Summary UAE Visa Application (November 2016)

Below I summarized my experience applying visas for me and my family.

I am holding Indonesian passport and reside in Qatar. My family (mother and sister) are holding Indonesian passport and reside in Indonesia.

There are several other ways to arrange the visa as listed below:

-       Airline company websites

-       Online Application for GCC Residence

-       Travel Agents

-       Hotels

Further below I list up each method with reference link that might be useful.

Airline Company Websites

Both Emirates and Etihad Airways can arrange the visa.

I think this is the easiest way to apply if you are flying with the related airlines.

Important notes:

-       Only can be applied after actually booking the flight. For Emirates, it is applied through “Manage Your Booking” page.

-       The website said minimum 7 days required to process, so plan well. My friends previously applied through Emirates website and only got the visas on the flight day, while we needed to print out the visa for immigration purpose.

I used Emirates online application once before and was easy and OK, though it was not cheap.

I also requested FlyDubai to apply for my visa before, but recently when I asked, FlyDubai is not arranging the visa anymore.

I never applied through Etihad website.

Online Application for GCC Residence

Have to register first here:

https://www.gdrfa.ae/GCCIND/gccLogin.do?userAction=switchToEnglish

I have registered myself but never actually applied the visa.

Few notes:

-       The visa only is valid 14 days after the issuance.

-       Need to input name in Arabic

Travel Agents

Googled it and found several local travel agents that can arrange UAE visa. After several correspondences, I chose Rayna Travel, since their response was very timely and the price was good, and was happy with my choice, they got the visa only 3 days after I requested them to officially submit (they planned to submit officially my application later, but I insisted them to submit earlier).

Below I summarized my research on the travel agent option.

Name	Website/ Email	Visa Cost and Requirements	Staff Response and Other Remarks
Rayna Tours	www.raynatours.com inquiry@raynatours.com	AED 340 (tourist 14 days visa) -       Passport -       Photo -       Hotel Booking (after visa issued) -       Air Ticket (after booking)	(+) Staff response (main in charge was Ms.Ankita) was very quick and timely. Finally I chose this company and got the visa in 3 days.
Jashan Tourism	www.jashantourism.com info@jashantourism.com	AED 340 (14 days visa) Required documents same as above.	(-) Response was quick, but the content is not really satisfying.
Sunland Tourism	info@sunland.ae	USD 103	(+) Response was quick
South Travels	rachelyn@southtravels.com	AED 350 (14 days tourist visa) (-) One main reason I didn’t choose them because of this quotation “we will only process your visa 20 days prior to your arrival. If you want us to prioritize your visa application a supplement of USD 50 for service charges.”	(+) Response was quick. Recommended in Trip Advisor forum.

Hotels

Many hotels can arrange visit visa to UAE. Since I got the visa quickly by travel agent, I didn’t look into this option in detail. One common requirement is to stay with the hotel.

Since most hotel visa fee is more expensive than travel agents and they require AED 5000 deposit, it is not really recommendable.

Below I summarize in the table. (+) Like; (-) Don’t Like

Name	Area and Facilities	Stay Price	Visa Cost and Requirements	Staff Response and Other Remarks
Damac Maison	(+) There is one in Downtown Dubai (Dubai Mall)		(-) AED 500	CRO@damacmaison.com www.damacmaison.com
Flora Al Barsha	(+) near Mall of Emirates	About AED 700	(-) AED 450 (-) AED 5000 deposit required.	www.florahospitality.com​ creekreservation@florahospitality.com
Gloria Hotel		About AED 500	(+) AED 350 (-) AED 5000 deposit required.	reservations@gloriahotelsdubai.com www.gloriahoteldubai.com

Savoy Hotel doesn’t arrange visa.