VISIT

is acceptable in place of an international licence: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and the US. A verification letter or translation may be required for licence holders from Canada, Greece, Cyrpus, Poland, Turkey, Japan and South Korea, so check with your preferred travel advisory service or local embassy in advance.

Taxis

Taxis are plentiful, relatively inexpensive and easily obtainable in Dubai. The Dubai Transport Corporation’s ivorycoloured cabs are fitted with fare meters. In the case of all other taxis, fares are subject to negotiation between the driver and passenger.

Taxis operate a very cheap service rate, Dh12 for pick-up, followed by Dh1.6s per kilometre. For longer journeys, an hourly rate of about Dh30 is reasonable and for the whole day the price is negotiable upwards of about Dh500. Dubai Taxi also offers SMS and online booking services. You can text 4774 or visit www.dubaitaxi.ae to take advantage of these services.

Time

The UAE time is four hours ahead of UCT (Universal Coordinated Time – formerly Greenwich Mean Time). There are no special summer daylight savings times.

Tipping

Tipping practices in Dubai are comparable to most places throughout the rest of the world. Even when a service charge is applied, staff expect a little extra – 10 percent is acceptable in hotel restaurants; for luggage porters at airports a tip of Dh5 or Dh10 is standard, depending on the amount of luggage. The same applies for taxi drivers.

Visas

Visitors from over 50 different countries are eligible for either a 30 or 90 day visa, free of charge, on arrival, with our without extendability (nationality dependant). To find out if you are eligible see the Travel Planning section at visitdubai.com. Tourist visas for 30 to 90 days for single entry or multiple entry are available to all other nationalities. These can be obtained through your airline and in some cases, through your hotel or travel agent as part of your pre departure bookings. Those travelling on Israeli passports are not allowed entry to the UAE.

Water

Tap water comes from desalination plants and is not ideal to drink. Bottled water is freely available and served in hotels and restaurants.