Dubai plans to let visitors apply for single-entry and multiple-entry tourist visas directly through the Visit Dubai website during November. The change should make the process easier for residents helping relatives or friends plan a trip. A separate invitation-only Dubai Access Club will offer benefits to repeat visitors. Both initiatives have been announced, but full service and eligibility details are still to come.

The details

Dubai announced two tourism initiatives on 1 November aimed at making visits to the emirate easier to organise and encouraging travellers to return more often.

One of the changes will allow visitors to apply for single-entry and multiple-entry tourist visas through Visit Dubai, the emirate's official tourism website.

The service is expected to be introduced during November 2026. It will bring visa applications closer to the website's existing travel information, event listings and trip-planning services.

The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai will remain responsible for assessing applications and issuing visas.

For UAE residents helping visiting relatives or friends arrange a holiday, the change could provide a more straightforward route to the relevant application service.

However, the announcement did not confirm that the new application option was already live on 1 November. Further details about the service are expected.

The second initiative is Dubai Access Club, described as a city-led, invitation-only tourism membership programme.

It is intended to reward repeat visitors with exclusive offers, experiences and benefits. The specific perks, invitation criteria and enrolment arrangements have not yet been disclosed.

The initiatives are being developed jointly by Dubai's immigration, tourism and digital government authorities.