nicaragua
- Colombia
- Norway
- Costa Rica
- Oman
- Croatia
- Palestinian territories
- Cyprus
- Panama
- Czech Republic
- Philippines
- Denmark
- Poland
- Dominica
- Portugal
- Dominican Republic
- Romania
- Ecuador
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Egypt
- Saint Lucia
- El Salvador
- San Marino
- Estonia
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Fiji
- Saudi Arabia
- Finland
- Senegal
- France
- Serbia
- Gambia
- Seychelles
- Georgia
- Singapore
- Germany
- Slovakia
- Greece
- Slovenia
- Grenada
- Solomon Islands
- Guatemala
- South Korea
- Haiti
- Spain
- Honduras
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Hong Kong
- Sudan
- Hungary
- Swaziland
- Iceland
- Sweden
- Indonesia
- Switzerland
- Ireland
- Syria
- Italy
- Thailand
- Jordan
- Tonga
- Kazakhstan
- Tunisia
- Kosovo
- Ukraine
- Eswatini
- Kuwait
- Uruguay
- Kyrgyzstan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
Likewise, passport holders of different nationalities in the UAE can also visit several countries without applying for a visa. Read our blog on visa-free destinations for UAE residents for more information.
VISA FACILITATION SERVICES (VFS) GLOBAL, UAE
VFS Global is a major visa service in the UAE with application centres in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah and an online portal. UAE residents can use VFS to apply for a Schengen visa, as well as visas for countries like Australia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungry, Indonesia, Isreal, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Turkey, New Zealand, Malaysia, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Saudia Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, the UK, Ukraine and Vietnam.
VFS Global is also an authorised outsourcing company for visa applications. They can help you with the UAE visa application process, passport issuance and document attestation. However, they have no control over the acceptance or rejection of your UAE visa application.
VFS GLOBAL UAE LOCATIONS
DUBAI
- Timings: Monday to Friday from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm
- Location: Levels 2 & 3, WAFI Mall, Umm Hurair 2
- Contact: +971-4-205-5666
ABU DHABI
- Location: Level B2 (Lower Ground), The Mall at World Trade Centre, Khalifa Bin Zayed area
- Timings: Monday to Friday from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm
- Contact: +971-4-205-5666
SHARJAH
- Location: 3rd Floor Regus Building Near Mega Mall, Al Qasimia
- Timings: Monday to Thursday from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm
- Contact: +971-4-205-5666
Check out our comprehensive VFS Global UAE visa application guide to learn more about their services.
BLS INTERNATIONAL
Moving on, Indian passport holders can visit BLS International Service Centres for a variety of passport services including Indian passport renewal in the UAE.
Once again, do note that BLS is simply an authorised agency that handles passport-related matters for Indian expats in the UAE. It is the Indian Embassy or Consulate that will accept or reject your application.
BLS SERVICE CENTRES IN THE UAE
ABU DHABI PREMIUM LOUNGE
- Location: 02, Building No 14, Al Nahyan camp
- Timings: 09:00 am – 06:00 pm (Monday to Friday)
- Contact: +971-4-387-5667
ABU DHABI
- Location: Shams Boutik (The mall) Level 1, Shop No 32, Al Rayfah Street, Al Reem Island
- Timings: 09:00 am – 06:00 pm (Monday to Friday)
- Contact: +971-4-387-5667
AL MANKHOOL, DUBAI
- Location: Office #118 -119, Mezzanine Floor, Al Khaleej Center, Opp. Al Ain Center, Mankhool Road, Bur Dubai
- Timings: 09:00 am – 06:00 pm (Monday to Friday)
- Contact: +971-4-387-5777
DEIRA, DUBAI
- Location: Shop No# 13, Ground Floor, Zeenah Building, Opposite to Deira City Center P3 Parking, Deira
- Timings: 08:00 am – 05:00 pm
- Contact: +971-4-387-5777
DUBAI PREMIUM LOUNGE
- Location: Office #507, Habib Bank AG Zurich, Al Jawarah Building, Bank Street, Bur Dubai
- Timings: 09:00 am – 06:00 pm (Saturday – Thursday)
- Contact: +971-4-387-5777
SHARJAH
- Location: Office #11, Mezzanine Floor, Abdul Aziz Majid Building, King Faisal Street
- Timings: 08:00 am – 05:00 pm
There are other branches of BLS Centres in other emirates as well. You can find the complete list of BLS Centres on their official website.
FAQS ABOUT UAE VISA SERVICES AND MORE
WHERE CAN I FIND THE LOCATION OR CONTACT OF MY COUNTRY’S EMBASSY IN THE UAE?
even if you are using visa and passport agencies, or even applying online, your visa and passport applications will be evaluated and approved by the relevant embassies. Each embassy and consulate has different timings for submitting documents as well as visa services. You can easily find more information regarding embassies in the UAE and consulates in Dubai on MyBayut.
CAN I CONVERT AN INTERNATIONAL LICENCE TO A DUBAI LICENCE?
Yes, you can. Check our guide on converting an international licence to a UAE licence to find out more.
This wraps up our guide to UAE visa services. If you are planning to travel to the UAE, check out the latest updates on the residency visa. The UAE Government also has an official portal to help you access visa-related services. Learn how to check your UAE visa status online here.
DISCLAIMER: The information, although accurate at the time of publishing, may change over time. Please refer to the official sources for up-to-date information before making any travel plans.
