Visiting the UK

Visitor's Guide

UAE Nationals wishing to visit Great Britain are recommended to visit an official tourism website at https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/en, which covers everything one needs to know about visiting England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

UK Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) for UAE Nationals

As a result of the successful effort made by the United Arab Emirates government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other official channels, the UAE Embassy in London is pleased to announce that the British Home Office is to launch a new Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) scheme on 1 January 2014.

Information provided below is for the UAE passport holders who wish to travel to the UK with an Electronic Visa Waiver document only. For all other types of visas and how to apply, please visit official British Government Website at UK Visas.

In addition, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a guide to creating an "Electronic Travel Document" for those wishing to travel to the United Kingdom.

Welcome to the Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) Scheme

The official British Government Website for an online EVW states the following:

United Arab Emirates passport holders can travel to the UK for a visit of less than six months without a visa under the Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) scheme. The EVW scheme is free and there is no requirement to give biometrics or attend a visa application centre.

The EVW scheme covers all types of visits for less than six months except those visiting for the purposes of marriage or to enter into a civil partnership, in which case they will need to apply for the appropriate visit visa. All non-European nationals must obtain a visa before they travel to the UK if they wish to visit for more than 6 months.

The Visiting the UK  section describes the different categories of visitor, and what visitors in each category can and cannot do while they are in the UK.

To visit under the EVW scheme you must provide notification of your travel details at least 48 hours in advance of departure to the UK. Once you have submitted the form you will not be able to make any changes. If there are changes to your journey once you have submitted the form, you will need to complete a new Electronic Visa Waiver Form at least 48 hours before your journey to the UK begins.

You should have the following information to hand:

• your current passport
  
  
• address in the UK where you will be staying
  
  
• your travel itinerary including full details of your flight, ship or train (departure and arrival dates and times)

Once you have submitted your travel details, you will receive an EVW document. You should print the EVW document and retain it for travel as you will be required to present it to the carrier before you travel to the UK and at the UK border.

Children (aged 0-17) can travel under EVW, provided they have their own EVW document with the correct biographic and travel details.

If children are travelling without their parent or guardian, the parent or guardian must provide the following information to be presented to the officer at the UK border:

• written consent for the child to travel to the UK;
  
  
• parent/guardian's full contact details;
  
  
• evidence that suitable arrangements have been made for a stay in the UK;
  
  
• address where the child will be staying;
  
  
• the name and date of birth of the intended carer;
  
  
• relationship of the carer to the child;
  
  
• authority from parent(s) or legal guardian allowing the carer to care for the child during the stay in the UK; and
  
  
• a letter from the school to include details of the care arrangements, confirming they have or will notify the local authority. The reply from the local authority must be included if available.

Further guidance on accompanied and unaccompanied child visitors can be found in Child Requirements Guidance.

The EVW document does not confer any leave to enter the UK but allows you to travel visa-free.

All individuals travelling under the EVW scheme will be subject to the same checks at the UK border as any other non-visa national. Please see Information for Non Visa Nationals.

We strongly advise that you apply for a visa before travelling to the UK if:

• you have any unspent criminal convictions in any country, including the UK;
  
  
• you have previously been refused entry, deported or otherwise removed from the UK;
  
  
• you have breached the terms of any previous entry to the UK (for example, by working illegally or staying here after your permission to stay expired);
  
  
• you have previously applied for a visa and been refused; or
  
  
• you have been warned by a UK official that you should obtain a visa before you travel to the UK.

Before starting your online [registration]  you must read this and the additional guidance available in English and Arabic.