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I want to buy a ticket from A->AUH (or DXB) and then from AUH (or DXB)->B. Both are on different airlines and have no alliance/connection with each other. Now, according to UAE rules, a transit visa up to 48 hours is free, so I wonder if I can use it or I will have to apply for a tourist visa.

Also, will it be necessary to have the visa if I just want to stay at the airport or can I just leave the first flight, check in for the second, and go on my way to B without any visa?

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    You should contact the airline operating segment A->AUH to get the definitive answer. An airline might deny you boarding if you don't have a visa that allows you to entrer UAE as your final destination (they will not take into consideration your second flight). Commented Aug 7, 2022 at 18:46
  • Thanks @meego. So, in case they need a visa for boarding, can you please answer the first/primary question of eligibility for transit visa? Commented Aug 7, 2022 at 19:24

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This depends a lot on your nationality. If you need a visa you will probably need to get a tourist visa for the UAE.

From https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visiting-and-exploring-the-uae/transit-visa

Only the UAE based-airlines you are travelling through can arrange your transit visa prior to your journey. If your trip is through a travel agency, the agency can also help you get the visa, but all visas are routed through the airline. Airline agents can apply online for transit visas through one of the following means:

This says that the airlines needs to arrange the transit visa for you. They will only do this if you both arrive and depart with the same airline. If you use two unaffiliated airlines, there is no reason for either one of them to get you a transit visa.

Now, according to UAE rules, a transit visa up to 48 hours is free, so I wonder if I can use it or I will have to apply for a tourist visa.

You will have to apply for a tourist visa.

Also, will it be necessary to have the visa if I just want to stay at the airport or can I just leave the first flight, check in for the second, and go on my way to B without any visa?

You will need a visa. Even if it's technically possible to do an airside self connection, the first airline will not let you board without proper papers.

You can always call the first airline and ask if they would arrange a transit visa for you, but in all likelihood they will refuse. They can't easily verify your connecting flight and they have no way of knowing if you will actually take the flight.

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  • The first reason — verification of the outgoing flight — makes sense. But the second IMO doesn't: even if the OP were on a single-PNR ticket with Ethiad or Emirates for both flights, how could the carrier know that the OP would actually board the outbound flight? Commented Aug 7, 2022 at 19:55
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    Because it's their own ticket they know whether the passenger took the outbound flight or not. If the passenger doesn't fly, they can immediately alert the authorities about the visa violation. Commented Aug 7, 2022 at 21:02
  • Yes, that's true. The vulnerability remains that the passenger might take the first flight, enter the transit country, and disappear. Commented Aug 7, 2022 at 21:11
  • Obviously immigration could track that themselves by comparing entry and exit records (or lack thereof). But in many countries immigration is happy to have the airlines do the work for them. Commented Aug 8, 2022 at 12:38

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