Last verified: September 2, 2026 - checked against ICP
A transit visa for Sharjah is a UAE transit visa. There is no separate Sharjah visa, and the visa you hold is valid across the whole country regardless of which emirate you land in.
What does differ is which authority handles your application, and that is worth understanding because it affects where you apply and how long it takes.
Who Issues a Visa for a Sharjah Arrival
The UAE has different immigration authorities for different emirates.
- GDRFA Dubai handles immigration and entry-permit services for Dubai, including Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
- ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security, handles federal immigration services for the other emirates, including Sharjah. ICP provides transit-visa services and has a dedicated customer service centre in Sharjah.
For a passenger arriving through Sharjah International Airport (SHJ), the relevant immigration authority is therefore ICP rather than GDRFA Dubai.
The UAE Government confirms that transit visas are issued for 48 or 96 hours and are sponsored through UAE-based airlines.
Air Arabia Passengers
Air Arabia is based at Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) and operates as a point-to-point carrier. Its current Conditions of Carriage state that passengers who require a visa to enter the UAE must hold a valid visa, even if they intend to transfer to another connecting flight.
Air Arabia's published information does not currently state that it sponsors UAE transit visas for passengers arriving at Sharjah. Therefore, do not assume that booking an Air Arabia flight automatically gives you access to an airline-sponsored transit visa.
If your itinerary requires you to enter the UAE during a connection, check your visa eligibility and application options before travelling. Air Arabia also advises passengers transiting via Sharjah to check the relevant visa requirements for their onward destination before the trip.
What This Means for Your Booking
- Air Arabia flight + airside transfer: If you remain in the secure transit area and do not need to enter the UAE, your visa requirement depends on the specific transit arrangement.
- Separate tickets or self-transfer: Do not assume Air Arabia will transfer your baggage or arrange your UAE entry permission. Confirm the baggage and connection arrangements before booking.
- If you need to enter the UAE: You must have the appropriate UAE visa or other entry permission for your nationality and circumstances.
- Visa sponsorship: Do not state that Air Arabia sponsors a transit visa unless the airline confirms this for your specific itinerary.
If Air Arabia cannot provide or facilitate the required visa for your itinerary, you will need to use another eligible UAE visa channel, where available.
Self-Transfer, and Why It Matters More at Sharjah
Sharjah sees a high share of passengers who have built their own itinerary from separate tickets, because the fares are cheap and the routes are useful. That combination creates a specific problem.
If you are flying into SHJ on one ticket and out on another:
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Your bag will almost certainly not be through-checked.
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You will need to collect it and check it in again.
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Collecting a bag means entering the country.
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Entering the country means you need a visa, whatever your connection time.
People plan a three-hour self-transfer at Sharjah without realising they need a visa to complete it.
Check this before you book, not after.
Getting from Sharjah to Dubai or Abu Dhabi
A lot of SHJ passengers are not staying in Sharjah at all. They are landing there because it was cheaper and heading somewhere else.
| Route | Distance | Typical time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHJ to Dubai city | ~36 km | ~30–60 min | Traffic on this corridor is heavy at peak times |
| SHJ to DXB | ~25 km | ~20–45 min | Allow far more than the map suggests |
| SHJ to AUH | ~155 km | ~1.5–2 hours by car | Long. Treat as a half-day movement |
Transport Options
Taxi: Sharjah Transport taxis are available from the airport and can be used for journeys to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Sharjah RTA states that trips to Dubai and Abu Dhabi have a meter starting fare of AED 20, with the passenger also responsible for applicable road toll charges.
Air Arabia coach: Air Arabia operates coaches between Sharjah Airport and neighbouring emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Sharjah Airport website currently lists a Dubai coach fare of AED 20 one way. Dubai services currently operate from the airport between 8:00am and 11:30pm, while services to the airport operate from 10:30am to 11:30pm.
Public bus: Sharjah's Mowasalat network also connects Sharjah Airport with locations within Sharjah. For example, current airport routes include Route 15 to Al Rolla and Route 99 to Al Jubail. Published fares are generally AED 7 with a Sayer card or AED 9 cash, depending on the route.
Public transport is not necessarily the best choice for a tight flight connection. Check the current timetable against your arrival time before relying on a bus, particularly for overnight arrivals. Sharjah Airport also notes that coach and bus services are available to and from the airport, with services to neighbouring emirates.
The mistake to avoid: treating a SHJ to DXB connection as a short hop. The two airports are relatively close geographically, but road traffic can make the journey considerably longer than the map distance suggests.
If your onward flight is from Abu Dhabi, our page on the Abu Dhabi transit visa process covers that end.
Which Visa You Need
Same two options as anywhere in the UAE, chosen on the length of your stay.
| Your stop | Visa |
|---|---|
| Under 8 hours, no bag collection, no terminal exit | None needed |
| Under 8 hours, but self-transferring with a bag | Visa needed |
| 8 to 48 hours | 48-hour transit visa |
| 48 to 96 hours | 96-hour transit visa |
Check whether your passport needs a visa at all before you apply. Some nationalities do not.
Documents and Processing
The document set is standard: passport bio page, photograph to the current specification, and a confirmed onward ticket. ICP states that UAE transit visas are issued through airlines and are available for 48 or 96 hours.
For a Sharjah arrival, the application falls under the federal ICP system rather than GDRFA Dubai. However, the current ICP transit-visa service information does not publish a specific processing time that can be compared directly with GDRFA's Dubai transit-visa service. GDRFA separately lists its 48/96-hour transit-visa service and provides its own service-processing information.
Allow enough time for your airline to receive and process the application before departure. Do not assume that the government's published transit-visa service information means your visa will be issued immediately after submission.
Include your complete itinerary rather than just the onward leg, particularly if your journey involves multiple UAE airports. This allows the airline or visa-processing channel to assess the full routing before you travel.
Overnight Connections at Sharjah
A large share of SHJ traffic arrives or departs at unsociable hours, so this comes up often.
Sharjah International Airport has facilities for passengers with long overnight connections:
- Airport Transit Hotel: The airport has a transit hotel within the airport, with rooms available for short stays and overnight stays. Accommodation includes Deluxe Rooms, Executive POD rooms and shared rooms, with an onsite café and Wi-Fi.
- Airport lounges: Sharjah Airport's lounges are currently open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The main premium lounge offers seating, a quiet zone, Wi-Fi and all-day dining.
- Food and refreshments: The airport currently advertises dining facilities and a food court. However, the official current information does not establish that every food outlet remains open throughout the night, so passengers arriving after midnight should check what is operating at the time of travel.
- Resting: The airport provides a transit hotel specifically for longer connections. Do not assume that you can sleep in the premium lounge, as Sharjah Airport states that sleeping is not permitted there.
For passengers remaining in transit, Sharjah Airport states that transfer and transit passengers should proceed to the Transfer Desk rather than the arrival immigration checkpoint. The airport also recommends its lounges or transit hotel for long connecting times.
Sharjah is a smaller airport than Dubai International, so overnight facilities are more limited in range. If you are planning to remain airside overnight, check your connection arrangements and the facilities available before travelling rather than assuming that every service will operate throughout the night.
Common Mistakes on Sharjah Itineraries
From applications we see:
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Assuming SHJ and DXB are interchangeable. They are separate airports roughly an hour apart in good traffic. A booking that lands at one and departs from the other is not a connection, it is a journey.
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Underestimating the transfer. See above.
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Assuming the airline will help. On a low-cost, separate-ticket itinerary, generally it will not.
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Leaving the visa until late. Sharjah routes attract late bookings, and the visa does not move faster because your flight is soon.
Ready to Apply
If you are landing at Sharjah and leaving the airport, you can start your application now. Apply as soon as your itinerary is confirmed, and include the whole routing rather than a single leg.
