Many people treat "Dubai" and "the Emirates" as the same thing. Dubai is one of the seven emirates of a country named the United Arab Emirates. Knowing this structure helps you understand why some services sit with a federal body and some with each emirate's own body. The information in this article comes from the website of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE government portal and the website of the UAE Cabinet, checked on 24 October 2026 via the search index.
Formation of the federation
- According to the UAE government portal, the country was formally established on 2 December 1971.
- The six founding emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.
- Ras Al Khaimah, according to the history page of the UAE embassy in Canberra, joined on 10 February 1972.
- Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the first President, from 1971 to 2004.
Capital and cities
- The federal capital: Abu Dhabi.
- Dubai is known as the country's largest centre of trade and tourism.
Federal or emirate
- The UAE Constitution, published on the Cabinet's website, lists the emirates and allows any independent Arab country to join the federation with the unanimous approval of the Supreme Council.
- Some services are federal: for example, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) handles visas, the Golden Residency, passports and the Emirates ID card.
- Some services belong to each emirate: for example, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) issues and extends the tourist visa for Dubai.
Why it matters to you
- For the Dubai tourist visa, look at GDRFA Dubai's rules and fees; they may differ from other emirates.
- For the Golden Residency, the ICP guide is the main reference.
- With a UAE visa you can travel to all the emirates; but if you want to extend the visa, ask the body that issued it.
The article "ICP and GDRFA" explains the roles of the two bodies in more detail.
This article is general information.
Sources
- Official UAE government portal, founders of the union — https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/founders-of-the-union (via the search index; checked on 24 October 2026)
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, embassy in Canberra, history — https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/Missions/Canberra/The-UAE/History (via the search index; checked on 24 October 2026)
- UAE Cabinet, the Constitution — https://uaecabinet.ae/en/the-constitution (via the search index; checked on 24 October 2026)
- ICP UAE, issuing a visa — https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e60 (checked on 24 October 2026)