The United Arab Emirates has expanded visa on arrival: what does this mean for travelers from Hungary?
The United Arab Emirates expanded the scope of visa on arrival on June 25, 2026: citizens of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya, and South Africa may receive 14 or 60-day entry permits under certain conditions. For those with a Hungarian passport, this does not mean new obligations, but the change may be important for third-country nationals living in Hungary, mixed-nationality families, corporate travelers, and travel organizers who use Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Sharjah as a destination or transit hub.
The recent decision was announced by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security of the United Arab Emirates, the ICP. According to the authority's announcement, the eligibility list has expanded in two directions: first, six new nationalities have been added to the system, and second, the range of countries of residence that grant eligibility has become broader. Along with Indian citizens, who were previously handled separately, citizens of six new countries have now joined, provided they possess a valid residence permit from a recognized country or region.
The change is not a general visa waiver for all affected passports. The essence is that the benefit is conditional: the affected traveler must simultaneously belong to one of the newly listed nationalities and possess a valid residence permit from the United States, an EU member state, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada. This is relevant for Hungarian readers because residence permits from EU member states include Hungary: meaning a citizen of, for example, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Kenya, South Africa, or Indonesia living in Hungary may find travel to the Emirates easier if other conditions are met.
What exactly changed?
Based on the ICP's information, the new eligible nationalities are: Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya, and South Africa. Eligibility may extend to the accompanying family members of the affected traveler, but only if they also meet the relevant conditions. Visa on arrival is available in two durations: 14 days or 60 days. The 14-day version can be extended once while staying in the United Arab Emirates, while the 60-day visa is for single entry and cannot be extended.
The fees are also more clearly stated in the recent announcement: the fee for the 14-day visa is 100 dirhams, and for the 60-day visa, it is 250 dirhams. According to the rules, the country must be left before the permitted stay expires; in case of overstaying, a fine of 50 dirhams per day may be charged. This is a practical detail for those who plan to use Dubai or Abu Dhabi not just for a short city visit, but for a longer family visit, business trip, conference, or multi-stop regional travel.
It is important to distinguish between Hungarian citizens and persons living in Hungary traveling with other passports. In the official UAE visa information, Hungary is listed among the visa-exempt countries, therefore for those traveling with a Hungarian passport, this announcement is primarily background information rather than a new facilitation. In practice, however, it may affect many trips from Hungary: teams of multinational companies, university communities, families, and groups of friends often consist of members with multiple nationalities, and when planning a joint trip to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, different visa processes had previously caused uncertainty.
Why does this matter in the Hungarian travel market?
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah have become increasingly important for Central European travelers in recent years, not only as classic winter sunny destinations but also as transit hubs. Those flying to Asia, the Indian Ocean region, Africa, or Australia often find routes that lead through the United Arab Emirates. From Hungary and the region, it is worth comparing options: besides Budapest-Dubai flights, the Budapest-Abu Dhabi route and Budapest-Sharjah flights, many also look for alternatives from Vienna, especially if the price, departure time, or baggage conditions are more favorable.
The relaxation of visa rules can have an indirect but real market impact at this point. If more third-country nationals living in Hungary or other EU countries can enter the United Arab Emirates more easily, then mixed-composition family trips, corporate meetings, incentive trips, and short stopover programs may become easier. In a travel decision, often not only the price of the flight ticket matters: if the visa process is more predictable, it reduces the administrative risk before the travel.
This can be particularly striking in the case of Dubai, because the city is simultaneously a final destination and a transit hub for many travelers. Those who would spend only one or two nights in the city before a further journey have different considerations than those planning a 10-14 day family vacation. The separation of the 14-day and 60-day options is therefore not a mere administrative detail: it serves different travel patterns. The short version may favor stopovers and short city visits, while the longer one may provide a framework for family visits, business programs, or extended stays in the Emirates.
What to look out for before departure?
The first and most important advice: no one should depart based solely on a short news item. Eligibility should always be checked through official UAE channels, with the airline, and if necessary, with the travel organizer. The rule does not state that every Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Kenyan, or South African citizen can automatically enter visa-free. The conditions include a valid residence permit in a specific country or region, and documents must be valid on the day of travel.
The second practical point is the duration of stay. Those who receive a 14-day visa must know that it can be extended once, but the extension is not an automatic promise, but a procedure. Those who receive a 60-day visa, according to the official announcement, it is for single entry and cannot be extended. The overstay fine is 50 dirhams per day, which can quickly become a significant amount for a longer delay. It is therefore worth planning the return ticket, accommodation booking, employer or family program, and insurance so that there is no rush on the last day.
The third point is airport logistics. For those arriving in Dubai, getting to the city is also part of the travel experience: Dubai Airport is a busy global hub, and airport transfers, especially with a family, late evening arrival, or lots of baggage, can become an important planning issue. For this, it is worth looking at the Dubai airport transfer and taxi options in advance. In the case of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, it is also useful to clarify in advance which emirate the accommodation is in, how long the travel time is, and what the cost of the airport transfer is.
What does this mean for airlines and travel organizers?
The new eligibility scope does not necessarily cause an immediate, striking jump in demand, but it can improve the competitiveness of the United Arab Emirates in the long-haul travel market. The Emirates have long been building on the fact that they simultaneously offer urban luxury, family programs, business infrastructure, conference venues, beaches, and an intercontinental transit network. The simplification of the visa process fits into this: the less uncertainty there is before departure, the easier it is to integrate a destination into package offers or corporate travel policies.
For Hungarian travel organizers, this may be relevant because the target group does not only consist of Hungarian citizens. Foreign students studying in Hungary, professionals working here, regional corporate center employees, and mixed families also travel from the Hungarian market. For them, the change is more direct than for a tourist with a Hungarian passport. If previously a single passenger's visa requirement in a group slowed down the booking, now in certain cases the decision may be simpler, provided all documents meet the official conditions.
On the airline side, the effect may appear more in flexibility. The comparison of Budapest, Vienna, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah airport connections will continue to be important, because for trips to the Gulf region, besides the price, the departure time, transit time, baggage, on-board service, and the mode of onward travel matter a lot. Those who find a better schedule from Vienna, the Vienna-Dubai, Vienna-Abu Dhabi, or Vienna-Sharjah routes may also be realistic alternatives.
Cautious but positive signal
The current UAE decision is not a revolutionary change for those traveling with a Hungarian passport, and it should not be interpreted as if every affected citizen could automatically enter the country without limits. Rather, it is a targeted facilitation, which builds on existing residence permits and broadens the scope of those who can more easily plan a short or medium-term stay in the Emirates.
From a tourism perspective, however, the step is noteworthy. The United Arab Emirates further strengthens its position as a global meeting point between Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The most important lesson for Hungarian travelers is that when planning a trip to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Sharjah, it is not enough to just watch the flight tickets: the passport, residence permit, visa eligibility of every member of the group must be checked separately. If this is all in order, the new rule may make it easier for more travelers to incorporate the Emirates not only as a transit point, but as an independent destination into their 2026 travel plans.
Sources: official announcement of the UAE ICP on June 25, 2026, recent reports from Gulf News and Khaleej Times, as well as the visa information of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.