We help South Africans get the right visa for Dubai and the rest of the UAE. Most South African passport holders need a visa before travelling to the UAE. Some holders of qualifying overseas residence permits are eligible for a visa on arrival.
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Whether it is a holiday, a family visit or a business trip, we take the forms, the channel and the follow-up off your hands. UAE embassies do not issue tourist visas, so your application has to go through an accredited channel.
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We confirm whether the visa on arrival exception applies to you and, if not, which visa fits your trip.
We check every document against the requirements and against each other, from names and dates to bookings and passport validity, to reduce the risk of refusal.
We submit through the correct accredited channel for your visa, whether that is the ICP system, GDRFA Dubai or an airline sponsored transit application.
We follow your application to an outcome and confirm your permitted stay, so you know your exit date.
Prestige Solutions prepares and lodges your application; the UAE authorities decide the outcome and the processing time.
Tell us about your trip. We confirm the right visa and send you a document list built for your situation.
We check your documents, then submit your application through the correct channel for your visa.
Tourist visas are issued electronically. We confirm your permitted stay so your exit date is clear before you fly.
Not sure which visa you need? Tell us about your trip and we will confirm the route.
Check your routeMost South Africans travelling from home use the standard tourist visa, issued electronically for 30 or 60 days, single or multiple entry. Visiting family, transiting and working in the UAE each use a different route, and a work permit is arranged by your UAE employer.
When you enquire, we send you a document list built for your situation.
We confirm the current fee for your category and our full quote upfront, so you know the full cost before we start.
GDRFA Dubai publishes an expected completion time of 48 hours for a standard single entry tourist visa with a complete file. The UAE authorities determine processing, and an incomplete file or a security check can take longer.
We confirm whether you need a tourist, visit or transit visa, or qualify for visa on arrival, before anything is lodged.
Name mismatches, passport problems and thin trip evidence are common reasons UAE applications fail. We check for them before submission.
The UAE does not accept apostilles. If you need documents for UAE work or residence, we handle the full legalisation route.
If your case is simple enough to handle yourself, we will say so.
Practical answers to what South Africans ask us about visiting the UAE.
Only in one case. Since June 2026, South Africans who also hold a valid residence permit from the United States, the United Kingdom, an EU member state, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore or South Korea may be granted a 14 day or 60 day visa on arrival, according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An expired permit does not count. Everyone else arranges a visa before flying. Our article on who actually qualifies for the Dubai visa on arrival works through the cases.
No. The official UAE government portal states that UAE embassies do not issue tourist visas. Applications are lodged by an airline, a hotel, a travel agency or a UAE sponsor through the ICP or GDRFA systems.
It depends on the visa granted. Tourist visas are commonly issued for 30 or 60 days. The 14 day visa on arrival can be extended once inside the country, while the 60 day visa on arrival cannot. Check the stay printed on your visa.
Two to three weeks before travel is comfortable for a standard tourist visa. Allow longer if you have held a UAE visa before or if document attestation is part of your plans. If your passport will have less than six months' validity beyond your arrival, check whether you need to renew it before you apply.
The UAE government fee for your visa category plus our service fee. Government fees vary by duration and entry type, so we confirm the current figure upfront.
It can. An old employment or residence visa that was not properly cancelled can block a new application. Tell us about any previous UAE permit when you enquire.
No. Employment requires a work permit obtained by your UAE employer, followed by a residence visa. Working on a visit visa risks fines, deportation and a re-entry ban.
Attestation, not an apostille. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so South African documents need a Certificate of Authentication from DIRCO, then attestation by the UAE Embassy in Pretoria, then attestation in the UAE. See our attestation and apostille service.
A daily fine applies from the day after your permitted stay ends, and the UAE no longer publishes a grace period for tourist and visit visas. Unpaid fines can prevent you leaving, block future applications or lead to an entry ban.
Tell us where in the UAE you are going, when and why. We will confirm which route applies to you, send you a document list built for your situation and confirm the full cost upfront.
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