I'm an Indian traveler who will be flying to Canada via Abu Dhabi. I have a layover of 4 hours in Abu Dhabi and during this time, I need to change terminals from T1 to T3 and recheck my bags. I also have to pass through immigration. Now, I'm a bit confused about the visa requirement for this short layover.
I have two separate bookings for my flights: India to Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi to Switzerland to Canada with Swiss Airlines operated by Etihad Airways and Air Canada. I reached out to Etihad Airways to inquire about transferring my bags, but unfortunately, they couldn't accommodate my request as the PNR numbers are different.
I contacted Etihad again to ask about the type of visa I would need for the layover, but they were unsure about it. I did some research on YouTube and found some instances where people had their transit visas rejected because the duration of their stay was less than 8 hours.
Considering my stay in Abu Dhabi is only 4 hours, I want to make sure I have the right visa. Would a 48-hour transit visa be sufficient, or should I apply for a tourist visa instead? I'm inclined to go for a tourist visa as it seems safer, but I'm open to any suggestions or insights you might have.
If any of you have had a similar experience or know the correct visa requirement for a short layover in Abu Dhabi, your input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your help!
