On 25 June 2026, the UAE expanded its visa-on-arrival programme to include Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa — but eligibility for these six nationalities comes with a specific condition that does not apply to the older, unconditional visa-on-arrival tiers.
The condition that makes this different
Nationality alone is not enough for these six countries. A traveller must also hold a valid visa or residence permit from one of nine approved countries: the United States, United Kingdom, an EU member state, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, or South Korea. Without one of these qualifying documents, a pre-arranged UAE visit visa is still required, exactly as it was before the June update.
Why this specific structure
This mirrors a pattern the UAE has used before for conditional entry — treating a valid visa or residency from a small group of recognised jurisdictions as a proxy for vetting, rather than assessing each nationality independently from scratch.
What to confirm before travelling
If you hold one of these six nationalities, check that your qualifying visa or permit is genuinely current and valid, not expired, and confirm the current specific rules directly with ICP or the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs before booking, since this is a recently introduced rule and details can be refined further.