Welcome to United Arab Emirates.

If you are new to U.A.E Please go through the general information given below

Religion: UAE is an Islamic country, though all people are allowed to practice their own religion.

Climate: Dubai has a subtropical arid climate. Temperatures range from 10 to 30 C in winter and can reach as high as 48 C in summer. Rainfall is predominantly in winter and amounts to some 13cm annually.

Clothing: Lightweight summer clothing can be worn for most of the year, but the temperature can drop quite sharply at night during the winter. At the pool or on the beaches, trunks, swimsuits, shorts or bikinis are quite acceptable but, when in the city, care should be taken not to give offence by wearing clothing which may be considered revealing.

Local Time: UAE time is 3 hours ahead of GMT.

Language: The National language is Arabic but English is widely used in business.

Alcohol: Alcohol is freely available in hotel restaurants and bars, but not outside the hotels.

Photography: Normal tourist photography is acceptable but it is considered offensive to photograph Muslim women. It is also courteous to request permission before photographing men.

Business Days: Saturday to Thursday is the normal business days in UAE. The Government offices remain closed on Thursdays and Fridays. Weekend is on Fridays. Some private companies are closed on Friday and Saturday. Shops, Supermarkets and major Shopping Malls are open 7 days a week though on Fridays they start business after the afternoon prayer.

Working hours: Business: 0800 - 1300 and 1600 - 1900 (sat to wed). Some companies work from 0800 - 1730 with a one hour lunch break. Many companies close at 1300 on Thursdays. Government offices: 0730 - 1430 (sat to wed). Exchange Houses: 0830 - 1300 and 1630 - 2030 Shops: 0800 - 1300 and 1600 - 2030. Thursday afternoon and Friday ia the weekend in the Islamic world.

Currency: The monetary unit is the Dirham (Dh) which is divided into 100 fills. The official exchange rate is US$1 = Dh3.675.

Credit Cards: All major credit cards like Visa, Master Card, Diners Club, American Express, etc. are accepted in UAE. Most of the establishments accept the credit cards for the transactions though you get a better price for cash purchase.

Banking: Many international banks are represented by branches in Dubai. Bank hours are 0800 to 1300 Saturday through Wednesday, 0800 to 1200 noon Thursday. Some banks open from 1630 to 1830.

Transportation: Taxi is the main mode of transportation though bus services are available in selected routes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The taxis are metered in Dubai and in Dubai the taxi service is well controlled by four major taxi companies – Dubai Transport, National Taxi, Metro Taxi & Cars Taxi. Taxi service in Dubai is also metered.

Telephones: UAE is well connected within as well as internationally by a very modern telephone network. Telephone calls within respective emirates are free of charge. The mobile phone standard is GSM.

Electricity: The Electricity supply in Dubai is 220/240 volts at 50 cycles.

Water: Tap water is quite safe to drink. But locally bottled mineral water is generally served in hotels and restaurants.

Media: There are two English language newspapers published in Dubai (Gulf News and Khaleej Times) International newspapers, magazines and journals can be bought at bookshops and supermarkets. Dubai has both Arabic and English commercial radio and television stations, as well as access to international satellite TV programming.

Medical Care: Medical services in Dubai are of an international standard.

Visa: Nationals of 33 countries get visa on arrival. That includes nationals of AGCC (Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar & Saudi Arabia), United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican City, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. All other nationals other than above needs should procure visa before arriving in UAE.

The different type visas issued are as follows:

Tourist visa. This special category of visit visa is available for individual tourists from East and West Europe who are not entitled to be issued a visa on arrival, as well as visitors from Thailand, South Africa and China. Clear passport copy of the passenger with a minimum validity of 6 months for passport is required to process a tourist visa. Validity of visa is two months from the date of issue and one month from the date of entry into UAE. Visa is not renewable.

Entry Service Permit This is available to businessmen and tourists and is issued to all other nationals other than those who are eligible to get visa on arrival and tourist visa. Clear passport copy of the passenger with a minimum validity of 6 months for the passport is required to process the visa. For nationals of Yemen, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya & Morocco 2 passport size photographs are required along with passport photocopy to process the visa. Validity of the visa is 14 days from the date of issue and 14 days from the date of entry into UAE, exclusive of arrival and departure days. Visa in not renewable.

Transit Visa This is a 96 hours visa issued to passengers who travel through UAE airports while traveling from one destination to another. A valid ticket with onward flight confirmation is a must for this visa.

Multiple Entry Visa This visa is issued to business visitors who are frequent visitors to UAE and who have a relationship with reputable company in UAE. Visa is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. Each visit must not exceed not more than 30 days from the date of entry. The visitor must enter Dubai on a visit visa and apply for a multiple entry visa while in UAE. German nationals can get one or two year multiple entry visas from UAE Embassy in Germany without a sponsor and the maximum duration of stay should not exceed three months in a year. US Citizens can get one or ten years multiple entry visas from the UAE Embassy in US with a sponsor. The maximum duration of stay per visit should not exceed six months.

Restrictions
UAE is an Islamic country, there are strict controls on import of following things.

1. Ammunition and weapons

2. Ivory, Hippo teeth, animal skins, etc.

3.Illegal and internationally banned drugs

4. Alcohol other than 2 liters of spirit or 4 cans of beer

5. Pornography and nude photographs and documentation containing same