The National has rounded up the summer incentives the UAE is offering foreign visitors. Most headlines focus on a free-visa scheme for Indian tourists, but two measures matter to anyone arriving privately with family: a visa-fee waiver for children and complimentary travel insurance on Etihad. Neither involves group packages or queues; both are about making the logistics of a personal trip lighter.
Children under 18 travel visa-fee-free until 15 September
Each summer the UAE waives the visa fee for children under 18 who accompany foreign tourists, and this year the window runs from 15 July to 15 September across all seven emirates. The measure, in place since a 2018 Cabinet decision, is renewed annually and applies regardless of the family's nationality.
For a household travelling privately, that removes one line item and a bit of paperwork from the pre-trip checklist. If you are already arranging a driver, a villa and a bespoke itinerary through your operator, the waiver is best treated as one more detail your concierge folds into the booking rather than something you chase yourself.
Etihad's complimentary insurance covers up to 15 days
Etihad Airways is providing complimentary medical travel insurance, underwritten by Daman, for international visitors arriving on its flights with tickets bought outside the UAE. The cover extends to up to 15 days in the country and runs from July through December 2026, and it also applies to guests using the airline's stopover programme.
For a premium traveller who flies into Abu Dhabi and bases a private Emirates itinerary there, this is a baseline layer of medical protection at no extra cost. It does not replace comprehensive private cover for a longer or higher-value stay, so treat it as a floor rather than the whole plan and confirm the exact terms at the time of ticketing.
Two of this summer's UAE perks apply to any private traveller: children under 18 skip the visa fee until 15 September, and Etihad adds up to 15 days of complimentary insurance on qualifying flights. Neither is dramatic on its own, but together they quietly de-risk a bespoke family visit.
