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Visa Requirements to Travel to the Middle East

Visa Requirements to Travel to the Middle East

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Most border crossings are generally hassle-free, but entry requirements vary from country to country. Visa procedures in countries of the Middle East are a bit complicated and strict in comparison to the rest of the world.  

Using online visa services, you may check the visa requirements before planning your travel to any Middle Eastern country. Here, we look at visa requirements to travel in the countries of the Middle East. 

Kuwait 

Kuwait offers an e-Visa to people wanting to travel to the country.  It’s an authorization document that allows visitors to travel to Kuwait.  The e-Visa allows a single entry and 90 days of stay in Kuwait. To get Kuwait e-Visa, you need to have the following documents 

  • Passport with at least 6-months validity 
  • A scanned copy of passport bio page
  • GCC residency card if applicable 
  • Credit/debit card or PayPal account for payment of fees

Iran 

Iran offers online visa services for different types of visas, including travel and business travel visas.  To obtain an Iran travel visa, you don’t have to travel to the Iran Embassy office in your country. 

Due to political and diplomatic reasons, Iran denies any visas to citizens of some countries. You need to contact the Iran consulate to get more information in this regard.  To obtain an Iran electronic visa, you need to fulfill these document requirements.

  • You need to hold a valid passport, and it should have at least six months of validity beyond your actual travel date.   
  • You also need to share your travel itinerary details if you have made arrangements
  • Curriculum Vitae or Resume that mentions your education, work history, and other personal details 
  • Digital personal photo by following requirements
  • Digital image of the passport as per requirements
  • Other information required to complete the online visa application  

Depending on the type of visa you’ve applied for, you will be required to appear for a visa interview. You will be notified about the schedule of the visa interview through your registered email. Upon successful completion of the visa interview, a visa to travel to Iran would be issued to you. 

United Arab Emirates 

UAE travel allows you to travel to any of the Emirates that include Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah.  The visa requirements are not the same for all. There are separate visa requirements for US citizens, citizens of GCC countries, non-US citizens, and other nationalities. 

For US citizens 

A US citizen holding a valid passport does not require a visa to travel to the UAE.  However, they need to fulfill the following two conditions 

  • The passport should not expire within six months from the expected time of travel to the UAE. 
  • The traveler should have a round-trip confirmed ticket to the US or other destinations.

For Non-US citizens

The citizens of European countries, Canada, and other Western countries are referred to as non-US citizens.

  • The traveler’s passport should not get expired within six months from the expected date of arrival in the UAE.
  • The traveler should have a confirmed round-trip ticket to his/her home country or other destination. 

For most countries in the Middle-East, the primary visa requirement is that the passport should have more than six months of validity from the expected date of arrival in the Middle East country. Other visa requirements differ slightly, and it is not difficult to get a travel visa as all countries accept online visa applications.

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