Three UAE cities are on the JEE Main 2027 list: Dubai (code ZZ04), Abu Dhabi (ZZ17) and Sharjah (ZZ08). On the form you list up to four cities in order, and with a UAE address at least one of them must be in India. This page shows how to order your four choices, what the city slip and admit card tell you, and how test day runs in UAE time.
Nine cities outside India. Three of them in the UAE.
9 cities abroad · 3 in the UAE
JEE Main 2027 test cities outside India
The 2027 bulletin lists 310 test cities. Only nine are outside India, in seven countries. Some older web pages still show about 15 cities abroad. That was an earlier list. Use the 2027 list below.
| Country | City | City code |
|---|---|---|
| UAE | Dubai | ZZ04 |
| UAE | Abu Dhabi | ZZ17 |
| UAE | Sharjah | ZZ08 |
| Bahrain | Manama | ZZ01 |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City | ZZ10 |
| Nepal | Kathmandu | ZZ05 |
| Oman | Muscat | ZZ06 |
| Qatar | Doha | ZZ03 |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | ZZ07 |
The list names cities, not test centres. The exact centre address in your city comes later, on the admit card.
The rules for choosing a JEE Main test city
Chapter 5 of the bulletin sets four rules. Each one changes how a UAE family should fill the city step.
Up to four cities, in order of priority. NTA tries your first choice first.
The options depend on your addresses. The form offers cities based on your present and permanent address. So the options you see can differ from a friend’s.
One city in India is a must. If your present or permanent address is outside India, at least one choice must be a city in India.
NTA has the last word. For administrative reasons, NTA can give you a city you did not choose, or merge cities with very few students. Its decision is final.
How to order your four cities if you live in the UAE
Use these rules of thumb. They follow from the shift times and the rules above.
First: the UAE city you reach fastest at dawn
Entry for the morning shift starts at 5:30 am UAE time. Choose the city you can reach with the least risk at that hour. For most homes in Dubai that is Dubai. For Ajman and the northern emirates it may be Sharjah. For Al Ain and Abu Dhabi homes it is Abu Dhabi.
Second and third: the other UAE cities
If the form offers them, a longer drive inside the UAE is still easier than a flight. A test on the far side of the country beats a test in another country.
Last: the India city you could really reach
The India choice is a must, so pick a city where you have family or could stay. If NTA ever sends you there, you need a real plan.
Exception: you will be in India in January
If the family plans to be in India in the test week, put that India city first. Then the UAE cities after it.
Already filled the form? You may get a chance to change the city order in the correction window, 27 to 29 November 2026, if NTA opens that field. Our JEE Main registration page (coming soon) covers the full form.
City slip and admit card: what each one tells you
You get two documents before the test. Families often mix them up.
| City intimation slip | Admit card | |
|---|---|---|
| When | 30 December 2026 | 13 January 2027 |
| What it tells you | The city NTA has given you | Centre address, date and shift |
| What to do | Plan travel and, for a city away from home, a place to stay | Print at least four copies; check the photo and details |
| Lets you into the centre? | No | Yes, with an original photo ID |
Both are online only, on jeemain.nta.nic.in. The admit card is not sent by post. If you cannot download it, call the NTA helpline (011-40759000 or 011-69227700) from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm UAE time, or email jeemain@nta.ac.in. If a detail or photo is wrong, call too, and take the test with the card you have. NTA corrects its record later.
For Session 2, the slip comes on 12 March 2027 and the admit card on 25 March 2027.
What if NTA gives you a different city?
It can happen. The bulletin lets NTA give a different city, or merge small cities, for administrative reasons.
Three checks from 30 December
One: read the city on the slip the day it comes out. Two: if it is not a city you can reach, contact NTA at once, by phone or at jeemain@nta.ac.in, and keep a copy of your message. Three: the evening before the test, open the NTA public notices again. Once the admit card is out, the city and shift on it cannot be changed.
JEE Main test day in the UAE, in UAE time
The bulletin gives times in Indian time. Here they are in UAE time. Always follow the time on your own admit card.
| Step | Morning shift | Afternoon shift |
|---|---|---|
| Entry, ID checks, biometrics | 5:30 to 7:00 am | 11:30 am to 1:00 pm |
| Gate closes | 7:00 am | 1:00 pm |
| Instructions | 7:00 to 7:20 am | 1:00 to 1:20 pm |
| Test | 7:30 to 10:30 am | 1:30 to 4:30 pm |
NTA asks students to report 2 hours before the start: 5:30 am for the morning shift. A student who arrives after the gate closes cannot take the test.
Four of the six Session 1 test days fall on UAE school days: Wednesday 20, Thursday 21, Friday 22 and Thursday 28 January. Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 January are weekend days. Leave room for weekday morning traffic.
Bring
The printed admit card with the self-declaration filled in. Two passport-size photos. One original, valid photo ID, such as a passport. A transparent water bottle.
Leave at home
Phone, watch, calculator, earphones, any metal item, bags, a geometry box, food and any written or printed paper. The centre gives you rough sheets and a pen.
A JEE-style question to try
This is a practice question in the style of JEE Main. It is not a real past question.
Coordinate geometry: Two test centres are at B(7, 10) and C(−5, −6). Find the equation of the set of all points that are the same distance from B and C.
The set is the perpendicular bisector of BC. Midpoint of BC = ((7 − 5)/2, (10 − 6)/2) = (1, 2). Slope of BC = (10 − (−6))/(7 − (−5)) = 16/12 = 4/3. So the bisector has slope −3/4 and passes through (1, 2): y − 2 = −(3/4)(x − 1), which gives 3x + 4y = 11. Check with B: (x − 7)² + (y − 10)² = (x + 5)² + (y + 6)² simplifies to 24x + 32y = 88, the same line. A common slip is to use the slope of BC itself, 4/3, and get a line that is not at a right angle to BC.
City chosen?
Use the weeks left well. The Free BMI Maths Test shows where to start.
For the maths in the paper, read our JEE Main maths guide for UAE students.
Questions people ask about JEE Main test cities
Which UAE cities have a JEE Main centre in 2027?
Dubai (city code ZZ04), Abu Dhabi (ZZ17) and Sharjah (ZZ08). They are three of the nine cities outside India on the 2027 list.
How many test cities can I choose?
Up to four, in order of priority. If you live outside India, at least one of them must be a city in India.
When will I know my JEE Main test centre?
The city intimation slip on 30 December 2026 tells you the city. The admit card on 13 January 2027 gives the centre address, date and shift.
What time should I reach the centre in the UAE?
By 5:30 am UAE time for the morning shift and by 11:30 am for the afternoon shift. Gates close at 7:00 am and 1:00 pm. Follow the time on your admit card.
Can I change my test centre after I get the admit card?
No. You cannot change the city or shift on the admit card. Check the NTA public notices again the evening before the test, in case NTA posts an update for your centre.
City picked. Maths next?
The Free BMI Maths Test shows your real maths level and why each mistake happens, before the January test days.
Sources
- NTA, JEE (Main) 2027 Information Bulletin: Chapter 5 (choice of cities), Chapter 6 (admit card), Chapter 7 (schedule), Chapter 8 (instructions), Chapter 10 (items not allowed), Appendix II (city list).
- NTA, jeemain.nta.nic.in: public notices.
Facts checked on 6 November 2026. UAE times are the official Indian times minus 1 hour 30 minutes.
