Many of us plan on visiting other GCC countries in the coming months as it gets cooler during this period.

Do you plan to tour around the UAE any soon? Then, here is the arrival and entry routine that one must follow and keep in mind during the travel.

• You do not need a visa to travel to the UAE, if you’re a citizen of the GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar or Saudi Arabia.

• You will automatically be issued with a free 30-days visa upon arrival in the UAE if you are a national of:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA or Vatican City.

• If your country is not in the above list, then you will need to apply for an E-visa, ideally 2 weeks, before you plan to travel.

• Visa requirements sometimes change without prior notice, so it’s a good idea to check whether you need a UAE visa with the UAE Embassy in your home country or with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai (GDRFA-D) by clicking the link here: gdrfa.ae/GCCIND/.

So, all GCC residents who were able to get a UAE visitor's visa on arrival at the airport, based on their residency and job title, now need to apply for the visa in advance as this service is no longer available.

Do you have any such plans this winter?