A Japanese passport is all you need to visit Dubai. Japan is one of the countries whose citizens are admitted without a visa application: the immigration officer at the airport issues a free permit good for half a year, and during that half-year you may remain in the Emirates for a total of 90 days, across one long trip or several shorter ones. On arrival day, the passport should be at least six months away from its expiry date. Our explainer on how permit validity and stay length differ is useful if you plan repeat visits.
For most Japanese travellers, then, preparation is about the passport, the medicine bag and the flight. The more interesting questions usually come from the rest of the household. Japan is home to large Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Nepali and Brazilian communities, and a recent UAE decision means that, for several of those nationalities, a Japanese residence card now changes how they enter Dubai.
Renewing a Japanese Passport in Time
Japanese passports can be renewed once less than a year of validity remains, which comfortably covers the six-month margin Dubai expects. Holders of a My Number Card can submit the application online through Mynaportal using a compatible smartphone, and online applications cost slightly less than paper ones. Collection, however, still happens in person at the passport counter.
Allow more time than you might remember. Since the new passport design was introduced, passport offices note that the wait between application and collection has grown; in Yamanashi, for example, it runs to between 9 and 13 weekdays depending on where you apply. If your passport falls inside the six-month window before a planned trip, start the renewal before paying for flights, and check your own prefecture's collection times.
Children and the Five-Year Passport
Anyone under 18 can only be issued a five-year passport, while adults choose between five and ten years. Families therefore tend to find that the children's passports reach the six-month limit long before the parents' do, especially if they were issued for a trip a few years ago. Check each child's expiry date when you first plan the trip, since a child must also attend in person to collect a new passport.
For a child travelling with one parent, or in the care of grandparents, pack a letter in English from the absent parent agreeing to the trip, with a photocopy of their passport attached. UAE immigration can ask for this when a minor arrives without both parents.
What Happens on Arrival
There's no landing card to complete for Dubai and no fee. At the desk, your passport is scanned and you're admitted; the six-month permit and its 90-day allowance are linked to that passport. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the other emirates belong to the same country, so a day trip to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque or a weekend in Ras Al Khaimah involves no further checks and doesn't touch the permit.
Repeat visitors should keep count. Each day in the country is deducted from the 90, time back in Japan doesn't, and the six months start on your first arrival. A fortnight in October, ten days over New Year and three weeks in February add up to 45 days, well within the limit. Staying past day 90, on the other hand, brings fines when you leave.
Residence Cards and the New Visa-on-Arrival Route
The UAE assesses each traveller by nationality, so a family flying together from Japan may meet several different rules at the same counter. Japan's residence system now matters for some of them. Under a decision announced by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holders of ordinary passports from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa can receive a visa on arrival if they hold a valid residence permit from Japan or from a handful of other countries, including EU member states, Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, South Korea and Singapore.
Two options are issued on arrival, each with a government fee. The 14-day visa can be extended once while the holder is in the country, and the 60-day visa covers a single stay with no extension. Emirates asks that the residence permit have six months or more of validity, so check the date on the residence card before relying on this route. Indian nationals holding a Japanese residence permit qualify for the same two options under a separate arrangement, explained in our guide to the routes open to Indian passports.
| Household member's passport | Arriving in Dubai |
|---|
| Japanese, Chinese, South Korean, Brazilian, Peruvian | Permit on arrival, 90 days within six months |
| Vietnamese, Filipino, Indonesian, Thai or Indian, with a valid Japanese residence card | 14-day or 60-day visa on arrival |
| Nepali, Sri Lankan, or these nationalities without a qualifying card | Visa arranged before departure |
Chinese and South Korean residents, two of the largest foreign communities in Japan, simply use their own passports' 90-day allowance, as do Brazilian and Peruvian nationals; for them the residence card plays no part. Rules of this kind are revised periodically, so recheck a relative's eligibility close to departure. For any passport not listed here, the visa eligibility checker offers a fast first check.
Re-entering Japan Afterwards
Foreign residents should think about the return as well. Someone with a valid passport and residence card who leaves Japan for less than a year, and returns before their period of stay ends, can normally use the special re-entry permit instead of applying for a standard one. Show the residence card at departure and tick the box on the departure card stating that you're leaving temporarily and will return. Leave without doing so and the residence status can be treated as abandoned, which no Dubai holiday is worth.
Relatives Who Need a Visa First
Parents visiting from Hanoi or Manila to join a family holiday, a Nepali colleague, or a spouse whose residence card is close to renewal will all need a visa before boarding. Most family holidays fit within a 30-day single entry visa, while visiting parents who plan to stay longer can use the 60-day single entry visa. Our prices already cover the government charge, and one application can hold several relatives. Payment goes through on Visa, Mastercard, Discover or Amex cards; JCB isn't accepted, so keep one of the other brands handy.
Once the dates are fixed, start a visa application for your relative. You'll need a sharp scan of the personal-details page of their passport, a recent photograph against a light backdrop, and their address in Dubai, which may be your hotel. Progress appears in our visa status tracker, and the visa itself comes by email once approved. Because each visa must be used within a fixed period, applying three or four weeks before departure fits most trips better than applying months ahead.
Flights From Tokyo, Osaka and Regional Airports
Non-stop Emirates flights leave for Dubai from Tokyo Narita, which now has two a day, as well as from Tokyo Haneda and Osaka Kansai. Travellers starting in Sapporo, Nagoya, Fukuoka or elsewhere can connect on JAL or ANA domestic flights, which Emirates sells through codeshare and interline agreements, so the whole journey can be booked as a single ticket. Your 90 days begin only when you pass immigration in Dubai, regardless of where the trip starts.
Japanese holiday peaks shape both fares and the experience. The year-end holidays fall in Dubai's most comfortable weather and fill flights early, while Golden Week arrives as the heat is building. Obon, in mid-August, coincides with the hottest part of the Dubai summer, when outdoor sightseeing is best kept to early mornings and evenings. If you're connecting in Dubai to Europe or Africa and stay airside, you never pass through immigration; leave the airport for a night, and the stay counts toward your 90 days.
Medicines From Japanese Pharmacies
The UAE controls certain medicines more strictly than Japan does. Narcotic and psychotropic medicines, and other controlled drugs, need approval from the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, which can be requested online before travel; Japan's Consulate-General in Dubai points travellers to the ministry's list of medicines that require it. Pack medicines in their original packaging in your hand luggage, with the prescription or a note in English from your doctor listing the ingredients, and keep quantities to what the trip requires.
Read the ingredients of anything in your travel kit. Some Japanese cold and cough remedies sold over the counter contain dihydrocodeine, a codeine-type ingredient, and prescription treatments for sleep, anxiety or attention conditions can also fall under controls. Check each one against the ministry's list rather than assuming a common pharmacy product is fine. The consulate notes that it hasn't received reports of Japanese travellers having personal medicines confiscated, so a quick check before packing is usually all that's needed.
Paying for Treatment
Visitors pay for medical care in Dubai privately. Japan's public health insurance can refund part of the cost of treatment abroad through its overseas medical expense scheme, but only after you've settled the bill yourself and only up to what the same care would cost in Japan. Travel insurance that pays hospitals directly and covers medical evacuation fills that gap. Cover bundled with Japanese credit cards varies widely, and some policies apply only when the trip was charged to that card, so read the terms before you rely on it.
Postings, Business Trips and Moving With Family
Typical corporate visits to the region, such as meetings with distributors, trade exhibitions, site visits and conferences, all fit within the 90-day entry. Carry your meeting schedule or exhibition registration, since immigration may ask what brings you to Dubai. Japan's trade promotion body, JETRO, maintains an office in Dubai that supports Japanese firms with market information, which is worth contacting before a first sales trip. For a colleague whose passport needs a visa, a 14-day business visa matches a brief schedule of meetings.
A posting is a different arrangement. When a company transfers an employee to Dubai, the employer in the UAE arranges a residence visa, and work shouldn't start until it's issued. Once the residence visa is in hand, the employee can sponsor a spouse and children, provided salary and accommodation meet the UAE's thresholds; our guide to sponsoring family members covers the details. Japanese schools operate in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and families usually contact them early about places.
Under Japan's Passport Act, anyone staying abroad for three months or more is required to submit a residence registration, the zairyu todoke, to the embassy or consulate, which can be done online through the ministry's ORRnet system. Investors and property owners have long-term options of their own, including the Dubai Golden Visa.
Before You Leave Japan: Tabireg and Consular Contacts
For trips shorter than three months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs encourages travellers to register on Tabireg, its free travel registration service. You'll receive safety notices for the region by email, and the ministry can contact you in an emergency. You can also add the email addresses of family members or colleagues in Japan, so they receive the same notices while you're away. The ministry's overseas safety website also publishes risk information by country, which is worth a look shortly before departure.
Japan is represented by its embassy in the capital, Abu Dhabi, and by a Consulate-General located in Dubai. If a passport goes missing or is stolen, report it first to Dubai Police, then bring that report to the consulate, which issues either a replacement passport or, when you're flying home soon, a single-use travel document back to Japan. Store an image of the passport's details page somewhere other than your phone, such as your email, and pack a spare passport-sized photograph.
Most Japanese visitors need only a passport with six months remaining and a quick check of their medicine bag. If someone in your household holds a different passport, confirm their route early, and if a visa is needed, contact our visa team with their dates and we'll help choose the right option.
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