You need no visa to change planes at Zayed International Airport without leaving it. To step out, UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most EU passport holders get a visa on arrival, and passports that don't need an Etihad transit visa or a visa arranged before they fly.
To stay airside at Abu Dhabi airport, you need no visa. To leave, UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most EU passports get a 90-day visa on arrival (Irish passports get 30 days). Passports not on the list, including Indian, need an Etihad transit visa (AED 55 for 48 hours, AED 216 for 96 hours) or a visa arranged before travel. Your passport needs 6 months' validity to enter.
If you stay airside
Most connections at Zayed International Airport (AUH) never touch UAE immigration. After you land, follow the purple Transfer signs, not Arrivals or Baggage Claim, and go through security screening.
- Any passport: you need no visa to stay airside. The US State Department says “transit passengers only require a visa if exiting the airport”, and Etihad says you only need a visa “if you’re planning on leaving the airport to explore Abu Dhabi”.
- Passport validity: the UK FCDO asks for an expiry date at least 3 months after the day you transit if you don’t pass immigration.
- Time limit: no page from the airport or Etihad states how long you may stay airside.
- Connecting flights: on a single ticket your bags are normally moved between aircraft for you. If you don’t hold a boarding pass for your onward flight, use the Transfer Desk just after the security screening. Etihad’s shortest connection is 45 minutes, and 85 minutes for flights to the United States.
If you want to leave the airport
You’re entering the UAE, so you need permission to do so.
| Passport | What you need to leave Abu Dhabi airport |
|---|---|
| UK | Visa on arrival, free, valid up to 90 days in 180 (FCDO) |
| US | Visa on arrival, up to 90 days in 180 (State Department) |
| Canada | Visa on arrival, free, 90 days within 180 (Government of Canada) |
| Australia | Tourist visa on arrival (Smartraveller); 90 days on Emirates’ list |
| EU, except Ireland | Visa on arrival, 90 days, multiple entry, on Emirates’ list |
| Ireland | Visa on arrival, free, 30 days, on Emirates’ list |
| India | Not on the visa-on-arrival list: Etihad transit visa, or a visa arranged before you fly |
The airport’s own list names these countries without saying how long each may stay, and “is provided for general guidance and is subject to change without notice”. The UAE government’s portal doesn’t print a list, so the stay lengths above come from each country’s government where it says, and otherwise from the visa page of Emirates, the Dubai airline. Check your own country’s page before you fly. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date you enter, machine-readable and in good condition.
Etihad’s transit visa
For passports that can’t get a visa on arrival and want to leave the airport. Etihad sells two lengths: AED 55 for 48 hours and AED 216 for 96 hours, single entry and not extendable, valid for entry within 30 days.
- Apply through Etihad. Etihad says “you can currently only apply for a transit visa with Etihad Airways”. It takes around four business days, so apply well ahead.
- You need a confirmed ticket to Abu Dhabi and onward to a third destination, and a passport valid for six months.
- Where it works. Visas requested through etihad.com can only be used to enter through Zayed International Airport.
- Minimum layover. Etihad sets none. Visit Abu Dhabi says that with “more than four hours before your next flight, you can apply for a transit visa”. This guide plans on at least 5 hours.
The 14 and 60-day visas for Indian passport holders
The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) offers Indian ordinary-passport holders a 14-day visa for AED 100, extendable once, or a 60-day visa for AED 250, single entry, if they hold a valid visa, residence permit or US Green Card from the US, an EU country or the UK, or a residence permit from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea or Singapore. Since 25 June 2026 the same visas are open to Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Philippine, Kenyan and South African passport holders.
You apply online on the ICP’s Smart Services site, which says each visa takes 2 days and adds a AED 100 smart services fee, and you then have 30 days to enter. Neither the ICP’s service page nor its announcement mentions issuing the visa at the airport, so arrange it before you fly.
If you’re on separate tickets
Abu Dhabi doesn’t move your bags between flights on separate tickets: the airport says bags are transferred automatically only on a single ticket or with partner airlines. So you collect your bags, which means passing immigration, and you need permission to enter the UAE even if you plan to stay at the airport.
At the border
The airport’s Smart Gates are for “a UAE resident or eligible national”, and the airport doesn’t name tourists, so expect the staffed desks. No source publishes immigration queue times, so this guide allows about an hour from landing to the taxi. See getting into the city.
Before you go landside
- Check whether your bags are checked through to your final destination.
- Plan to be back at the airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass, or earlier if you still need to check in or drop a bag. Etihad’s check-in closes 60 minutes before departure in Economy.
- Flying to the United States? Etihad says to arrive at least four hours before your flight, and pre-clearance is mandatory for US-bound passengers.
- See getting into the city for rides and timing.
A transit tour you can book
If you're allowed to leave Zayed International Airport, a tour that collects you at the airport takes care of the timing. Check that the tour's length fits your layover, leaving time to get out of the airport and to be back 90 minutes before your flight.