Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, announced on Sunday, November 1, a new service allowing tourists to apply for their visas directly through the official Visit Dubai website — the same platform travellers already use to book attractions, buy tickets and plan their trips, which now also handles visa applications. visitors can apply for both single-entry and multiple-entry tourist visas through the platform. A 30-day single-entry visa starts at Dh200, excluding VAT, while several multiple-entry categories are also available, with validity ranging from 30 days up to five years. Officials said applications are typically processed within three working days.

Dubai's General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs remains responsible for reviewing applications and issuing the actual visas, but travellers can now complete the initial steps through the Visit Dubai tourism platform rather than separate channels. Authorities described this as the first phase of a larger plan to integrate government services into a single digital system, adding that more visa categories will be introduced on the platform over time.

The new service was announced alongside the launch of the Dubai Access Club tourism loyalty programme, forming part of a broader push by the emirate to simplify the travel journey for visitors and reinforce Dubai's standing as a leading global destination.