Here’s what happens between the aircraft door and the back seat of your car at DXB, and what tends to slow people down at each stage. The order is the same at Terminals 1, 2 and 3. The buildings differ, and our Dubai Airport transfer page covers drive times from each terminal to the main districts.
Checked on 12 October 2026: DXB is open, but regional airspace constraints cut schedules this year and some airlines are still suspended or reduced. Confirm your flight with the airline on the day you travel.
Dubai airport arrivals in seven steps
- Walk from the gate to passport control. From the D gates at Terminal 1 and the A gates at Terminal 3 this includes a short airport train ride.
- Clear passport control at a smart gate or a staffed counter.
- Collect your bags from the carousel showing your flight number.
- Walk through customs, using the red channel if you have something to declare.
- Buy a SIM or switch on your eSIM, and get cash if you need it.
- Message your driver and walk out into the arrivals hall.
- Meet the driver at the name board and walk to the car park.
Before you land: what to have ready
- Your passport, plus a visa if your nationality needs one before travel.
- The full drop-off address written down, including the building or tower name. Newer towers aren’t always known by name yet.
- Our WhatsApp chat with your booking, and +971 58 181 0789 saved as a contact.
- A charged phone, with roaming switched on or an eSIM installed.
Step 1: passport control and smart gates at DXB
Smart gates are the fast lane. According to Dubai Airports, they’re open to UAE and GCC nationals, UAE residents, and visa-on-arrival visitors with biometric passports, including returning tourists. You can’t use them if you’re travelling as a family with children, pushing a large stroller, under 1.2 metres tall, or a person of determination. Those passengers use the staffed counters.
First time through? You’re registered at the passport control touchpoint on arrival, so there’s nothing to do before you fly. Once registered, you look at the green light and don’t scan a document. Take off sunglasses, caps and anything else covering your face, because Dubai Airports asks you to remove anything that hides it.
Dubai Airports also says some visitors may have to complete an eye scan at passport control, so don’t be surprised if you’re asked.
Do you get a visa on arrival in Dubai?
Citizens of 47 countries get a free visa on arrival at DXB, according to Dubai Airports. The list includes the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most EU states, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Russia. GCC citizens need no visa and can enter on a GCC passport or national ID card.
Everyone else must arrange a visa before flying. The GDRFA (Dubai’s residency and foreigners affairs department) handles cost and procedure.
Visa rules change, and Dubai Airports itself tells travellers to confirm with their airline, GDRFA and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Do that in the week before you fly, not from an old blog post.
Step 2: baggage reclaim
Signs above each carousel show which flights it’s serving. If yours isn’t listed, ask a Guest Experience Ambassador; they’re the staff in the arrivals area who help with this.
Trolleys are free. Porters work at every terminal: from AED 30 at Terminals 1 and 2, and AED 40 at Terminal 3, or AED 100 for a flat-bed trolley. You pay the porter directly, so keep a little cash handy.
Most bags turn up. Dubai Airports reported 2.7 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers in the first half of 2026. If yours is one of them, report it to your airline’s baggage services before you leave the hall, then message us. The report can take a while, and the driver needs to know you’re still inside rather than lost.
Step 3: customs allowances when you arrive in Dubai
Customs starts right after passport control and ends when you walk out of the customs gates. Walking through the green or red channel counts as your declaration. These are the duty-free limits from the Dubai Customs passenger guide:
| Item | What you can bring without duty |
|---|---|
| Gifts | Up to AED 3,000 in value |
| Tobacco | 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 500 g of tobacco |
| Alcohol | 4 litres, or 2 cartons of beer (24 cans of up to 355 ml each) |
| Cash and valuables | Declare anything over AED 60,000 if you’re 18 or over |
Duty is charged on extra tobacco. Extra alcohol is confiscated.
Some goods need a permit from the relevant authority: medicines and medical equipment, drones, food products, wireless devices, plants and seedlings, and pets. If you take prescription medicine, check the permit rules before you travel and carry the prescription with you. Narcotics, counterfeit goods, gambling machines, nasvaar and betel leaves (paan) are banned outright. Dubai Airports’ own advice is simple: if unsure, declare it.
Step 4: SIM cards and eSIMs at Dubai airport
Both UAE networks have counters at the airport. du and e& are listed in the Terminal 1 arrivals area, the Terminal 2 main terminal and the Terminal 3 arrivals area. Dubai Airports’ listing for du says it offers free tourist SIMs at the DXB immigration counters, so you may be handed one with your passport. e& sells Visitor Line bundles at its counters.
If your phone takes an eSIM, the smoother route is to buy a UAE data plan before you fly, install it at home and switch it on after landing. Either way, get connected before you walk into the hall.
One tip from the dispatch desk: WhatsApp messages reach us fine on UAE networks. If a WhatsApp voice call won’t connect, ring +971 58 181 0789 as a normal call instead.
Step 5: cash, cards and currency exchange
Travelex has exchange counters in all three terminals. The dirham is pegged to the US dollar at about AED 3.67, so prices are easy to convert in your head if you think in dollars.
Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Dubai, so you need less cash than you think: enough for a porter and small change. You’ll want a Nol card if you plan to use the Metro or buses, since buses take no cash, and Dubai Airports says Nol cards are sold at the terminals. With a booked transfer there’s no meter to watch, because the fare is fixed on WhatsApp before the trip.
Step 6: finding your driver in the arrivals hall
DXB has no pickup area at Arrivals. Private pickups, ours included, meet passengers inside and walk them to the terminal car park. At Terminal 3 the car park is a 2-3 minute walk from the hall.
Our driver waits in the arrivals hall, after customs, holding a name board with the lead passenger’s name. We track the flight, so an early landing or a delay doesn’t leave anyone standing at the wrong time, and you get 60 minutes of free waiting at the airport. At Terminal 3 there’s also DXB Greet & Go, a dedicated meeting space in Arrivals for hotels, tour operators and transport providers.
Three short WhatsApp messages tell the driver when to expect you: “landed”, “at baggage”, “coming out”. If you’re travelling with small children, ask for child seats when you book; our child car seat rules guide explains what UAE law expects. Five or more people with luggage won’t fit a sedan, so book one of our vans with a driver. And if you’d like help with the trolley through the hall, our airport meet and greet service covers it.
What to do if you can’t find your driver
- Stay inside the arrivals hall, close to where you came out. Don’t walk into the car park looking for the car.
- Send us a WhatsApp message with a photo of the nearest sign or exit number. Bookings are answered 24 hours a day.
- No signal? Use the terminal Wi-Fi, or ask a Guest Experience Ambassador to help you make a call.
- Turn down anyone who walks up offering a ride. Licensed taxis only come from the official ranks.
- If you decide not to wait, use the official Dubai Taxi rank. Taxis run 24 hours a day from every terminal, and Dubai Airports gives the starting fare as AED 25. Pink-roof cabs, driven by women, are for women and families.
Usually the cause is simple: a different terminal from the one on the booking, a phone still in flight mode, or a passenger who came out of a different exit. Our Dubai airport terminals guide helps you check the first one before you fly. For what happens when the flight itself runs late, see flight delays and pickup waiting time.
Leaving the airport
Once you’re in the car, the drive depends on where you’re going. Downtown is about 14 km by road, so it’s a short run outside rush hour. Abu Dhabi is about 147 km, and our Dubai Airport to Abu Dhabi transfer covers that drive. If you’re weighing a pre-booked car against a taxi from the rank, our taxi vs private transfer guide compares the two.
