Flight Arrivals
Arrivals at Dubai International Airport will either land and disembark at one of the air-conditioned walkway bridges leading directly into the terminal building or in an area some distance away from the terminal building where a bus will be provided to transport passengers to the arrivals terminal at Dubai Airport.
Passengers being transported by bus from Dubai International Airport after landing will be directly transported to customs and passport control which is in a separate building from the main Terminal 1 building.
If it is necessary for you to collect an entry visa for Dubai, you should find that it will be waiting for you at the counter once you enter the passport control zone at Dubai Airport and before walking up the stairs to join the passport control queue.
The nationalities which are allowed visas on arrival to Dubai are the majority of European, North American, Australasian, and Asian passengers. As you might expect, delays can be experienced at passport control although these queues can be avoided by obtaining an e-gate card prior to travelling. The worst case scenario could mean a wait of up to an hour in the normal passport control queues, however, this will of course depend on what day and at what time you arrive at Dubai Airport.
For more information on obtaining a Dubai Visa, visit our page on Dubai Visa requirements.
Passport Control at Dubai Airport
Once you have cleared passport control you can proceed to the baggage reclaim area to collect your luggage and then head through the relevant zone at customs which will either be the green zone (nothing to declare) or the red zone if you do have something to declare. You will find that customs is generally the same as in any other international airport with customs officers picking the occasional random passenger to check.
Facilities for passengers arriving at Dubai Airport include a wide and varied selection of products at Dubai Duty Free which you will find just after the passport control security checkpoint.
On average you can get from the plane to the terminal exit in around 15-30 minutes, especially if you have a e-gate card and are only travelling with hand luggage. Evenings and early mornings tend to be the busiest times at Dubai Airport and there are many flights from Asia and Europe that operate through Dubai Airport in the middle of the night. There are no noise control restrictions in place so Dubai airport operates 24 hours a day.
Meeting Passengers at Dubai Airport
The Arrivals section within Dubai International features common meeting spaces and a separate area for ladies and children. Friendly staff are always readily available to assist you in all areas.
Four services – namely Al Majlis, Airport Pass Management System (APMS), Executive Flight Services (EFS) and Dubai International Hotel (DIH) reservations – are available online to assist passengers and provide round-the-clock accessibility. Tracking flights and enquiring about the latest flight information is all displayed in the information screen at the top of this page.
Whether you’re arriving or departing, Dubai Airports meet and greet services – Ahlan, Marhaba and Al Majlis (personalised service) are sure to make your journey much easier and more comfortable.
Luggage
As stated by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, individual airlines take responsibility for the management and security of your bags. Dynamic signage is located above all conveyor belts at Dubai International to help locate baggage. Alternatively, ground staff will be happy to assist you.
If your baggage goes missing in transit it is important you report it immediately at Dubai International’s Lost Baggage desk or at your originating destination.
If your luggage is misplaced, damaged or delayed please call Dubai Airport’s 24-hour dedicated baggage claim line: +971 4 224 5383
Arrivals at Dubai Airport Terminal 1
Terminal 1 is where passengers for most non-Emirates Airline flights check in for departure, or clear customs and collect their bags on arrival. Arrivals and departures in Terminal 1 are now handled very efficiently since the installation of a further 10 electronic gates which has brought the total number of E-gates in Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport to 16.
The electronic gates are a major convenience for passengers and reduce congestion at the manual immigration counters. They also take just 30 seconds to process each passenger and are much more reliable and advanced than the machines which were previously installed.
Due to the increasing popularity of the UAE-Gate card among passengers, it is likely that Dubai Airport will double the number of gates in the near future. There are approximately 450,000 UAE Gate card holders in Dubai, and an estimated 9,000 passengers use it daily at Dubai International Airport.
All flight arrivals for terminal 1 at Dubai Airport are shown in the dubai airport arrivals screen above. Terminal 1 at Dubai airport is a very busy terminal and many flights from all over the world arrive at terminal 1 dubai airport.
Arrivals at Dubai Airport Terminal 2
All arrivals at Terminal 2 will also be displayed in the Dubai flight arrivals screen above. Flight Arrivals at Terminal 2 are mainly from passengers travelling with Flydubai as this is the terminal at Dubai Airport that Dubai’s low cost airline, Flydubai, operate from.
Arrivals at Terminal 2 are also mainly from other countries in the middle east and countries located within a relatively short distance from Dubai.
Arrivals at Dubai Airport Terminal 3
Flight arrivals at Terminal 3 are shown in the dubai airport arrivals screen at the top of this page. Terminal 3 is exclusively for the use of Emirates Airlines with many flights from around the world arriving at terminal 3.