The United Arab Emirates operates three major international airports handling commercial arrivals. Dubai International Airport processed 66 million passengers in 2023 and ranks as the world's busiest airport for international traffic. Abu Dhabi International Airport, located on the mainland 32 kilometers east of Abu Dhabi city center, opened its current main terminal in 2009 and handled 20.5 million passengers in 2023. Sharjah International Airport lies 13 kilometers east of Sharjah city center and functions primarily for budget carriers and cargo operations. Dubai International sits 4 kilometers southeast of Dubai's city center in the Deira district. Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, which opened in 2010 and currently operates one passenger terminal, handles a fraction of Dubai International's traffic but was designed with capacity for 160 million annual passengers upon full completion. Ras Al Khaimah International Airport and Fujairah International Airport serve domestic and limited regional routes.
Dubai International divides operations across three terminals. Terminal 3, which opened in 2008, serves Emirates airline exclusively and contains Concourse A and Concourse B. Terminal 1 serves most international carriers except Emirates and flydubai. Terminal 2, the oldest facility dating to 1998 renovations, handles flydubai and select low-cost carriers. Terminals 1 and 3 connect airside through a transit corridor, but Terminal 2 requires exiting and re-entering security. Abu Dhabi International operates three terminals: Terminal 1 for Etihad Airways partners and most international carriers, Terminal 2 for budget and charter airlines, and Terminal 3 completed in 2019 serving Etihad exclusively. The terminals do not connect airside. Sharjah International operates a single terminal with 18 gates.
Immigration queues at Dubai International extend to 45 minutes during morning arrival banks between 0600 and 0900 when overnight flights from Europe and Asia land simultaneously. Abu Dhabi queues typically process in 20 to 30 minutes except during the November to March high season when waits reach one hour. Both airports operate e-gates for citizens of 50 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union members, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and China. Travelers holding passports from these countries scan their passport at a machine, complete facial recognition, and pass through without officer interaction. The system became operational in 2018 at Dubai and 2019 in Abu Dhabi. First-time visitors and children under 12 must use staffed counters. Sharjah Airport processes immigration at manual counters exclusively with typical wait times of 15 to 25 minutes.
Visa-on-arrival procedures apply to citizens of 57 countries as of 2024, down from 70 before policy revisions in 2023. Nationals of Gulf Cooperation Council countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar—enter without separate visa requirements under the 2001 GCC agreement. Citizens from the 57 eligible countries receive a 30-day entry stamp at no charge upon passport presentation. Citizens of countries not included in the visa-exemption or visa-on-arrival categories must obtain visas before travel through UAE embassies, consulates, or government-approved agencies. The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship website at icp.gov.ae publishes the current list of eligible countries and application procedures. Israel passport holders became eligible for visa-free entry following normalization agreements signed in September 2020. Pakistan and Bangladesh nationals require pre-arranged visas regardless of residency elsewhere.
Dubai International baggage claim operates on two levels in Terminal 3 and one level each in Terminals 1 and 2. Bags from Emirates flights typically appear on belts 12 to 20 minutes after aircraft arrival at the gate, though this extends to 40 minutes during peak periods. Abu Dhabi baggage claim averages 18 to 25 minutes from aircraft door opening to first bag appearance for Etihad flights. Both airports display carousel assignments on screens throughout the arrivals area, but Dubai frequently changes assignments causing passengers to move between carousels. Lost baggage counters operate 24 hours at both airports. Dubai International reported a baggage mishandling rate of 3.8 bags per thousand passengers in 2023. Abu Dhabi reported 4.1 per thousand in the same period.
Customs declarations require completion only if carrying restricted goods or amounts exceeding duty-free allowances. The duty-free allowance includes 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 500 grams of loose tobacco, four liters of alcohol or two cartons of beer containing no more than 24 cans of 355 milliliters each. Non-Muslim adults aged 18 and above may import alcohol for personal consumption. Importing pork products requires a non-Muslim declaration but faces no quantity restriction for personal use. Currency amounts exceeding 100,000 dirhams in cash require declaration at the red customs channel. All passengers regardless of goods pass through a channel system: green for nothing to declare, red for goods requiring declaration. Customs officers conduct random baggage inspections in the green channel using x-ray machines and physical searches.
Prohibited items include narcotics, pornographic material, certain prescription medications without documentation, items from Israeli origin prior to 2020, electronic cigarettes and vaping devices, and drones without prior permits. Prescription medications require a doctor's letter on official letterhead specifying the medication name, dosage, and medical necessity. Controlled substances including many common antidepressants, anxiety medications, and attention deficit treatments require advance approval from the Ministry of Health and Prevention. Tramadol, codeine, and medications containing these substances face absolute prohibition regardless of prescription. The Ministry of Health website at mohap.gov.ae maintains a searchable database of controlled substances. Travelers arriving with prohibited medications face immediate arrest regardless of quantity or prescription status.
Dubai International offers SIM card vendors immediately after customs exit in all terminals. Du and Etisalat, the country's two telecommunications providers, operate official counters selling tourist SIM packages. A seven-day package with 1 gigabyte of data costs 55 dirhams as of January 2024. A 30-day package with 12 gigabytes costs 150 dirhams. Both providers require passport presentation and photograph for registration under federal telecommunications regulations. Activation occurs immediately at the counter. Virgin Mobile, operating as a Du network reseller since 2017, sells SIM cards at dedicated kiosks with similar pricing but marginally better data allowances. Abu Dhabi terminal arrivals areas contain similar counters with identical pricing structures. International roaming from most carriers functions immediately but costs significantly more than local SIM cards: approximately 15 to 20 dirhams per megabyte for data depending on home country carrier agreements.
Currency exchange counters operate 24 hours in all terminals of both major airports. Exchange rates at airport counters typically sit 3 to 5 percent below the interbank rate posted by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE dirham pegs to the US dollar at 3.6725 dirhams per dollar, a rate established in 1997 and maintained without fluctuation since then. Exchange counters charge no commission but build profit into the exchange spread. ATMs line the arrivals corridors of all terminals dispensing dirhams using international networks Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus, and Maestro. Withdrawal fees depend on home bank policies, but UAE banks charge no surcharge for foreign card usage. Daily withdrawal limits vary by machine but typically range from 2,000 to 5,000 dirhams.
The Dubai Metro Red Line connects directly to Dubai International Terminals 1 and 3 through dedicated stations. Terminal 1 station opened in 2011 and sits at basement level reached by elevators and escalators from the arrivals hall. Terminal 3 station opened in 2016 and connects through an elevated walkway from arrivals. Both stations operate from approximately 0500 to midnight Saturday through Wednesday, with extended hours until 0100 on Thursday and Friday nights. No metro station serves Terminal 2, requiring a taxi or bus connection. A metro journey from Terminal 1 or 3 to downtown Dubai stations including Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall takes 20 to 25 minutes and costs 5 dirhams for a red ticket covering one journey. The metro does not connect to Abu Dhabi or other emirates.