48 Hour Dubai Transit Visa: Leave the Airport on Your Layover

48 Hour Transit Visa at a Glance

Prices are charged in UAE dirhams (AED) and are shown as two separate amounts before you pay — the sponsored visa fee and our service fee. Nothing else is added at checkout.

Do You Need a Transit Visa?

You need this visa only if all of these apply:

• Your passport is not eligible for visa-free entry to the UAE.
• You want to leave the airport during your connection. Passengers who stay airside to change planes do not need any visa.
• Your time in the UAE will not exceed 48 hours.
• You have a confirmed onward flight to a country other than the one you are flying from.

Not sure whether your passport needs a visa? Pick your nationality in the search above — the next page shows what your passport can apply for.

How the Hours Are Counted

Your 48 hours start when you pass immigration on arrival, not when the visa is issued. The visa itself has a 30 days validity window from issue in which you must arrive.

Plan your onward flight so that you are back through departure immigration comfortably before the hours run out — allow for check-in, security and traffic.

ImportantA transit visa is not meant to be extended. If you may want to stay longer, apply for a tourist visa such as the 14 Days Dubai Visa or 30 Days Single Entry Visa instead.

Documents Required

• Passport bio page — colour scan, valid for at least 6 months from arrival.
• Photograph — recent, colour, plain white background.
• Confirmed onward ticket — a booked flight out of the UAE to a third country within the permitted hours.
• Inbound flight details — the flight that brings you to Dubai.

Where you will stay during the layover (a hotel booking or host address) may also be asked for.

How to Apply for the 48 Hour Transit Visa

1. Choose your passport and travel country. Use the search at the top of this page — pick the nationality on your passport and the country you are travelling from.
2. Pick the 48 Hour Transit Visa. The next page lists only the visas your passport can actually apply for, with the live price and processing time for each.
3. Fill in one online form. Add every traveller to the same application — each person, including children, needs their own visa.
4. Upload your documents. A colour passport scan and a photo are enough for most applicants; we tell you straight away if anything else is needed.
5. Pay securely. You see the sponsored visa fee and service fee before you pay by card.
6. Receive your e-visa by email. Track progress with your application ID on the visa status page, then check every detail on the approved visa against your passport.

Your nationality decides which Dubai visas are available to you, so we always start from your passport rather than sending everyone to the same form.

48 Hours or 96 Hours?

If your connection is longer than two days, or you would like a buffer in case a flight is delayed, the 96 Hours Transit Visa gives you four days. Need more than four days? A short tourist visa is the better fit.

Passport and Photo Checks That Prevent Delays

Most delays come from small, avoidable document problems. Before you upload, check that:

• The scan is in colour, sharp and free of glare, with no corner cut off or covered by a finger.
• The name you type matches the passport exactly, including middle names, in the same order.
• Your date of birth and passport number are entered exactly as printed.
• The photo background is plain white and your face is fully visible.
• The passport has at least 6 months left on your arrival date — renew it first if it does not.

Our team reviews every file before it reaches immigration and asks you to re-upload anything that is likely to be queried.

Do Not Overstay

Your 48 hours stay ends on a fixed date. Staying in the UAE beyond it without a valid extension is an overstay: UAE immigration charges a fine for every extra day, and a serious overstay can lead to an entry ban or make future visa applications harder.

Fine amounts and any grace period are set by UAE immigration and can change, so do not rely on them as extra time. If your onward flight is cancelled or delayed beyond your permitted hours, contact your airline and us immediately so the situation can be resolved before your time runs out.

TipNote your last permitted day as soon as you land — it is counted from your entry stamp, not from the day the visa was issued.

Making the Most of a Short Stopover

• Apply before you fly — you cannot get this visa on landing.
• Keep your onward boarding pass or e-ticket and the e-visa with your passport.
• Leave hand luggage in the airport's left-luggage service if you are only going into the city for the day.
• The Dubai Metro Red Line links both terminals of Dubai International (DXB) with the city centre.
• Be back at the airport at least three hours before an international departure.

Good to knowAn approved visa lets you travel, but the final decision to admit you is made by the immigration officer on arrival. Carry your return ticket and accommodation details in case you are asked.