No visa needed

Do citizens of the United Arab Emirates need a visa for Sao Tome and Principe?

Citizens of the United Arab Emirates don’t need a visa for Sao Tome and Principe and can stay up to 15 days. You need a valid passport; border officers may ask for a return ticket and accommodation. For a longer stay you need a visa or an extension.

For citizens of the United Arab Emirates: the passport opens 127 countries visa-free; Abu Dhabi — São Tomé: ≈ 5,780 km, about 7.5 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

At a glance

No visa needed

Stay: 15 days

Can I travel to Sao Tome and Principe without a visa on a United Arab Emirates passport?

Yes, citizens of the United Arab Emirates don’t need a visa for Sao Tome and Principe for up to 15 days. A valid passport is enough.

Sao Tome and Principe visa rules at a glance

With a United Arab Emirates passport you can visit 127 countries visa-free, 34 with a visa on arrival and 26 with an e-visa; 11 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the United Arab Emirates passport ranks 2nd of 199.
United Arab Emirates passport: visa-free access to 127 countries; Sao Tome and Principe passport: 28.
Citizens of the United Arab Emirates and Sao Tome and Principe can travel together visa-free to 24 countries, for example: Palestine, Seychelles, Kosovo, Zambia, Malaysia, Angola, Singapore, South Africa, Philippines, Gambia, Micronesia, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Bahamas.
Citizens of Sao Tome and Principe, in turn, need an e-visa to travel to the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates visa for citizens of Sao Tome and Principe

Travelling to Sao Tome and Principe: good to know

Abu Dhabi — São Tomé: about 5,780 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 7.5 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −4 hours.
Local time: Abu Dhabi 12:00 — São Tomé 08:00.
Local currency: São Tomé & Príncipe Dobra.
Languages: Portuguese.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ STN 21.
Sao Tome and Principe is the 112th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of the United Arab Emirates.