Travel to United Arab Emirates

Flying to United Arab Emirates

Flights to the UAE are operated by the national airlines Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com). Low-cost carriers Flydubai (www.flydubai.com) and Air Arabia (www.airarabia.com) also fly between the emirates and neighbouring countries.

British Airways (www.ba.com), Qantas (www.qantas.com) and Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) all offer direct flights to the UAE from the UK.

Major airports are: Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport and

Flight times:

To DubaiAbu Dhabi: from London - 7 hours; New York - 13 hours.

Departure tax:

Included in the air fare.

Airport guides

Airport Code: AUH. Location: Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport is about 19km (12 miles) east of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a... Money: There are many banks, ATMs and currency exchange counters throughout Terminal A. Read more

Airport Code: AAN. Location: Al Ain International Airport is located 18km (11 miles) northwest of the Al Ain city centre. Money: A bank, ATMs, and a currency exchange service are available in the airport. Read more

Airport Code: DXB. Location: Dubai International Airport is located 14 km (9 miles) northeast of Dubai downtown. Money: Banking services, ATMs and bureaux de change are available from a number of banks in each terminal... Read more

Other airports in United Arab Emirates

Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport

Airport Code: DWC. Location: Website: N/A. Public transport description: N/A

Ras al-Khaimah Airport

Airport Code: RKT. Location: The airport is 15km (9 miles) from the city. Website: http://www.rakairport.com. Public transport description: Taxis are available at the airport.

Sharjah International Airport

Airport Code: SHJ. Location: The airport is 10km (6 miles) from the city. Website: http://www.shj-airport.gov.ae/. Public transport description: Taxis are available at the airport.

Travel by rail

There are currently no international rail links with the UAE. However the Etihad Rail network (www.etihadrail.ae) will expand from cargo services into passenger transportation across UAE by 2020 with a view to expand and introduce rail links with neighboring countries.

Driving to United Arab Emirates

Border crossings between Saudi Arabia and Oman are easy and quick with your passport. You can enter the UAE via the border town of Sila from Saudi Arabia or Hili in Al Ain from Oman and Hatta from Oman. Note that you must pay a departure tax when leaving by road.

By road note:

Make sure you have your car insured for the UAE, Oman or Saudi before you cross the road border. You can buy insurance at select border crossings.

Getting to United Arab Emirates by boat

Cruise ships:

Cruises regularly call in at Abu Dhabi and the cruise terminal in Dubai, and there are passenger services to the USA, the Far East, Australia and Europe. There are also regular sailings between Sharjah and Bandar-é-Abbas (Iran).

Ferry operators:

The first daily passenger and vehicle ferry service between Qatar and Bahrain is expected to launch mid-2017. The route will link Al Ruwais port in northern Qatar to Khalifa bin Salman port in Bahrain with an estimated journey time of 2 hours.




Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.