Got a family flying in between July and October? Dubai will hand you over Dh3,000 in hotel, dining, and attraction perks just for hosting them. The programme is called A Dubai Invite. You fill out a short form, your visitor lands on a tourist visa, and a benefits email lands in your inbox. Simple.
Here’s everything else worth knowing before you nominate anyone.
Update: Dubai invite program has recieved 10,000 applications in first 48 hours.
UAE citizens and residents aged 18 and up with a valid Emirates ID. That’s the only qualifying box on your side. Your visitor can’t already be a UAE resident, and they need to be arriving on a tourist visa or a visa on arrival between July 20 and October 31, 2026.
If your guests already live here, they don’t count. If you’re under 18, you can’t nominate. And if nobody is visiting during the window, there’s nothing to sign up for.
The programme is run by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, so the offers come from government-partnered hotels, not a promo code site. Worth knowing if you’ve been burned by “up to 45% off” deals before and want to check the discount is actually real.
Head to this source and open the form. Punch in your visitor’s details and expected arrival date. You can send five nominations at a time, and you’re allowed to submit as many batches as you want.
Then wait. Once your guest arrives during the campaign period, DET verifies the entry on their side automatically. No boarding passes to upload, no visa stamps to send. You just get an email with the benefits package and the redemption steps.
Registration closes September 30, 2026. Visitors have until October 31 to actually land. So if someone is arriving in the first week of October, submit their nomination in September or you’ll miss it.
One catch: while you can nominate as many people as you want, DET only issues a maximum of three reward packages per resident. Host six relatives across three months and you still cap out at three sets of perks. Nominate around the visits you actually want the credit for.
The package isn’t one lump of credit. It’s a mix of hotel discounts and stay-linked spending credits across four properties or hotel groups, and the numbers stack up fast if your guest books a two or three-night stay.
Melia Desert Palm has the biggest headline: 45 percent off rooms, suites, and villas, plus Dh100 spa credit per person and Dh100 food-and-beverage credit per stay. ME Dubai by Meliá takes 35 percent off the best available rate, tosses in a free room upgrade, lets kids under 12 stay free, and applies the same 35 percent to in-room dining, spa, and laundry.
Then there’s the Mina Seyahi group. Le Méridien, W Dubai, and The Westin all run a credit-back scheme where whatever your guest pays for the room comes back to them as spend at the resort’s restaurants and spa. Book a Dh1,500 room? That’s Dh1,500 to eat and drink through during the stay.
IHG’s participating hotels use a pay-two, get-three structure with up to 30 percent off restaurant bills at some outlets. Attraction experiences are also included in the email, though DET hasn’t published the full attractions list yet. Availability shifts during the campaign, so your specific offer mix may look slightly different from the launch announcement.
Flights. Visas. The first hotel booking your guests make before any of this kicks in. That’s all on them.
You’ll still want to prep them for the rest of the visit. If they’re new to Dubai, a quick primer on the metro, Salik toll charges, and even Dubai’s autonomous taxi services saves them a confused first day.
For meals outside the hotel credit, our list of the best breakfast spots in Dubai is a decent starter. And when the dining credit runs out with a couple of nights still on the calendar, free places to visit in Dubai at night handles the evening plans without more spending.
Hosting a family in Dubai isn’t cheap. You already know how it goes. A hotel your parents apologise for booking every single day. Restaurants your uncle insists on paying at even though he is the guest. That “one more thing to see” list that keeps expanding. Most residents quietly drop a few thousand dirhams when family visits, and the guests feel awkward about it the whole time.
A Dubai Invite is DET’s fix for that. You’re not getting cash, but you’re getting real credit against the three categories that hurt the most: hotel nights, restaurant bills, and paid attractions. Time a visit around this window and Dubai is basically co-funding the trip.
If someone’s already coming between July 20 and October 31, sign up. The form takes five minutes. The perks land in your inbox on their own once your guest arrives. If nobody is visiting, don’t force it. Flying someone in just for a hotel discount loses on the flight price before you even land.
What is A Dubai Invite?
It’s a rewards programme run by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. UAE residents nominate visiting family or friends, and once those guests arrive on a tourist visa between July 20 and October 31, 2026, the resident receives hotel, dining, and attraction offers worth over Dh3,000.
Who can nominate someone?
UAE citizens and residents aged 18 and above with a valid Emirates ID. Your visitor has to be a non-resident travelling on a tourist visa, or eligible for a visa on arrival.
How many people can I nominate?
There’s no hard cap on nominations. You submit five at a time and keep going. But DET only issues a maximum of three reward packages per resident, so any nomination beyond the third verified visit doesn’t unlock more perks.
Do I have to pay for my guest’s flight, visa, or first hotel?
No. Your visitors cover their own travel costs. A Dubai Invite only kicks in after they arrive.
When does it all expire?
Registration closes September 30, 2026. Guests have until October 31, 2026 to arrive. Once you’ve received the benefits, they stay usable until December 31, 2026, unless a specific offer has its own expiry date.
How do I redeem the benefits?
After DET confirms your guest’s arrival, you get an email with the offer package and the redemption instructions for each hotel or restaurant. Nothing goes through a third-party booking site.
Can my guest use the offers without me being there?
Yes. Once the offers are issued, they’re redeemed on-site at the hotel, restaurant, or attraction, so your guest walks in and uses them during their stay.
Which hotels are in the programme?
Currently Melia Desert Palm, ME Dubai by Meliá, Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Waterpark, W Dubai Mina Seyahi, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, and selected IHG properties. DET can adjust the list during the campaign.
Where do I sign up?
The nomination form is at visitdubai.com/en/invite/nomination.
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