The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has temporarily waived the official tourist visa application fee for children under the age of 18 traveling with their parents, offering financial relief to families visiting the country during the summer holiday season.
Under the initiative, the official visa application fee for eligible children has been waived from July 15 to September 15 to encourage family tourism and reduce travel costs.
The exemption applies only to children travelling with one or both parents on a tourist visa. Children’s visa applications must be submitted together with their parents’ applications and within the specified period to qualify for the waiver.
Travel agents clarified that the concession is available only to families travelling from abroad and does not apply to UAE residents applying for visit visas for their children.
Although the government has waived the official visa fee, applicants are still required to pay travel insurance, visa processing and agency service charges, which can total around AED120 per child, depending on the agency and insurance package.
Industry officials said families travelling with two children could save between AED500 and AED700 on government visa fees, although additional insurance and service charges would still apply.
The waiver covers both 30-day and 60-day tourist visas. However, visa extension fees remain unchanged and the exemption applies only to the initial visa application.
