UAE residents planning a trip to Europe over the National Day holiday are running into the same obstacle as every peak season: Schengen visa appointments. Travel agents told Khaleej Times on October 11 that some Schengen countries have no appointments for 45 days, and others for up to two months. That wait comes before the application is even processed. With National Day falling on Wednesday, December 2, many residents are switching to places with visa-free entry or visa on arrival, such as Georgia, Armenia, Thailand or Montenegro.
For a family that visits Europe once a year, changing destination is a nuisance. For entrepreneurs, executives and families who need Europe several times a year, the visa queue is a recurring cost in time and flexibility. The lasting fix for them is not a faster appointment but a different document: a residence permit in a Schengen country, or a second passport whose holders don’t need a Schengen visa. The two work differently, and in 2026 one of them carries a risk worth understanding before you choose.
Why Appointments Run Out Before Every Holiday
A Schengen visa application from the UAE goes to the consulate of the country where you will spend most of your trip, usually through an outsourced visa center. Demand piles up in the weeks before National Day, the winter break and the summer, and appointment slots are the first thing to run out. Once you have applied, the EU Visa Code gives consulates 15 calendar days to decide, which can stretch to 45 in individual cases.
Nothing announced for the coming months changes this for travelers who need a visa. The EU’s Entry/Exit System, in place since 2025, records non-EU travelers at the border. ETIAS, the online travel authorization for nationalities that are already visa-exempt, is now expected in 2027. Neither replaces the visa.
Option 1: A Residence Permit in a Schengen Country
A valid residence permit issued by any Schengen country lets its holder travel to the other Schengen countries without a visa, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The rule comes from Article 21 of the Schengen Convention, and it applies whatever your nationality. An Indian, Pakistani or Egyptian national living in Dubai with a Portuguese or Greek residence card can book a weekend in Paris or Milan without going near a consulate.
Several Schengen countries grant residence to investors or to people with independent income, and most don’t require you to move there full time:
- Portugal: residence by investment through qualifying funds and other non-property routes, with a minimum stay measured in days, not months.
- Greece: residence for property buyers and other investors, with no minimum stay to keep the permit.
- Italy: the investor visa, for investments in Italian companies or government bonds, or for philanthropic donations.
- Latvia: residence linked to an investment in the country, one of the lower entry points in the EU.
- Malta: permanent residence from the start, through a government contribution combined with a property purchase or lease.
- Spain: the non-lucrative visa for people with passive income and the digital nomad visa for remote workers. Unlike the options above, both expect you to actually live in Spain.
The trade-off is time. A residence permit takes months to obtain, so it won’t rescue a trip this December. What it does is remove the visa question for the next several years, and in some countries it can lead to permanent residence or citizenship later.
Option 2: A Second Passport With Visa-Free Access
Citizenship by investment from the Eastern Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia, currently gives visa-free entry to the Schengen Area for short stays. The process takes months rather than years, there is no requirement to live in the country, and the passport also opens many destinations outside Europe.
The 2026 Caveat
That Schengen access is under review. On June 25, 2026, the European Commission wrote to the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia asking them to phase out their programs by June 1, 2028. It did so under a revised EU regulation, in force since December 30, 2025, that allows visa-free travel to be suspended for countries selling citizenship to people with no genuine link to them. Another review is expected in December 2026.
No suspension has been decided, and all five programs remain open under their own national laws. The precedent is real, though: the EU suspended visa-free travel for Vanuatu passport holders in 2022 and revoked it in December 2024. A suspension would not take away anyone’s citizenship, only the visa exemption. For a buyer whose main reason is Europe, that distinction matters. Today the Caribbean passport works for Schengen travel; whether it still will after 2028 depends on negotiations between the Caribbean governments and Brussels that are still open.
Which Option Fits Your Situation
- You travel to Europe several times a year and want certainty: a residence permit. It rests on the EU’s own rules, not on the visa policy towards a third country.
- You want a second nationality and broad travel, and accept the EU review: Caribbean citizenship, ideally with a clear view of what you would do if the Schengen waiver changes. Some families combine it with a European residence permit.
- You only need one trip this winter: neither route arrives in time. Apply as early as possible or pick a visa-free destination, as travel agents are already suggesting.
How Orience Can Help
From our office in Dubai, Orience advises UAE residents of many nationalities on European residence permits in Portugal, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta and Spain, and on Caribbean citizenship. We start from the passport you hold, how often you travel to Europe and whether you ever plan to live there, and then recommend the route that fits. We will also tell you when a route does not.
If the visa queue is becoming a yearly problem for you or your family, connect with our advisory team by filling out the form below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I travel around Schengen with a residence permit from one Schengen country?
Yes. A valid residence permit from any Schengen country, together with a valid passport, allows visa-free stays in the other Schengen countries of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Do Caribbean passports still give visa-free access to Schengen?
Yes, as of October 2026. The EU has asked the five Eastern Caribbean countries to phase out their citizenship by investment programs by June 2028 and has a review planned for December 2026, but no suspension has been decided.
Will ETIAS replace the Schengen visa?
No. ETIAS is an online authorization for travelers who are already visa-exempt. It is expected to start in 2027 and does not change anything for nationalities that need a Schengen visa.
How long does it take to get a European residence permit?
It depends on the country and the route, but it is usually a matter of months. Planning ahead is essential: a residence permit started now will not be ready for a December trip, but it can cover the trips that follow.
Cover photo: Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport. Photo by Chris Olszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
