Exit and Reentry to KSA

is your Iqama and passport is in your hand. Whether it is in your person or with the company you have to request your HR department to stamp / endorse Exit / Re-entry for you with a letter for few days leave since  there is no such holidays in Saudi Arabia. You can't make it exit/re-entry in the Airport and it is possible only to your company HR department. Definitely your employer has to give you permission to leave KSA. Without his permission and approval you can't leave this country.

For getting a VISA for UAE you will have to try with travel agency and it is better you contact emirate airlines office. If your profession is an Engineer in your Iqama / Passport then you can have temporary visit visa for 72 hours in the UAE Airport. This is called transit Visa. If the profession is not an Engineer or other categories of professionals like Doctor /Advocate / Chartered account, Finance consultant / Business development manager etc., etc then you will have problem for getting transit VISA. So better check with Emirates Airline office. Without Exit/Re-entry you can't leave KSA

Thank you very much for all that good and helpful information.  I am an English teacher.  Do you know if that will allow me to have a transit visa in Dubai?  If you can't answer, it's OK, I will ask Emirates or my HR Department.  Many thanks.

HR Department may not be in a position to give you the reply. Because in Saudi Arabia none of the HR department process such cases or aware of such things. It is only person(s) who traveled through UAE would be in a position to give you answer or guide you on the subject. Most of the people in the KSA does not go through UAE during their vacation as they have direct flight to their country of origin. The person who had visited the country with their iqama would give you better advise. Emirates airlines will be best advisory.

What's your nationality ?

It depends on your nationality , and if you can't get Visa on Arrival then , you can talk to agents and they sort out the visa for you !

I know agents who can give the visa for 500 SAR , you can get it from Emirates office also , even Air Arabia and Etihad Airways

I'm Australian.  I'll ask Emirates and try to ask other foreigners who have been to the UAE.  Thanks.

Pitch306 wrote:

I'm Australian.  I'll ask Emirates and try to ask other foreigners who have been to the UAE.  Thanks.

Calm down mate , no need of visa to visit Dubai

Thanks for that.

Resident visa holders in Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) of any nationality might be able to obtain a visit visa on arrival in the UAE. Confirm with an airline, UAE embassy, or UAE immigration department before travelling though, information about this type of visa seems to be sketchy (possibly to allow passport control officers more flexibility in admitting or rejecting travellers when they arrive in the UAE).

Visitors should be of a higher-level profession (doctor, engineer, professor, teacher, lawyer, manager, etc).
Valid passport with valid GCC residence stamp is required, along with proof of employment in the country of residence (residence stamp in passport might be sufficient, or bring labour card and/or letter from employer stating job title).
Visa fee is apparently AED 100 but some reports of visitors paying up to AED 200 as an entry fee.
Probably renewable once for AED 500-600 (some sources say not renewable but that might be old information).
Dubai DNRD website says "GCC nationals (Resident) - To be issued to GCC resident nationals and those who accompany them. Fees: AED 165 e-form fees. Valid for 30 days and renewable once for a similar period (30 days). Renewal fees AED 620 (e-form fees)." which sort of sounds like they're referring to GCC citizens rather than any GCC resident. But GCC citizens have visa-free entry to the UAE anyway. And it's not clear if pre-travel application is required or if it is available on arrival in the UAE.

UAEinteract.com (a UAE government supported website) says "The following categories of visitors may receive their visit visa at the airport, upon arrival. 1. AGCC Residents who are not GCC nationals but who have a high professional status such as company managers, business people, auditors, accountants, doctors, engineers, pharmacists, or employees working in the public sector, their families, drivers and personal staff sponsored by them, are eligible for a non-renewable 30-day visa upon arrival at the approved ports of entry." That might be out-of-date information after the change in visa rules in July 2008.

The Sharjah Airport website says "GCC country residence visa holders: Certain category of visa holders of GCC Countries can enter the UAE and the visa will be issued up on their arrival. Prior approval is not required." Exactly what categories are being referred to is not clarified.





Visit visas or entry permits can be obtained on arrival in Dubai and UAE if you are a national of one of the 32 (or 33 or 34 or 36) countries (+13 more countries from 22 Mar 2014) in the following table. No prior arrangements need to be made and the visa stamp is free when arriving at Dubai International Airport, Abu Dhabi Airport, or other airports and land or sea borders in the UAE. You might have to pay 20 or 30 dhs at UAE land borders. Nationals of these countries can also get their UAE visas renewed more easily, for example by driving to Oman and back (but first confirm you can get an Omani visa at the border). This list is sometimes referred to as the visa-waiver countries or nationalities.

Citizens of the GCC countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia either do not need a visa to enter the UAE, or can obtain one on arrival (conflicting information given). Non GCC national expat residents of GCC countries might be able to obtain a UAE visa on arrival. See separate heading below.

Andorra
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brunei
Bulgaria5
Canada
Croatia5
Cyprus3,5
Czech Republic5
Denmark
Estonia5
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Holland (Netherlands)
Hong Kong
Hungary5
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Latvia5
Liechtenstein
Lithuania5
Luxembourg
Malta1,5
Malaysia
Monaco
Netherlands (Holland)
New Zealand
Norway
Paraguay2
Poland5
Portugal
Romania5
San Marino
Singapore
Slovakia5
Slovenia5
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
Vatican City

Thank you so much!  I am very grateful for all that good information.  I will probably be visiting Dubai quite frequently because my sister lives there, so what you've told me is very useful.