Most delays in issuing a Dubai visa come from incomplete or poor-quality documents, not from the application itself. This guide gives the official list with practical tips. The information comes from the official pages of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) and the UAE's Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), checked on 24 October 2026.
The official list
According to GDRFA Dubai's tourist visa pages:
- one personal photo;
- a copy of the passport;
- the national identity card or identity document of the country of origin, for nationals of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
And the conditions:
- the passport or travel document must be valid for at least six months;
- a ticket to continue the journey or leave the UAE;
- health insurance valid in the UAE.
The photo
According to the ICP, the photo must be in colour, recent, with a white background and meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The main points:
- face straight on, neutral expression and eyes open;
- no shadows or reflections on the face and eyes;
- no hat or sunglasses; medical glasses only if they do not cover the eyes;
- no frame or border;
- sharp and of high quality.
The separate article "UAE visa photo requirements" has more detail.
The passport copy
- The data page must be complete and legible; all four corners of the page should show.
- No flash glare on the photo or on the machine-readable strip at the bottom of the page.
- To be safe, count the six months' validity from the date of entry. If less is left, renew the passport before applying for the visa.
The national identity card for Iranian nationals
- Prepare a copy of the front and back of the smart national card or a valid national card.
- The name and date of birth on the national card must match the passport.
Insurance and ticket
- The health insurance must be valid in the UAE and cover the travel dates.
- A return ticket or a ticket to continue the journey, with dates that fit the visa's duration.
Common mistakes
- a selfie or a photo with a coloured background;
- a skewed or cropped passport scan;
- a name spelt differently on the form and in the passport. Write the name exactly in the passport's Latin letters;
- a passport with less than six months' validity before the end of the trip.
In Royal Golden's visa section, each document gets a first quality check after upload and then a specialist review, so problems are fixed before the official submission.
This article is general information and not legal advice. The UAE authorities may ask for other documents too, and the final decision rests with them.
Sources
- GDRFA Dubai, issuance of a single-entry tourist visa — https://gdrfad.gov.ae/en/services/f9e586fe-0642-11ec-0320-0050569629e8 (checked on 24 October 2026)
- GDRFA Dubai, issuance of a multiple-entry tourist visa — https://gdrfad.gov.ae/en/services/f9e586fb-0642-11ec-0320-0050569629e8 (checked on 24 October 2026)
- ICP UAE, FAQ (photo, passport) — https://icp.gov.ae/en/faq/ (checked on 24 October 2026)