DUBAI – As families begin planning their summer getaways, UAE unveiled a limited-time visa fee waiver that could make visiting the Emirates more affordable this year. The move is expected to help eligible travelers save hundreds of dirhams, but only if they meet government’s conditions and apply within announced window.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced limited-time waiver of the official tourist visa fee for children under age of 18, offering families a significant opportunity to cut travel costs during the summer holiday season. The special incentive will remain in effect from July 15 to September 15 and is aimed at encouraging more overseas families to choose the UAE as their summer vacation destination.
Under the new policy, children under 18 traveling as tourists with their father, mother, or both parents will be exempt from the government’s official visa application fee. However, the child’s visa application must be submitted simultaneously with the parents’ tourist visa application and within the announced promotional period to qualify for the exemption.
Travel industry experts clarified that the concession is strictly limited to tourists arriving from outside the UAE. Families already residing in the Emirates who apply for visit visas for their children will not be eligible for the fee waiver.
While government ended official visa fee, parents should note that travel insurance, visa processing, and travel agency service charges still apply. Depending on the agency and insurance package selected, these additional expenses may total around AED 120 per child.
1 -month tourist visa for a child normally costs between AED 250 and AED 350. With the official fee now waived, a family traveling with two children could save approximately AED 500 to AED 700. However, they should still expect to pay around AED 240 in combined insurance and service charges for both children.
The seasonal concession covers both 30-day and 60-day UAE tourist visas, provided the parents’ and children’s applications are filed together. Family members aged 18 or above will continue to pay the standard tourist visa fee, with applicable charges varying according to the travel agency.
Both 30-day and 60-day tourist visas can currently be extended twice, subject to the prescribed extension fee, which starts at around AED 1,000, depending on the circumstances. They emphasized that the summer fee waiver applies only to the initial visa application and does not extend to visa renewals or extensions.
Parents are urged to submit their children’s visa applications alongside their own instead of filing them separately to claim the government’s summer visa fee waiver to ensure the concession is applied correctly.
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