Moving to Dubai on your own is one thing. Getting your spouse, kids or parents to join you is another process entirely, and it comes with its own paperwork, timelines and costs. The good news is that the UAE has made the system considerably easier to navigate over the past few years, with salary thresholds that apply regardless of your job title and an online portal that cuts down on the queuing. Here’s what you need to know before you start.
Who can sponsor a family residence visa in Dubai?
Any UAE resident with a valid residence visa and a minimum monthly salary of AED 4,000 (or AED 3,000 plus employer-provided accommodation) can sponsor their spouse and children. This applies to both men and women, and your profession no longer plays any part in the decision, a rule change that came into effect back in 2019.
If you hold a Golden Visa, a long-term residence visa (5 or 10 years) granted to investors, entrepreneurs and certain skilled professionals, you get slightly more flexibility. Golden Visa holders can sponsor first-degree relatives without needing to route the application through an employer at all.
Once you’re eligible, you can sponsor:
- Your spouse
- Children under 18
- Unmarried daughters, at any age
- Sons under 25 (with some exceptions for those in full-time education)
- Children with special needs, with no age limit
Can I sponsor my parents on a family visa?
Yes, but the bar is higher. You’ll typically need a minimum salary of AED 20,000 a month, or AED 19,000 plus two-bedroom accommodation. Golden Visa holders are the exception here too, since their visa status alone qualifies them without a separate income threshold.
There’s a slight catch. GDRFA (Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs) generally requires you to sponsor both parents together, and you’ll need to show you’re their main source of financial support. If one parent has passed away or your parents are divorced, you can sponsor the remaining parent alone, provided you have the paperwork to prove it. A refundable deposit also applies, and the amount varies by emirate.
What are the income and housing requirements for a family visa?
You need a minimum salary of AED 4,000 a month (or AED 3,000 with employer-covered accommodation) to sponsor a spouse or children, and AED 20,000 a month to sponsor parents. Alongside the salary requirement, you’ll need proof of suitable housing, which in Dubai means a tenancy contract registered through Ejari, the Dubai Land Department’s official rental registration system.
If you’re self-employed or run your own free zone company, a salary certificate won’t apply to you. Instead, you’ll typically submit a salary certificate issued by your free zone authority, or bank statements and audited financials that demonstrate your income meets the threshold.
What is the step-by-step process to apply?
Applying for a family residence visa runs through five main stages. Most straightforward applications move through all five within two to four weeks. Here’s how each stage works:
- Apply for an entry permit. Submit the application through the ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) smart services portal, or via GDRFA in Dubai. The permit is usually issued electronically within a few working days and stays valid for 60 days.
- Bring your dependant into the country, or change their status. If they’re arriving from abroad, they enter on the permit. If they’re already in the UAE on a visit visa, you’ll apply for a status change instead, which converts that visa into a residence entry.
- Book the medical fitness test. This applies to anyone aged 18 and over. Results usually come back within one to two working days.
- Submit Emirates ID biometrics. Fingerprints and a photo, taken at an ICP-approved typing centre or service centre.
- Get the visa stamped. Once everything clears, the residence visa is issued electronically or stamped into the passport, depending on the emirate.
What documents are required for a family visa application?
You’ll need passport copies for the sponsor and dependant, the sponsor’s UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, a salary certificate or proof of income, an Ejari-registered tenancy contract, health insurance for the dependant, and an attested marriage or birth certificate. Recent passport-sized photos are also required.
If any of those certificates were issued outside the UAE, they’ll need to get attested first by the relevant authority in the country of origin, then by the UAE embassy there, then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs once you’re in the country. Anything not already in Arabic also needs translation by a UAE-licensed legal translator, not a generic translation service. If your home country participates in the Apostille Convention, an apostille can replace the first two steps and save you a fair bit of time.
How long does the family visa process take?
Entry permits are typically issued within 3 to 5 working days through the ICP portal, and the full process from entry permit to stamped visa generally takes two to four weeks. That timeline assumes your documents are in order and there’s no attestation backlog. Peak periods, particularly August and September when families are enrolling children in school, tend to run slower simply because of application volume.
Do children over 18 need a medical test?
Yes. Anyone being sponsored who has turned 18, regardless of whether they’re your child, spouse or parent, must pass a medical fitness test before their visa can be issued. The test screens for communicable diseases and usually includes a blood test for tuberculosis and HIV, plus a chest X-ray. Children under 18 are exempt.
How much does a Dubai family visa cost?
Budget somewhere between AED 3,500 and AED 7,000 per dependant, covering the entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID, visa stamping and health insurance. Broken down, visa fees generally run AED 2,500 to AED 3,500, the medical test AED 500 to AED 700, and a two-year Emirates ID around AED 370. If your dependant needs a status change from a visit visa, add roughly AED 640 to AED 750 for that step. Health insurance adds a recurring annual cost on top, starting from around AED 600 per dependant for basic cover.
About One Business Centre
One Business Centre (OBC) provides premium serviced offices, coworking space and meeting rooms across Dubai. Alongside workspace, OBC offers company formation, PRO services and business support, including the kind of Ejari registration and paperwork handling that comes up constantly when you’re applying for a family residence visa in Dubai. If you’re setting up residence here, having a team that already knows the process will save a lot of back-and-forth.
Frequently asked questions about family residence visas in Dubai
Can I sponsor my family on a freelance visa?
Yes, provided your freelance permit comes with its own UAE residence visa and you meet the income threshold. Freelancers usually need to show their income another way, typically through bank statements or documentation from the free zone that issued the freelance licence.
What happens if I stay outside the UAE for too long?
If you stay outside the UAE for more than 180 consecutive days, your residence visa is automatically cancelled, and because your dependants’ visas are tied to yours, theirs are cancelled too. If this happens, you’ll need to apply for a new entry permit to come back in. A re-entry permit is also available if you’re already past the 6-month mark and need to sort things out before travelling back.
Can unmarried daughters be sponsored regardless of age?
Yes. Unlike sons, who generally need to be under 25 to qualify (with some exceptions for those still studying), unmarried daughters can be sponsored at any age.
Is a Golden Visa available for family sponsorship?
Yes. A Golden Visa is a long-term UAE residence visa, valid for 5 or 10 years, that isn’t tied to an employer. Holders can sponsor an unlimited number of dependants, and when it comes to sponsoring parents specifically, they’re exempt from the separate income threshold that applies to standard visa holders.
