UAE Visa-on-Arrival Now Open to Six More Nationalities

If you’re from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Kenya or South Africa and living in Kuwait, here’s something worth checking before your next UAE trip: do you also hold a valid residence permit from a country like the US, UK, an EU state, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan or South Korea? If you do, you may no longer need to apply for a UAE visa in advance.

The United Arab Emirates has just widened its visa-on-arrival programme to cover nationals of these six countries, along with their accompanying family members. It’s a small but useful change for a specific group of people, and it’s worth understanding exactly who qualifies.

So who exactly does this affect?

This is not a blanket visa-free deal for everyone from these six countries. The United Arab Emirates’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security, known as the ICP, were specific about the condition: you need to hold an ordinary passport from one of the six countries, and you need a valid residence permit from one of nine other places – the United States, a European Union member state, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada.

In practical terms, that means someone from the Philippines working and living in Kuwait on a standard Kuwaiti work visa would not automatically qualify. But a Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Kenyan or South African national in Kuwait who separately holds, say, a US green card, a UK residence card, or Canadian permanent residency, could use this new route to enter the UAE far more easily.

Accompanying family members of eligible travellers are covered too, as long as they meet the same conditions.

What the visa actually gives you

There are two options under the new scheme. The 14-day visa can be extended once while you’re already in the UAE, giving you up to 28 days in total if needed. The 60-day visa, on the other hand, is issued for a single stay only – it cannot be extended, so once it expires you need to leave.

Either way, overstaying comes with a cost: the ICP confirmed a fine of AED 50 for every day beyond the permitted period. That’s worth remembering if you’re the type who tends to push a holiday a few extra days.

On fees, the total cost for the 14-day visa is AED 100, while the 60-day visa costs AED 250.

Why is the UAE doing this?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs framed the move as part of strengthening ties with the six countries, pointing to closer economic, cultural and people-to-people links. It also described the change as part of the UAE’s wider push to make travel into the country more flexible and to position itself as a global hub for business, investment and tourism.

The ICP echoed that, saying the amendments reflect ongoing efforts to broaden the UAE’s visa framework and bring it in line with international best practice on travel and mobility. The Authority also linked the decision to the UAE’s standing in global competitiveness rankings tied to residency, tourism and travel.

What this means if you’re in Kuwait

For most expats in Kuwait, this change won’t apply directly. If you’re a Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Kenyan or South African resident working here on a Kuwaiti residence permit alone, the UAE’s visa-on-arrival rules for your trip to Dubai or Abu Dhabi haven’t changed – you’d still need to apply for a UAE visa the usual way, often arranged through your airline or a visa service before you fly.

Where it does matter is for the smaller group of people from these six countries who also hold permanent residency or long-term residence somewhere like the UK, the US, Canada or an EU country, perhaps from a previous posting or through family. For them, a UAE stopover or short holiday just became noticeably simpler.

It’s also a reminder that visa rules tied to your passport can shift quickly depending on what other documents you hold, which is exactly why it’s worth double-checking requirements each time you book regional travel rather than assuming last year’s rules still apply. We’ve covered a similar theme in Japan’s visa-free country list, where passport and residency combinations also shape who gets easier entry. For broader context on how visa access for people based in Kuwait keeps evolving, see our coverage of Kuwait’s progress toward Schengen visa-free travel.

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