As from 02 January 2011, Canadian Passport holders are required by law to get a visa to enter the UAE. These changes were put into effect during the UASE Canada flights dispute. Whether this was in retaliation or not, the directive stands to date. Before you travel from Canada to Dubai, you should ensure that you know what is required from you. A Dubai/UAE visit visa can be obtained on arrival. This is the visit visa whose duration of validity is between 30 and 60 days. For Canadians, no prior arrangements are needed for a traveler to get the visa.
The visa stamp is free of charge, and that makes it cheaper for Canadians to obtain a UAE/Dubai visit visa. This is free for visitors arriving in the country via the Abu Dhabi Airport, Dubai International Airport or any other airports in the UAE. When arriving by land, you may have to pay a stamp fee of between 20 and 30 dirham at the border point. At the expiry of the visa, a Canadian citizen can easily get his visa renewed.
If you prefer jetting out of Canada with your visa, you can get one issued at the UAE Embassy in Ottawa. To get the visa from Ottawa, you need to meet the minimum application requirements.
UAE Visa Requirements for Canadians
1. Complete the Visa application form correctly together with the attachment on the form.
2. A recently taken passport-sized photo that is clear.
3. A copy of your passport; the passport should be valid for at least six months from the day of your arrival in the UAE.
4. Payment of the visa fee, which can be made through a money order, draft check or a certified check. This should have the correct amount in Canadian dollars payable to the UAE Embassy in Ottawa.
5. The completed visa application form together with the money order and a prepaid return envelop, properly addressed, must be sent to the embassy 15 working days before the intended date of departure. These must be sent via courier to the Embassy addressed to the Visa Section.
You should note that if your visa application is declined, you will not get a refund of the money that you sent to the embassy.
Because of heightened security, the Immigration Authorities in Dubai conduct random eye-screening on visitors. This is a purely random exercise; if you are requested to go for one, you should cooperate. For the screening, you will need to present a hard copy of your visa or a printed version of the page on which the visa number is stamped. However, if you do not have a copy, one can be produced for you at a fee of 30 dirham.
Unfortunately, if you have been to Israel, your application for a visa will be declined automatically upon realization of this fact. If you do not disclose this, and the immigration personnel in UAE find that you had been to Israel in the past, you will be deported.
