No visa needed

Do citizens of the United States need a visa for the United Arab Emirates?

Citizens of the United States don’t need a visa for the United Arab Emirates and can stay up to 90 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 States: the passport opens 112 countries visa-free; Washington, D.C. — Abu Dhabi: ≈ 11,350 km, about 14.5 hours of flying.

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

At a glance

No visa needed

Stay: 90 days

Can I travel to the United Arab Emirates without a visa on a United States passport?

Yes, citizens of the United States don’t need a visa for the United Arab Emirates for up to 90 days. A valid passport is enough.

United Arab Emirates visa rules at a glance

With a United States passport you can visit 112 countries visa-free, 32 with a visa on arrival and 35 with an e-visa; 19 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the United States passport ranks 39th of 199.
United States passport: visa-free access to 112 countries; United Arab Emirates passport: 127.
Citizens of the United States and the United Arab Emirates can travel together visa-free to 101 countries, for example: Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Honduras, Guatemala, Dominica, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Costa Rica, Panama, and Barbados.
United Arab Emirates has an embassy in your country of citizenship, so you can apply without travelling abroad.
Citizens of the United Arab Emirates, in turn, need an embassy visa to travel to the United States. United States visa for citizens of the United Arab Emirates

Travelling to the United Arab Emirates: good to know

Washington, D.C. — Abu Dhabi: about 11,350 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 14.5 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: +13 hours.
Local time: Washington, D.C. 12:00 — Abu Dhabi 01:00.
Local currency: United Arab Emirates Dirham.
Languages: Arabic.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ AED 3.67.
United Arab Emirates is the 141st closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of the United States.