Yes. A Ghanaian passport holder needs a visa before travelling to Dubai or anywhere in the United Arab Emirates. Ghana is not on the UAE’s lists of countries whose citizens get a visa on arrival or enter visa-free, and the UAE is not among the 41 countries Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists as visa-free for Ghanaians.

Who applies for it

A UAE tourist visa is not something you apply for at an embassy counter. It is issued to a sponsor in the UAE, who applies for you:

  • An airline, usually Emirates or flydubai, when you book your flight with them
  • A hotel or a licensed tour company in Dubai, when you book your stay with them
  • A relative or friend who lives in the UAE, as a visit visa

A travel agent in Accra will normally be working through one of these.

What it costs

Dubai’s immigration authority charges AED 200 for a single-entry 30-day tourist visa and AED 300 for 60 days, plus 5% VAT. The sponsor adds its own charges, which is why prices quoted in Accra differ so much. Ask for the total in writing, and what it includes, before you pay.

What you will be asked for

  • A passport valid for at least 6 months
  • A passport photograph
  • Your return or onward ticket
  • Your hotel booking, or your host’s details
  • Travel medical insurance valid in the UAE
  • Often, bank statements showing you can pay for the trip

Working in the UAE needs more

A visit or tourist visa does not let you work. Since 30 March 2026, anyone applying from Ghana for a UAE employment visa must also provide a police clearance certificate, authenticated by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the UAE Embassy in Accra. Since 20 July 2026 it applies to every category of worker. Ghanaians already in the UAE on a visit visa who are taking up a job were given 45 days to supply one. — Getting a police clearance certificate

Job offers that need a fee are the commonest Dubai scam

An agent who asks you to pay for a job, a work visa or “processing” before you have a written contract from a named employer is the pattern behind most people stranded in the Gulf. A real employer sponsors the work visa. Never travel on a visit visa expecting to change it to work on arrival.

Overstaying

The UAE fines visitors AED 50 for every day they stay past their visa, and an overstay can bar you from returning. Count the days from your entry stamp.

Before you book

  • Check the rules with your sponsor or the UAE’s immigration authority (icp.gov.ae) close to your travel date. They change, and the UAE has suspended visas for Ghanaians before, in 2022.
  • Your yellow fever card is not needed for the UAE, but you will need it to come home. — Vaccines and the yellow fever card

— Countries Ghanaians can visit without a visa — Getting a Ghanaian passport — Flying out of Accra