By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 4 min read
How do you move between DXB Terminals 1, 2 and 3?
Inside Dubai International (DXB) the answer depends on one thing: whether your flights are on one ticket. On a single ticket your airline moves you and your bags and you stay airside. On separate tickets you clear immigration, collect your bags and re-check them.
Dubai Airports lists these links:
| Where you are going | How you get there |
|---|---|
| Terminal 1, D Gates | A short airport train from the Terminal 1 building |
| Terminal 3, A Gates | A short airport train |
| Terminal 3, B and C Gates | On foot |
| Terminal 2, F Gates | Ask your airline or a Guest Experience Ambassador |
Emirates also describes Connections shuttle buses between terminals for passengers on one booking. If you arrive in Terminal 1 and your next flight is from Terminal 3, our guide to Terminal 1 arrivals shows where the train and the kerb are.
What does a self-transfer between two UAE airports involve?
It means leaving the airport. A flight into DXB and a flight out of Sharjah or Abu Dhabi are two separate trips, even when one app sold you both. The steps are:
- Clear UAE passport control at the arrival airport.
- Collect your bags from the belt and pass customs.
- Travel by road to the second airport.
- Check in again, drop bags, and clear departure formalities.
No airline protects you if the first flight is late and you miss the second one on separate tickets. That is why the gap matters more than the drive. If the first flight is delayed or cancelled, our guide to travelling by road when flights are disrupted explains the options.
How long is the drive between DXB, DWC, SHJ and AUH?
| From | To | Distance | Free-flow drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| DXB | SHJ | about 24 km | 22 minutes |
| DXB | DWC | about 59 km | 59 minutes |
| DXB | AUH | about 129 km | 89 minutes |
| DWC | AUH | about 95 km | 75 minutes |
| DWC | SHJ | about 77 km | 71 minutes |
| SHJ | AUH | about 150 km | 102 minutes |
Figures come from OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap, checked on 17 October 2026. They assume light traffic and are measured from the DXB Terminal 3 area. Add 30 to 60 minutes in the morning and evening peaks.
Pairs have their own guides. For DWC, read the Al Maktoum airport guide. For Sharjah, see Sharjah Airport to Dubai, and for Abu Dhabi see Abu Dhabi Airport to Dubai.
How much time should you leave between flights?
Add these up for your own trip, not a rule of thumb:
- UAE immigration at the arrival airport: 30 minutes is common, more in a bank of arrivals.
- Bags on the belt: allow 45 minutes from touchdown.
- The road time from the table above, plus traffic.
- The check-in closing time of the second airline, printed on your booking.
- A margin of 60 minutes for a late first flight.
That gives roughly 4 to 5 hours for DXB to SHJ, and 6 hours or more for DXB to DWC or AUH. These are our planning figures, not airline rules. If the gap is shorter than your sum, change the booking, not the driver.
What do you need to enter the UAE before leaving the airport?
You must be allowed to enter. Many passports get a visa on arrival, others need a visa in advance, and some are not eligible at all. The ICP is the authority for entry permits, and your airline checks it at departure. Do not rely on an airside connection that you have not booked on one ticket.
If you only want to stay airside, a through ticket is the answer, and our Dubai transit visa guide explains the transit rules. For a connection that goes landside, confirm your entry rights first.
Can a car meet you at one airport and drop you at the other?
Yes. Your Assure driver tracks the first flight, meets you in arrivals, loads your bags and drives you to the second airport departures kerb. Waiting time starts from landing. See Dubai International airport transfers, Dubai World Central transfers and Abu Dhabi airport transfers for the details at each end.
For a longer leg, see Dubai to Abu Dhabi by private car. The full list of airports is in our UAE airports guide.
Photos in this guide
An Emirates Airbus A380 at a gate at Dubai International, seen through the patterned glass of the terminalJnanaranjan sahu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Dubai Taxi cars lined up at the rank under the arrivals canopy at Dubai InternationalAhmed / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ibn Battuta metro station on the Dubai Metro Red Line, with the Red Line viaduct running northJpbowen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cars parked in front of the domed passenger terminal at Sharjah International AirportFadi Fayad Al Taoba / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Duty-free hall under the curved roof of Terminal A at Zayed International Airport, Abu DhabiOleg Yunakov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
