Singapore citizens can visit the United Arab Emirates for up to 90 days in any 180 days without a visa. This UAE Visa Guide is for Singaporeans, PRs, and pass holders planning a trip to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or a stopover between flights. It covers who needs a visa, the new visa on arrival for some residents, transit rules, and customs.
You also get each fee in dirhams and Singapore dollars, plus a short list to check before you fly. We checked every rule with government sources in October 2026, and we link to each one so you can check it too. One warning comes first. Singapore’s foreign ministry still advises its citizens to defer all travel to the Middle East, including the UAE.
Singapore passport holders need no visa for the UAE and can stay up to 90 days in any 180 days, free of charge. Some residents on Asian passports, such as Indian and Thai ones, can buy a visa on arrival instead. It costs AED 100 for 14 days or AED 250 for 60 days. Most other residents need a tourist visa before they fly, from AED 200 plus 5% VAT.
Who Needs a Visa for the UAE in 2026
Singapore’s MFA travel page for the UAE confirms the 90-day visa-free stay for Singaporeans. It also flags a rule that surprises people. If your passport shows only one name, with no surname, you will be turned away.
The table groups the passports most common in Singapore, based on official notices we read in October 2026:
| Passport | Entry Route | Stay and Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Visa-free | 90 days in any 180, free |
| Most EU countries | Visa-free | 90 days in any 180, free |
| UK, US, Australia, China | Visa-free | 30 days, free |
| India, with a Singapore PR or pass | Visa on arrival | 14 days for AED 100, or 60 days for AED 250 |
| Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, with a Singapore PR or pass | Visa on arrival | 14 days for AED 100, or 60 days for AED 250 |
| Pakistan, Bangladesh, and most others | Tourist visa before travel | 30 days from AED 200, plus 5% VAT |
The rule follows your passport, not your blue IC or work pass. An Indian engineer on an Employment Pass can now get a visa at the airport. Her Pakistani friend on an S Pass must still apply first. This UAE Visa Guide treats each group in turn, so skip to the section that fits your passport.
Visa on Arrival for Singapore PRs and Pass Holders
Some Singapore residents on Asian passports no longer need to apply before they fly. They can pay at the counter when they land. Indian citizens with a valid visa, residence permit, or PR from Singapore have qualified since 13 February 2025. The same deal reached Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Kenyan, and South African residents in June 2026.
The UAE’s ICP announced that expansion on 25 June 2026. You choose one of two visas at the immigration counter when you land:
- A 14-day visa for AED 100, about S$35, which you can extend once while in the UAE.
- A 60-day visa for AED 250, about S$87, which is issued once and cannot be extended.
Your passport and your Singapore pass should both have at least six months left on them. Family members who travel with you can use the same route if they hold the same kind of passport and pass. This part of the UAE Visa Guide matters most for families with mixed passports, since each person qualifies on their own papers.
How to Apply for a UAE Tourist Visa Before You Fly
Residents who do not qualify for a visa on arrival need a tourist visa first. A UAE company must sponsor it, which in practice means your airline, hotel, or a licensed travel agent. GDRFA Dubai’s tourist visa page lists AED 200 for 30 days and AED 300 for 60 days, plus 5% VAT.
Most travellers from Singapore apply through their airline, in five steps:
- Book a flight with Emirates, Etihad, or flydubai, then open the visa section of your booking.
- Pick a 30-day or 60-day tourist visa, with one entry or many.
- Upload your passport page, a photo, and your return ticket.
- Add health insurance that covers you inside the UAE, as GDRFA requires.
- Pay the fee, then print the visa and carry it with your passport.
Expect the airline or agent to add a service charge on top of the government fee. Apply at least two weeks before you fly, so there is time to fix a rejected photo. People who visit often can also look at the five-year tourist visa, which allows many entries. It costs AED 3,713.50 at GDRFA. That total includes a guarantee of AED 3,000 that you can claim back later.
Transit Visas for Dubai and Abu Dhabi Stopovers
You need no visa to change planes in Dubai or Abu Dhabi if you stay in the transit area. Singaporeans can also leave the airport on their normal visa-free entry, so they never need a transit visa.
Residents on visa-required passports have two choices, according to the UAE government portal on transit visas. A 48-hour transit visa is free, and a 96-hour transit visa costs AED 50, about S$17. A UAE airline applies for it on your behalf, and neither one can be extended.
Pick the right length at the start. A 48-hour visa cannot be switched to 96 hours later. Anyone connecting through the Gulf should read this part of the UAE Visa Guide twice. Airlines may add a handling fee, and the visa only covers travellers with a confirmed onward flight.
Travel Advisory and Flight Changes for 2026
Singapore’s MFA first advised citizens to defer all travel to the Middle East on 1 March 2026, after strikes across the region. That advice still sat on its UAE page when we checked on 30 October 2026. On 13 October, MFA also told Singaporeans to defer all travel to Saudi Arabia after attacks on Riyadh’s main airport.
Flights have been hit as well, and some are still off. The National reported on 5 October that Singapore Airlines had pushed its Dubai restart to 1 December 2026. Emirates and flydubai have kept flying, so most Singapore travellers now reach Dubai on Emirates.
This part of any UAE Visa Guide changes the fastest, so check it again the week you fly. If you still go, register your trip on MFA eRegister and buy travel insurance before you book. Many policies do not pay out when you cancel only because of an advisory, so read the terms first.
Entry Checks, Customs, and Local Laws
Every UAE Visa Guide should stress that the officer at passport control decides if you get in, even when you need no visa. Keep your return ticket and hotel address on your phone in case you are asked.
UAE law is stricter than Singapore’s in a few areas, so note these rules before you pack:
- Cash or gold worth more than AED 60,000, about S$20,900, must be declared online.
- Gifts worth more than AED 3,000 must also go through customs.
- Some prescribed medicines need approval from the Emirates Drug Establishment before you fly.
- Drones need a permit and registration before they arrive in the UAE.
- Drinking alcohol in public is an offence, and the legal age is 21 in most emirates.
- Smoking and vaping are banned in malls and other indoor places.
You can declare cash on the UAE government customs page or through the Afseh app. Dubai Airports also runs its own iDeclare app for arrivals at DXB.
How Long You Can Stay and Overstay Fines
Singaporeans can stay up to 90 days within any 180-day period, counted across all trips. Two 60-day holidays in the same half-year would break that limit, even with a break in between.
Visa on arrival holders must leave by the date on their visa. ICP lists an overstay fine of AED 50 a day, about S$17, for those visas. Paid work in the UAE needs a work permit and a residence visa, which an employer arranges before you start.
The GCC tourist visa for all six Gulf states is not live yet. Plan your UAE trip on its own rules for now. The GCC secretary-general said on 6 September 2026 that it would come soon, without naming a date.
UAE Visa Guide Checklist Before You Fly
Run through this list a week before your flight from Changi, and again the night before:
- Passport with at least six months left and your full name, not a single name.
- Tourist visa printed, or proof of your Singapore PR or pass for a visa on arrival.
- Health insurance that covers the UAE, plus cover for trip cancellations.
- Return ticket and hotel address saved offline on your phone.
- Approval letter for any controlled medicine in your bag.
- Trip logged on MFA eRegister, so Singapore can reach you if things go wrong.
- Flight status checked on the day, since schedules to the Gulf still change.
At about AED 2.87 per Singapore dollar in October 2026, S$100 buys roughly AED 287. If something goes wrong in the UAE, you can call the MFA Duty Office at +65 6379 8800 at any hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Singapore PRs need a visa for the UAE?
It depends on the passport you hold, not on your PR status in Singapore. Our pick in this UAE Visa Guide for Indian or Filipino PRs is the visa on arrival, which costs AED 100. A PR with a Pakistani or Bangladeshi passport still needs a tourist visa before flying.
Can Singaporeans get a visa on arrival in the UAE?
Singaporeans need no visa at all, so there is nothing to buy on arrival. The officer stamps you in for free, for up to 90 days in any 180 days. Just make sure your passport shows a surname, or you may be refused entry.
Do I need travel insurance for a UAE trip?
Tourist visa applicants must show health cover that works inside the UAE, under GDRFA rules. Singaporeans entering visa-free are not asked for it at the border. MFA still tells every traveller to buy cover, since flights in the region keep changing.
Can I use one visa for Dubai, Oman, and Qatar?
Not yet, because the GCC unified tourist visa has no launch date. Each country still sets its own entry rules, so check Oman and Qatar separately. A multiple-entry UAE tourist visa lets you leave and come back on the same trip.
What changes should travellers watch for after October 2026?
Watch for MFA to lift or change its Middle East advisory, and for Singapore Airlines to return to Dubai in December. The GCC unified visa may also launch soon. We will update this UAE Visa Guide when any of these changes takes effect.
Conclusion
For Singapore citizens, the UAE needs very little paperwork: a full-name passport and a return ticket cover 90 days. Many residents on Asian passports, such as Indian and Thai ones, can now buy a visa at the airport. Most others need a tourist visa from AED 200 through their airline.
Use this UAE Visa Guide to settle three things before you book: the advisory, your entry route, and your insurance. Relatives who stop in Singapore on the way can read our Singapore visa guide for its 96-hour transit rule. Bookmark this UAE Visa Guide too, because we update it when the UAE or MFA changes a rule, fee, or advisory.