Looking for information on the various different UAE visa services which 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.
Here’s an overview of the different UAE passport and visa services.
VISA FREE COUNTRIES FOR UAE RESIDENTS
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
- 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, Canada, Cyprus, Ireland, Malaysia, Turkey, UK and Ukraine.
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
- Location: Level 3, WAFI Mall, Umm Hurair 2
- Timings: Sunday to Thursday from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm
- Contact: +971-4-205-5666
ABU DHABI
- Location: Level B2 (Lower Ground), The Mall at World Trade Centre, Khalifa Bin Zayed area
- Timings: Sunday to Thursday from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm
- Contact: +971-4-205-5904
SHARJAH
- Location: Level 3, UK Premium Visa Application Centre, Al Qasimiya
- Timings: Sunday to Thursday from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm
- Contact: +971-6-598-5100
Do check out our comprehensive VFS Global UAE visa application guide to learn more about their services.
BLS INTERNATIONAL
Moving on, Indian passport holder 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
- Location: M1 – 01, Mezzanine Floor, Business Avenue Building, Near Abu Dhabi Municipality, Al Salam Street
- Timings: 08:00 am – 08:00 pm (Saturday – Thursday)
- Contact: +971-4-387-5667
ABU DHABI PREMIUM LOUNGE
- Location: Office #M 02, Mezzanine Floor, Al Muhairi Building
- Timings: 08:00 am – 08:00 pm (Saturday – Thursday)
- 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: 08:00 am – 08:00 pm (Saturday – Thursday)
- 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: 08:00 am – 08:00 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 – 08:00 pm (Saturday – Thursday)
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.
Embassies and Consulates in the UAE
Finally, 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.
This wraps up our guide to the UAE visa services. If you are planning to travel to the UAE, do 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.
