UAE Student Visa Requirements
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), your university applies for your student visa. You send it the papers it needs. Here is what universities in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi need, for students from India and Pakistan.
Who Can Get a UAE Student Visa
You can get a student visa if a UAE-approved university accepts you for full-time study and you meet these points.
- An offer for full-time study at a UAE-approved university.
- A university letter that says your programme and how long it lasts.
- At Curtin University Dubai, you must study full time to keep your visa.
- Pay the visa fee before your university applies.
- Some universities want tuition first. De Montfort University Dubai (DMU Dubai) needs 25% of the tuition fee before the visa.
- Some need a refundable visa deposit. Amity University Dubai needs AED 3,000.
Pass the medical fitness test after you land. If you are found medically unfit, the visa is not issued.
Hold health insurance valid in the UAE for the whole visa.
In Dubai, the insurance must meet Dubai Health Authority (DHA) rules.
Immigration Status
- Already in the UAE on another visa? Your university can switch it to a student visa. This costs more: AED 4,700 at BITS Pilani Dubai.
Special Cases
- Citizens of the UAE and other Gulf countries do not need this visa.
- At AUS, students under 18 do not take the medical test.
- If a UAE-resident parent is your sponsor, you may stay on their visa instead.
Papers for Your UAE Student Visa
Each university gives you its own list. These are the papers most of them ask for.
Keep a clear colour copy of every paper, as a file, ready to email.
Khalifa University needs each file named with the paper type and your name.
Print a colour copy of your entry permit and keep it with your passport.
- A passport-style photo.
- White background.
- Send the digital file, not a scan of a printed photo.
- At University of Birmingham Dubai: no glasses if you can, ears showing and a neutral face.
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application form | Your university's own visa form, if it has one. At University of Birmingham Dubai, only the student may fill it in. | - |
| Student undertaking form (BITS Pilani Dubai) | Only at BITS Pilani Dubai, where it is needed: a signed promise to follow the free zone rules, called the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (DTMFZA) Student Undertaking Form. | - |
| Payment receipt | Proof you paid the visa fee. Amity University Dubai needs the visa and tuition fee receipt. | Required |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Passport copy | A clear colour copy. It must be valid for at least 6 months (7 months at BITS Pilani Dubai). Use the same passport when you enter the UAE. | Required |
| Photo | A passport-style photo with a white background. Send the digital file, not a scan of a printed photo. | Required |
| Pakistan: national ID card copy | Khalifa University needs a copy of the national ID card from citizens of Pakistan. | Optional |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Offer letter | Amity University Dubai needs a copy of your offer letter. The UAE needs a university letter that states your programme and how long it lasts. | Required |
| Bachelor's certificate (master's students) | BITS Pilani Dubai needs it. Master's students aged over 30 need it attested (stamped as real) by the UAE Embassy. | Optional |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance | Insurance valid in the UAE. Many universities sell their own plan. At Amity University Dubai, the plan fee is AED 1,500, or AED 1,000 if you start in January (it covers January to August). | Required |
| Medical fitness test | Usually needed after you land, at a government medical centre. In Dubai it includes a blood test and a chest X-ray. At AUS, students under 18 do not need this test. | - |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Parent's No Objection Certificate | At University of Birmingham Dubai, students under 19 need a No Objection Certificate signed by a parent or guardian. | Optional |
Important Document Guidelines
Which UAE Visa Do You Need?
All degree students use the same visa route: an entry permit before you fly, then a student residence visa after you land. What changes is each university's fees and paper list.
Key Features
Your university applies for an entry permit (the paper that lets you enter the UAE to study). You use it to fly into the UAE.
Enter the UAE within 60 days of the date your entry permit was issued.
After you land, you take a medical fitness test (a health check for the visa) and give fingerprints for your Emirates ID (the UAE identity card for people who live there).
After you enter, you have 60 days to finish the residence steps. Then your student residence visa (the visa that lets you live in the UAE while you study) is issued.
Eligibility Requirements
- An offer from a UAE-approved university. At University of Birmingham Dubai, it must be an unconditional offer (an offer with no conditions left) for a full-time programme.
- A passport valid for at least 6 months. BITS Pilani Dubai Campus (BPDC) needs 7 months.
- Health insurance valid in the UAE.
- Passing the medical fitness test after you land.
Restrictions
- Part-time students cannot get a visa from University of Birmingham Dubai.
- At BITS Pilani Dubai, you may not take a job on this visa. At AUS, you may not take full-time or part-time jobs on it, but AUS has its own on-campus jobs, and allows internships linked to your course with its approval.
- At BITS Pilani Dubai, do not stay outside the UAE for more than 180 days in a row, or the visa stops being valid.
| Point | American University of Sharjah (AUS) | Dubai campuses |
|---|---|---|
| Who applies | Your university, through the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Sharjah | Your university, with the Dubai Development Authority (DDA) at campuses in a free zone (a special business area with its own rules) |
| Visa length | New students get 2 years, renewed yearly by the semesters left | BITS Pilani Dubai: one year, renewed every year |
| Visa cost (in UAE dirham, AED) | AED 1,114.5 or AED 1,314.5, with the Emirates ID | BITS Pilani Dubai: AED 2,900. Amity University Dubai: AED 2,600 for students from outside the UAE (standard service) |
| Refundable deposit | Ask AUS | Amity University Dubai: AED 3,000. BITS Pilani Dubai: AED 1,850 if you cancel, and AED 1,000 of that is a refundable visa deposit |
You do not choose a visa type. Your university applies for it. Your job is to send complete papers early and wait for the entry permit before you book a flight.
Questions and Useful Links
Answers to common questions, and useful links.
University Visa Pages
UAE Government
Accept your offer and pay the deposit or fees your university asks for.
Send the visa form, passport copy, photo and payment proof to your university.
Your university applies for the entry permit. Wait for it before you book a flight.
Land in the UAE within 60 days of the date your entry permit was issued. AUS students buy a UAE SIM card at the airport.
After you enter, you have 60 days to finish the residence steps: the medical fitness test and Emirates ID fingerprints. Then collect your visa and Emirates ID.
Need More Help?
Each university has its own visa team. Write to them early with any question about your papers.
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