Visa Information: 

The citizens of the following countries do not need a prior visa to enter the UAE and can obtain a visa upon entry: Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Spain, Monaco, Vatican City, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman. 
 
Citizens of other countries will most likely require a visa to enter the UAE. If you are flying to the UAE using Emirates Airlines or Air Arabia, the airline company can get you the necessary visa if you request so.  
If you elect to apply for a visa at the UAE embassy in your country we will be glad to provide you with any supporting documents that you may need such as an invitation letter indicating the acceptance of your paper.  
In case you face any difficulties in this regard we will be glad to apply for “Entry Service Permit” visa on your behalf.  
An “Entry Service Permit” visa may be arranged by the American University of Sharjah as per author’s request. The visa is valid for 14 days from the day of entry and is issued only two weeks before the conference.

The following information and documents must be sent to Salwa Mohamed at slwmohamed@aus.edu as soon as possible (no later than March 25th, 2010): 
•    Name of author requesting the visa (same as in passport)  
•    The Paper title and ID  
•    A softcopy of author passport  
•    A recent colored passport-type photo with white background (scanned)  
•    Fees of $60 (or AED 220) that can be paid with the registration fees

•    Fill the “Visa Application Form” and email it along with your documents   

The organizing committee will try to help in the issuance of visas for all authors who request so except for the citizens of Iraq, Yemen, Kenya, and Ethiopia.  

Please note that no visa application will be processed by AUS unless the registration fees and the visa processing fees are paid.

 Thank you for your prompt action, and we look forward to seeing you in Sharjah. 

Note: The drive from Dubai International Airport takes approximately 20 minutes to the hotel in Sharjah assuming normal traffic conditions. The taxi fare can vary between 35-50 UAE Dirhams (3.65 UAE Dhs. = 1 US Dollar) depending on traffic conditions. Abu Dhabi International Airport is a two-hour drive to Sharjah.

More information about Sharjah is available at:
http://www.sharjah-welcome.com/html/sh_si.htm