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Wednesday, August 12, 2026
What happened. What it means. What to do.
 

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THE LEAD
Abu Dhabi is handing out free UAE visas to Indian tourists, and your family can use one
If you know anyone in India who keeps saying they'll visit "one of these days", whether that's your own family or a friend's, this is the story to forward before you finish your coffee. The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi is covering the full cost of a UAE entry visa for Indian passport holders who book a holiday in the emirate. Not a discount, not a voucher toward something else. The visa fee, normally Dh285 a person, drops to zero as long as the trip meets the conditions.
The conditions are simple but strict. The traveller must hold an Indian passport, fly a return trip from India, and book at least three consecutive nights in an Abu Dhabi hotel. The whole package has to go through a participating travel company or online travel agency; there's no way to apply on your own. The programme runs from August 1 to October 31, 2026, and it's a pilot capped at 20,000 visas.
For Dubai readers, the play is the same whether or not your own family is in India. The visitor books the three nights in Abu Dhabi, sees the corniche and the Louvre, then spends the rest of the trip on your sofa; the visa that gets them into the country costs nothing either way. And even if nobody's visiting you, a pilot that fills hotels through the quietest travel months is good for the city as a whole.
WHAT TO DO

Send this to the family member most likely to actually book. The trip must be arranged through a participating travel agent or booking site, not applied for directly, and it needs a return flight from India plus three consecutive hotel nights in Abu Dhabi. Have them ask the agent to confirm the free visa is part of the package before paying. The window closes October 31 or when the 20,000 visas run out, whichever comes first.
   
QUICK 3
1 Emirates scraps date-change fees on flights to Dubai
Since Monday, Emirates lets you change the date on a flight to Dubai as many times as you like, free, on most standard fares: Economy Saver through Flex, and Business Special, Saver and Flex. You still pay the fare difference if the new date costs more, and no-show fees haven't changed, but the change fee itself is gone. Refund fees on the same routes dropped too, to between $25 and $50 depending on the fare. One catch: this only applies to flights coming to Dubai; the rest of the network still charges. For anyone timing a relative's visit around the free-visa story above, booking a flexible date just got cheaper.
 
2Free 10-point car checks at ENOC AutoPro until August 23
Dubai Police's Summer Without Accidents 2026 campaign, run with the Ministry of Interior and the Federal Traffic Council, is offering free 10-point safety inspections at ENOC AutoPro centres at petrol stations from August 10 to 23. Technicians check the things summer heat punishes hardest: tyres, engine oil, battery, brakes, the cooling system, air conditioning, plus fluids, belts and hoses. It costs nothing and catches the kind of problem that otherwise announces itself on Sheikh Zayed Road in the August heat. If your car hasn't been looked at since spring, this is the fortnight to fix that.
 
3One signature dish for Dh10 at 170+ restaurants until August 30
Dubai Summer Surprises' Dh10 Dish campaign runs until August 30: more than 170 restaurants, across over 700 locations in Dubai, are each serving one signature dish for a flat Dh10. No booking and no voucher; you walk in and ask for the Dh10 dish. The range is wider than you'd guess, from a plain hot dog at Shake Shack to the poke bowl at The Daily at Rove Hotels, and the full list of participating spots lives on District by Zomato, the campaign's listing partner. August lunches don't get much cheaper than this.
   
WHAT IT MEANS
It's suddenly a cheap few weeks to be in Dubai, or to have visitors
Run today's items back to back and a pattern shows up. Emirates has stopped charging you to move your travel date on flights into Dubai, and Dubai Police will look over your car for free until August 23. On top of that, more than 170 restaurants are serving a signature dish for Dh10 until August 30. If you do have family or friends in India, the free-visa pilot in the lead stacks on top of all of it.
None of these is big news on its own; together they make this an unusually cheap stretch, whether you're staying put through the heat or hosting someone who isn't used to it. Two of the deals have hard end dates, August 23 for the car checks and August 30 for the dishes, so if either one is useful to you, it's useful this month.
Dh10
FOR ONE SIGNATURE DISH

That's the flat price of a signature dish at 170+ restaurants, spread over 700+ locations, under Dubai Summer Surprises until August 30. Dunkin' will do a signature iced coffee and a donut for it; at Cold Stone it gets you a Birthday Cake Remix. Details in Quick 3.
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Most of what's in this issue is only useful once it reaches the right person, whether that's the friend whose car hasn't seen a garage since spring or the one who tracks every food deal in the city. If something here fits someone you know, send it their way. Stephan
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Dubai Mornings provides general information only. Nothing here constitutes legal, financial, visa, or real estate advice. Verify all claims with official UAE sources before acting.
SOURCES

·  Abu Dhabi free entry visas for Indian tourists, Aug 1–Oct 31, 20,000-visa pilot, via participating travel partners: Khaleej Times (DCT Abu Dhabi programme, Aug 10)
·  Free-visa conditions (3 hotel nights + return flight from India, no independent applications): Gulf News (DCT Abu Dhabi, Aug 10)
·  Dh285 per visa: The National (DCT Abu Dhabi, Aug 10)
·  Emirates unlimited free date changes on eligible fares to Dubai, refund fees cut to $25–50, fare difference still applies, no-show fees unchanged, effective Aug 10: Gulf News (Emirates announcement, Aug 2026); also Khaleej Times (Aug 11)
·  Free 10-point car inspections, Summer Without Accidents 2026, ENOC AutoPro, Aug 10–23: Gulf News (Dubai Police / Ministry of Interior campaign, Aug 2026)
·  Dh10 Dish campaign — Dubai Summer Surprises, 170+ restaurants / 700+ locations, until Aug 30, no booking or voucher, full list on District by Zomato; example dishes (Shake Shack, The Daily at Rove Hotels, Dunkin', Cold Stone): Khaleej Times (Aug 5)

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