Taxi
The Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority runs a 24-hour toll-free call centre on 8001700 for taxis and limousines. Taxis wait outside the Arrival Terminal doors.
Your journey · Arrival Terminal
Arriving at Ras Al Khaimah
The arrivals building is a separate one from departures, and it is all on the ground floor: off the aircraft, passport control, baggage, customs, and out through the doors to the taxi rank. On a quiet arrival it is a matter of minutes.
The sequence
Ground level, in this order, in one building.
- 1Disembark
- 2Passport control
- 3Baggage reclaim
- 4Customs
- 5Arrivals hall
Step by step
Aircraft to kerb
Nothing here is complicated. The two places where time goes are passport control and the belt, and neither is under your control — so the useful preparation is having your documents in your hand before you need them.
- 01
Off the aircraft
Steps or an airbridge, then a short walk or a bus ride to the Arrival Terminal. Passengers who need it are brought down on the ambu-lift; stay in your seat and the crew will arrange it. - 02
Passport control
Have your passport open and, if you hold one, your Emirates ID. Everyone travelling with you has to be at the counter, children included. Entry requirements are set by the federal authorities, not by the airport. - 03
Baggage reclaim
Check the tag before you walk off with a bag — dark suitcases look alike. If your bag has not arrived, report it to your airline's handling agent before you leave the baggage hall. It is much harder to file afterwards. - 04
Customs
Officers check baggage after reclaim. Declare anything over the allowances and any cash of AED 60,000 or more. If you are unsure whether something is restricted, declare it and ask — that is not the same as being in trouble. - 05
Arrivals hall
Duty free is open here too, round the clock. Car rental desks are in this hall. Drivers and families wait on the other side of the doors, which is where you will find your meeting party.
Entry to the UAE
Visas are not an airport matter
Whether you need a visa before you fly, or can obtain one on arrival, depends on your nationality, the passport you hold and rules that are revised from time to time.
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security sets those rules and publishes the current position. We deliberately do not reproduce a nationality-by-nationality list here: the lists that circulate online go out of date and the wrong one can cost you a flight. Check the official source before you book, and again in the week you travel. Your airline will check that you hold what you need before it boards you.
UAE customs
What you may bring in
Allowances below are the federal ones published by the UAE government, and apply to arriving travellers aged 18 and over.
| Category | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Gifts, perfume and personal items | Up to AED 3,000 in value |
| Alcoholic beverages | 4 litres, or 2 cartons of beer (24 cans of up to 355 ml each) |
| Tobacco | A limit applies and is set by UAE Customs. Published figures differ between sources, so confirm the current allowance with Customs before you rely on it. |
| Cash and equivalents | Amounts of AED 60,000 or more must be declared |
| Age | 18 or over for any tobacco or alcohol allowance |
Prohibited outright
- Controlled narcotic substances
- Pirated content
- Counterfeit currency
- Items associated with black magic
- Publications that contradict Islamic values
- Gambling equipment
Restricted — prior approval required
- Live animals
- Weapons
- Medications
- Media publications
- Nuclear products
- Wireless devices
- Alcoholic beverages
Restricted does not mean forbidden. It means an authority has to approve it before it travels, and that approval takes time — so start before you fly, not at the counter.
Onward
Getting away from the airport
The airport sits on Digdaga Road, 18 km from the centre of Ras Al Khaimah — about twenty minutes. Dubai is roughly 98 km, which is an hour to ninety minutes depending on the traffic on the E311.
Car rental
Dollar and Budget both have desks in the Arrivals Hall. Budget opens Saturday to Thursday, 06:00 to 20:00, closed between 12:00 and 17:00.
Public bus
RAKTA publishes a Green Line service between the airport and Al Nakheel, hourly through the day at AED 8 a trip, paid by E-SAQR card or in cash. Confirm the timetable with RAKTA before you count on it.
The airport's free shuttle bus runs into RKT only, for departing passengers. There is no published return service from the airport to Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman or Umm Al Quwain — if you are arriving, plan on a taxi, a hire car or the RAKTA service.
Left something on board?
Items left on an aircraft belong to the airline and its handling agent — ask at the desk before you leave. Items left in the terminal go to the airport's Lost and Found; the Duty Officer at the Departure Terminal handles them.
Talk to someone
If something is not covered here
The Duty Officer is on the field around the clock and is the right first call on the day of travel. Anything about your ticket, your allowance or your seat belongs with your airline.
Ask your airline first
Fares, allowances, seat selection, name changes, delays, cancellations, missing bags and special assistance requests are all handled by the airline that issued your ticket. The airport cannot change them.
Times and allowances on this page are published for planning. Rules set by airlines, UAE Customs and the immigration authorities change without notice — confirm the detail that matters to your trip before you travel.