UAE family visa: who can sponsor whom, income conditions, documents and the sequence
Family residence sponsorship as the ICP card, u.ae and GDRFA Dubai state it: a resident may sponsor a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs on an income of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus housing; what is stated for parents and what is not; the documents and who issues them; fees, the sequence and the six-month grace period for dependants.
The short answer
Once you hold a valid UAE residence permit, you can bring your close family to live with you: your spouse, your unmarried daughters, your sons under 25, and children with special needs. You need to show a monthly income of at least AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 if your employer provides your housing, have suitable accommodation, and prove your relationship with attested documents. Your family's visa lasts as long as yours and no longer. Parents can be sponsored for a year with a deposit for each parent, though the official pages do not state the salary needed or the deposit amount, and we will not invent them. Family members aged 18 and over take a medical test, and if your own visa is cancelled they get six months to arrange a new one.
Bringing your family over is often the whole reason for the move, so the worry about getting the income proof or the paperwork wrong weighs heavily. We check your situation against the official conditions before you spend anything, tell you which documents need attesting, and manage the medical, Emirates ID and stamping for each family member.
How it works, step by step
- Step 1: Confirm your own residence and income
You send us your residence type, salary and whether housing is provided. We confirm you meet the sponsorship conditions before anything is filed.
- Step 2: Attest your family documents
Your marriage certificate and your children's birth certificates must be officially attested. We tell you the exact chain of attestation for your country.
- Step 3: We obtain the entry permit for each family memberWe handle this
We apply to ICP or, in Dubai, GDRFA for each dependant's entry permit, or arrange a change of status if they are already here.
- Step 4: We arrange the medical fitness testWe handle this
We book the medical test for each family member aged 18 and over at an approved centre.
- Step 5: We handle Emirates ID and residence stampingWe handle this
We take each family member through Emirates ID biometrics and the final residence permit, within the 60-day window.
Key facts
- Who can be sponsored
- Spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 years old, children with special needs (ICP card; u.ae family page, 07 Aug 2026)
- Sponsor income
- AED 4,000 per month, or AED 3,000 plus employer-provided housing (ICP; u.ae; GDRFA Dubai)
- Parents
- One year's stay with a deposit per parent (u.ae FAQ); salary threshold and deposit amount NOT STATED on the pages read
- Duration
- Family residence matches the sponsor's permit and cannot exceed it (ICP; u.ae)
- Medical test
- Family members aged 18 and above (u.ae)
- Grace period for dependants
- 6 months from expiry or cancellation of their visas to obtain a new permit (u.ae)
- Dubai entry-permit fee
- AED 200 plus VAT (GDRFA Dubai); 60 days from entry to complete residence
Who this page is for
This page is for anyone who holds a UAE residence and wants their family with them: employees, investors, Green and Golden Visa holders, and the foreign families of UAE citizens. The rules here come from the official sources, the card published by ICP (the federal identity and residency authority) and the UAE Government family page updated 7 August 2026, with the Dubai details from GDRFA, the Dubai residency authority. For a closer look at one relative, the pages on sponsoring a spouse, children and parents go deeper.
Family sponsorship is a residence, not a visit. If a relative is coming for weeks rather than years, the visit route is on visit visa requirements.
Who can sponsor whom
| Sponsor | Who they can sponsor (official wording) | Condition stated | Not stated on the pages read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign resident with a valid residence permit | Spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 years old, and children with special needs | Income AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus housing; adequate housing; proof of kinship; family permit cannot exceed the sponsor's | Any job-title restriction: u.ae says employees can sponsor 'regardless of their job titles' |
| Foreign resident (parents) | 'An expatriate resident can sponsor his/her parents for a year's stay by paying a deposit as a guarantee for each parent' (u.ae FAQ) | Deposit per parent | Salary threshold; deposit amount; whether both parents must be sponsored together |
| Green residence holder | First-degree relatives (ICP card); spouses and children (u.ae) | Green residence conditions | Whether parents count as first-degree for this purpose |
| Golden Visa holder | Spouse and children (u.ae; ICP Golden guide) | Golden category conditions | See Golden Visa family sponsorship |
| Resident wife sponsoring children | Male children up to 25 (GDRFA Dubai) | 'No objection from the father if the guarantor is the wife' (GDRFA Dubai document list) | Any additional income condition for a female sponsor |
| Resident parent (student child) | Sons up to 25, and over 25 with evidence of attending a higher-education institute; daughters regardless of age until married (u.ae student page) | Student status | Whether the study must be in the UAE for the over-25 extension |
| UAE citizen | Foreign spouse, parent or child: 5-year residence without having to work (u.ae; ICP) | UAE-national sponsor | Income condition for citizens |
| GCC national resident in the UAE | Two-year renewable residence, may be issued for one year, with a 90-day stay after cancellation or expiry (ICP) | GCC-national sponsor | Family members covered |
Documents and who issues them
| Document | Issued by | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor's passport with residence permit | Sponsor's passport authority; ICP or GDRFA Dubai | u.ae general provisions |
| Dependant's passport, valid 6 months, and photograph | Dependant's passport authority | ICP card |
| Attested marriage contract (spouse) | Civil or religious authority of the country of marriage; attestation chain to UAE recognition | ICP: 'proof of kinship (attested marriage contract, children's birth certificates)' |
| Attested birth certificates (children), or documents proving special needs regardless of age | Civil registry of the country of birth; medical authority for special needs | ICP card |
| Employment certificate showing family monthly income and housing provision | Sponsor's employer | ICP card |
| Job contract | Employer (MOHRE-registered for private sector) | u.ae general provisions |
| Water or electricity bill; certified lease or proof of ownership | Utility provider; Ejari (Dubai) or the emirate's tenancy registry; land department | ICP card ('Water/ Electricity Bill'); u.ae |
| Valid health insurance for each dependant | Insurer | ICP card |
| Medical fitness certificate (18+) | EHS, DHA or SEHA centres | u.ae family page |
| Emirates ID application receipt | ICP | u.ae general provisions |
| Entry permit | ICP or GDRFA Dubai | u.ae general provisions |
| National ID copy for nationals of Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq | Home-country ID authority | ICP card |
| No objection from the father, if the sponsor is the wife | Father | GDRFA Dubai document list |
The sequence for a family residence
- Sponsor's own residence is active. ICP: the sponsor "must hold a valid residence permit". If you are still completing your own residence, the family file waits.
- Attest the kinship documents in the country of issue and through the UAE's attestation route.
- Obtain the entry permit for each dependant from ICP or GDRFA Dubai (Dubai fee AED 200 plus VAT). Dependants already in the UAE use the change-of-status route (ICP AED 500).
- Entry. GDRFA Dubai gives 60 days from entry to complete residence; the ICP card states the same 60-day rule for all residence procedures.
- Medical fitness test for each dependant aged 18 or over.
- Emirates ID biometrics (age 15 and above for fingerprints and signature).
- Residence permit issued, with an expiry that will not exceed the sponsor's.
Official fees stated
ICP residence fees apply per dependant: application AED 100, issuance AED 100 per year, smart service AED 100, plus the AED 20 financial-security deposit fee. For investors' families, ICP lists a financial guarantee of AED 3,000 per family member up to AED 15,000. GDRFA Dubai's family entry-permit card lists AED 200 plus VAT. The u.ae FAQ mentions a deposit per parent without stating the amount. Medical, Emirates ID and insurance costs are separate.
If the sponsor's visa is cancelled
u.ae: "If the sponsoring family member's visa is cancelled, it requires cancellation of the visas of the dependents. Dependents are granted a 6-month grace period from the date of expiry or cancellation of their visas to obtain a new residence permit." The general-provisions page adds the order: "An individual sponsoring his/her spouse, children and other dependents must cancel the dependents' visas before he cancels his/her own." A divorced or widowed woman may get a one-year extension from the date of divorce or death, renewable once, without a substitute sponsor, with children included if they were on the father's visa.
What people get wrong
- Quoting a salary of AED 20,000 for parents as official. The pages we read state no threshold for parents; private sites do.
- Relying on the 'sons up to 18' FAQ. The current official pages say 25.
- Arriving before the attestation is done. The 60-day completion clock runs from entry; attest first.
- Cancelling your own visa first. Dependants must be cancelled before the sponsor.
- Skipping the tenancy proof. 'Adequate housing must be secured' and the ICP list asks for a utility bill.
Next step
Read the page for the relative you want to sponsor. If you want us to check your file, send your residence type and emirate, your salary and whether housing is provided, and the list of family members with their ages; we will tell you which conditions on the official pages you meet and which documents need attestation.
Any "starting from" figure is an indicative price for our service and excludes government and third-party fees, which vary by activity, visa count and jurisdiction. Government fees shown are official charges from the cited pages at the review date. Your exact, itemised quote is confirmed free of charge in a consultation, with nothing hidden.
Frequently asked questions
What salary do I need to sponsor my family in the UAE?
AED 4,000 per month, or AED 3,000 plus employer-provided housing, according to the ICP card, the u.ae family page and the GDRFA Dubai card.
Can I sponsor my parents?
The u.ae FAQ says a resident can sponsor parents for a year's stay by paying a deposit per parent. The salary threshold and the deposit amount are not stated on the official pages we read.
Until what age can I sponsor my son?
Sons under 25, per the ICP card and the current u.ae family page. Sons over 25 can stay on a parent's sponsorship with evidence of attending a higher-education institute, per the u.ae student page.
Can a woman sponsor her husband and children?
The official wording is 'the foreign sponsor (resident in the UAE) may bring in his/her spouse'. GDRFA Dubai's card includes 'no objection from the father if the guarantor is the wife' in its document list for children. No separate income condition for female sponsors is stated on the pages we read.
Do my family members need a medical test?
Yes, family members who have completed the age of 18, at approved health centres, per the u.ae family page.
How long is a family residence visa?
It matches the sponsor's permit and cannot exceed it. If the sponsor holds a two-year employment visa, the family's permits will not run past that date.
What happens to my family's visas if I change jobs?
Cancellation of the sponsor's visa requires cancellation of the dependants'; they then have six months to obtain a new residence permit. Cancel dependants before the sponsor.
Official sources and review
The rules on this page were checked against the official pages below. We re-check every 30 days and after any announced change.
- ICPIssuing Residency Permit — service card (all residence types)Checked 4 September 2026
- UAE Government portal (u.ae)Residence visa for family membersChecked 4 September 2026
- GDRFA DubaiEntry visa for residence without work — family sponsorshipChecked 4 September 2026
- UAE Government portal (u.ae)General provisions for the residence visaChecked 4 September 2026
- UAE Government portal (u.ae)FAQs: visa and Emirates IDChecked 4 September 2026
- UAE Government portal (u.ae)Residence visa for studying in the UAEChecked 4 September 2026
- UAE Legislation portalFederal Decree-Law No. 29 of 2021 on Entry and Residence of ForeignersChecked 4 September 2026
Government fees, thresholds and processing times change without notice. Where an official page does not state a figure, we say so rather than estimate. Nothing here is legal advice or a decision of any UAE authority.
Immigration UAE is a brand of Cosmos Immigration, a private immigration and business-services consultancy. It is not affiliated with the Government of the UAE, ICP, GDRFA, MOHRE or any UAE government authority.
Have your family file checked
Send your residence type and emirate, salary and housing, and your family members' ages. We will say which official conditions you meet and which documents need attestation.
No private firm can guarantee the outcome of a UAE visa, residency or licensing application. Decisions rest solely with the relevant UAE authority.