Dubai Access Club Offers Repeat Tourists a Five-Year Visa for Dh4,032.50

Visitors cannot join on their own initiative. According to the Visit Dubai details reported by Gulf News and The National, invitations come only through participating corporate, tourism and hospitality partners. That puts airlines, hotel groups and their loyalty programmes in charge of deciding which visitors the emirate courts most actively. It also gives Dubai a formal way to identify and retain its highest-value travellers, rather than treating each trip as a separate visa transaction.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, announced the programme on November 1, together with a change that moves tourist visa applications onto the Visit Dubai website. Both measures take effect this month. They were developed by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Digital Dubai and the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA Dubai), under a shared digital channels initiative approved in February 2025, according to the state news agency WAM. GDRFA Dubai still reviews visa applications and issues the visas.

There are two ways in. Employees of partners such as Emirates, Emaar Hospitality Group, Jumeirah Group, Accor, Hilton, Marriott International and Hyatt can be nominated, as can members of loyalty schemes including Emirates Skywards, U by Emaar, Jumeirah One, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, ALL – Accor Live Limitless and World of Hyatt. The National also listed IHG and Taj Hotels among hospitality partners. Anyone can register interest on Visit Dubai, but that does not guarantee an invitation, membership or a visa.

The visa allows stays of up to 90 days at a time within a one-year period. Members also receive up to Dh2,000 in credit for hotels, attractions and retail, a free prepaid SIM card from du, and discounts through the Alsaada loyalty card. Visit Dubai says more benefits will follow.

Invited applicants must provide a passport copy, a photograph, a six-month bank statement, proof of health insurance and a return ticket. Applicants already in the UAE pay an extra Dh650, bringing the total to Dh4,682.50. The National reported that if GDRFA Dubai rejects the visa, the fee is refunded minus Dh183. Visit Dubai says applications are usually processed within 48 hours of a complete submission and payment.

According to WAM, Sheikh Hamdan described tourism as a key pillar of Dubai's economy and tied both initiatives to the D33 economic agenda, which aims to place Dubai among the world's top three destinations for business and leisure. WAM also reported that Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, director general of Digital Dubai, said data and artificial intelligence would be used to make visitor services more personalised and proactive.

Officials have not said how many invitations partners will be able to issue, or how the Dh2,000 credit will be funded and redeemed.