Indian travellers planning their next holiday have a new reason to consider Abu Dhabi. A new Abu Dhabi free visa for Indians programme has been introduced by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).
Under this UAE free visa initiative, eligible Indian tourists can receive their UAE entry visa at no additional cost when they make a qualifying holiday booking through participating travel partners or online travel agencies.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐮 𝐃𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝?
The Abu Dhabi visa offer 2026 will run for 92 days, from August 1 to October 31, 2026.
During this period, DCT Abu Dhabi will cover the UAE entry visa cost for eligible bookings made through participating travel partners.
𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐔𝐀𝐄 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚?
The free UAE visa for Indian tourists is available to Indian passport holders travelling from India who meet the programme’s booking requirements.
To qualify, travellers must:
1. Hold an Indian passport
2. Book an Abu Dhabi holiday package
3. Stay for at least three consecutive nights at an Abu Dhabi hotel
4. Have a return flight from India
5. Book through a participating travel partner or online travel agency
This makes the programme particularly attractive for Indian tourists visiting Abu Dhabi during the offer period.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤?
Participating travel partners can use one of two arrangements:
Work with a DCT-appointed Destination Management Company (DMC), with DCT Abu Dhabi covering the visa cost directly.
Use their existing DMC partners and receive a reimbursement of AED 285 per visa issued.
Travellers should therefore confirm that their chosen travel agency is part of the participating network before booking.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝?
The pilot programme will initially cover up to 20,000 visas.
The Abu Dhabi travel offer is part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s effort to attract more visitors from India and strengthen its travel partnerships across the country.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬?
For eligible travellers, the UAE visa for Indians can now come at no extra cost when the required holiday package conditions are met.
If you are planning an Abu Dhabi trip from India between August and October 2026, this free UAE visa for Indian tourists could help reduce your overall travel expenses.
Before booking, make sure your travel partner participates in the programme and that your package meets the three-night stay and return-flight requirements.
