Transiting in Abu Dhabi and not leaving the airport : Do I still need visa?

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iwanderrr
iwanderrr

I will be arriving in Abu Dhabi via Air Asia from KL, and plan to take an Etihad flight to Tehran. The layover is around 12 hours. For those who are familiar with the Abu Dhabi airport, is there a transfer desk? Can they facilitate my check-in and issue boarding pass for my next flight if it's with an airline that's different from the one I arrived in? Or do I have to go thru immigrations and check-in again for my next departure? Will I need any sort of visa at all if I don't plan to leave the airport during the 12 hours?

By the way, I don't have any check-in luggage.

Edited by: pietrified84

Edited by: pietrified84

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anonymous
anonymous

Yes, there is a transfer desk and you can be checked in and issued a boarding pass for your Etihad flight.

If you do want to check in bags and you don't want to leave the transfer area, you should inform Air Asia when you check in in KL so that they can tag your bags all the way to IKA. Have a print out of your Etihad flight details just in case they would like to see it.

No visa is necessary. But out of curiosity, what is your nationality? If it's one listed here, you qualify for visa on arrival free of charge.

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iwanderrr
iwanderrr

Thanks! I already checked - I don't qualify for the visa on arrival and that's why the visa process is quite tedious for me. The only solution for me is to get a hotel to to sponsor my visa or an airline to issue a transit visa for me. I know Air Asia doesn't do this so I hope Etihad can even though it's only a one-way ticket (Abu Dhabi to Tehran) I am booking with them (planning to return to UAE via Iran Air from Shiraz to Dubai).

Does anyone know if Iran Air can issue me transit visa for UAE?

Edited by: pietrified84

Edited by: pietrified84

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staxski
staxski

Dow204,

Thanks for that info. I'm travelling from Western Europe to Thailand via Abu Dhabi in January and did not realise until now that I would not need a visa for a stopover in Abu Dhabi.

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