Resources
All guides, by journey
Every published guide on this site, with the date it was last checked against the official sources it cites. New guides are added as they pass review; nothing is listed here that has not.
50 guides published · 6 journeys
Tools
Preliminary answers before you give anyone your details. This assessment provides preliminary informational guidance only and is not a UAE government decision or guarantee of approval.
Golden Visa eligibility checkerIdentify your likely category, answer the questions that matter for it, and get a preliminary view with the reasoning and the documents you would need.Open UAE business setup finderPlain questions about customers, visas, office, goods and shareholders, then the structures worth reviewing and why.Open
Visit the UAE
Visit, tourist, multiple-entry and transit visas, extensions, and nationality-specific guides.
- Dubai visit visa: GDRFA Dubai services, fees and extensionsHow Dubai visit and tourist visas run through GDRFA Dubai rather than ICP: the service cards for tourist, relative or friend, GCC-resident, jobseeker and business visits, their government fees and deposits, the inside-Dubai extension services and the Amer centre route.Reviewed Read
- UAE multiple-entry visit visas, including the 5-year tourist visaWhat the official pages state about UAE multiple-entry visit visas: the 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa for all nationalities (USD 4,000 bank balance, 90 days per visit, 180 days a year), multiple-entry relative or friend visas, ICP per-month pricing and the GDRFA Dubai card totals.Reviewed Read
- UAE transit visa: 48-hour and 96-hour permits through the airlinesThe UAE transit visa as the official pages describe it: two types of 48 and 96 hours, sponsored by UAE-based airlines, single entry and not extendable, with the Etihad and Emirates channel fees and the hotel-or-host rule for stopovers longer than 24 hours.Reviewed Read
- UAE visa for Indian citizens: visa on arrival with a US, UK or EU visa, and the sponsored routesWhat ICP, GDRFA Dubai and the airline channels state for Indian passport holders: the 14-day and 60-day entry visa for Indians holding a valid US, UK, EU or other listed-country visa or residence (expanded 25 June 2026), the conditions, fees and extension rules, and the tourist and sponsored routes for everyone else.Reviewed Read
- UAE visa for Pakistani citizens: sponsored routes, documents and official channelsWhat the official ICP, GDRFA Dubai and airline pages state for Pakistani passport holders: no visa-on-arrival statement was found, so entry runs through a tourist visa or a resident-sponsored visit visa; the national ID card requirement; the salary tiers a sponsor must meet; and the official channels.Reviewed Read
- UAE visit visa requirements: documents, sponsors and conditionsThe documents, sponsor conditions and government fees the ICP and GDRFA Dubai service cards state for UAE visit and tourist visas, including the resident-sponsor salary tiers for relatives and friends, the financial guarantee and what the airline channels add.Reviewed Read
- UAE visit visa extension: caps, fees and overstay fines as statedHow UAE visit, tourist, relative, jobseeker and medical permits are extended: the ICP Visa Extension card's 120-day and 180-day caps by permit type, the ICP and GDRFA Dubai extension fees, the pre-arrival entry-validity extension and the AED 50 per day overstay fine.Reviewed Read
Live in the UAE
Residence visas, Emirates ID, medical fitness, family sponsorship, renewal and cancellation.
- Emirates ID: issuance, renewal windows, fees and fines as officially statedWhat u.ae and the ICP service card state about the Emirates ID: a legal requirement for every resident, linked to the residence permit, biometrics from age 15, renewal within six months of expiry (with a 31 July 2026 ICP article on a full-year window flagged as not yet reviewed), the AED 20 per day late fee up to AED 1,000, official fees and the 30-day rule for data changes.Reviewed Read
- UAE family visa: who can sponsor whom, income conditions, documents and the sequenceFamily 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.Reviewed Read
- UAE investor and partner residence visa, property-owner residence and the retirement residenceThe three self-funded residence routes below the Golden Visa as the ICP card, u.ae and GDRFA Dubai state them: the investor or partner residence (contribution of AED 1,000,000 to a company), the property-owner residence (conditions stated, duration and value not stated) and the five-year retirement residence, with the u.ae versus ICP discrepancy on income (AED 180,000 or AED 240,000) and on the 15-years-and-55 condition set out plainly.Reviewed Read
- UAE medical fitness test for residence: what it screens, who takes it and whereThe medical fitness test required for a UAE residence visa as u.ae states it: applicants aged 18 and above, screening for communicable diseases such as HIV and TB, the extra syphilis and Hepatitis B tests for listed job categories, the pregnancy test for female domestic workers, the Abu Dhabi chest x-ray, renewal screening and the conditional one-year certificate, and the EHS, DHA and SEHA centres.Reviewed Read
- UAE residence visa renewal, cancellation, grace periods and overstay finesHow UAE residence permits are renewed and cancelled as u.ae, ICP and GDRFA Dubai state it: renewal by the sponsor before expiry, early renewal for travel, the grace periods each source gives (up to six months by category on u.ae, 60 days on Dubai cards, six months for dependants), the cancellation order with MOHRE first, the AED 50 per day overstay fine and the 180-day absence rule with the re-entry permit.Reviewed Read
- UAE residence visa for employment: work permit, process, renewal and cancellationThe standard employment residence visa as the ICP card, u.ae and MOHRE describe it: the two-year term, the MOHRE work permit and skill levels, the Work Bundle sequence from entry permit to Emirates ID, documents and who issues them, official fees, renewal, cancellation order and grace periods, plus the Green and virtual-work alternatives.Reviewed Read
- Sponsoring children for a UAE residence visa: sons under 25, unmarried daughters, special needsThe official rules for sponsoring children in the UAE: sons under 25 and unmarried daughters of any age, children with special needs regardless of age, sons over 25 who are studying, the attested birth certificates, income condition, the wife-as-sponsor document, fees and the sequence.Reviewed Read
- Sponsoring your parents in the UAE: what the official pages state and what they do notAn honest account of parent sponsorship in the UAE: the u.ae FAQ allows a resident to sponsor parents for a year's stay against a deposit per parent, but the official pages we read state no salary threshold, deposit amount or document list specific to parents. What is verified, what is not, and the alternatives the official pages do describe.Reviewed Read
- Sponsoring your spouse for a UAE residence visaHow a UAE resident sponsors a husband or wife: the AED 4,000 (or AED 3,000 plus housing) income condition, the attested marriage contract, the entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and residence sequence, official fees, the rule that the spouse's visa cannot outlast the sponsor's, and what happens on cancellation, divorce or widowhood.Reviewed Read
Golden Visa
Long-term residence by category: eligibility, documents, process, benefits and family sponsorship.
- UAE Golden Visa application process: inside the UAE, from abroad, Dubai and the other emiratesHow a Golden Visa application runs step by step: the ICP smart services route for six emirates, the GDRFA Dubai route with its verification appointment, and the outside-UAE route using the six-month multiple-entry permit. Official fee lines and what the pages say about timing.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa benefits: what the official pages actually grantThe benefits of the UAE Golden Visa as stated by the UAE Government portal and ICP: long-term renewable residence without a sponsor, exemption from the six-month absence rule, family sponsorship, and a two-year MOHRE work permit route. Each benefit with its condition, plus what is not on the official pages.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa for doctors, scientists and inventorsThe 10-year exceptional-talents Golden Visa for doctors (Ministry of Health accreditation letter), scientists (Emirates Council of Scientists recommendation or a scientific award) and inventors (Ministry of Economy recommendation), as the ICP Golden Residency Guide states it.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa eligibility: who qualifies under each categoryGolden Visa eligibility for investors, entrepreneurs, executives, specialists, doctors, scientists, creatives, athletes, students and humanitarian pioneers, taken from the ICP Golden Residency Guide with the gatekeeping authority for each category.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa for entrepreneurs: the AED 500,000 project routeThe entrepreneur Golden Visa as the ICP Golden Residency Guide states it: a 5-year residency for founders of innovative, technology-based or future-oriented projects worth AED 500,000 or more, evidenced by an auditor's letter and a letter from an accredited incubator or the relevant emirate authority.Reviewed Read
- Sponsoring family under the UAE Golden Visa: spouse, children and what is not statedWhat a Golden Visa holder can do for family according to the official pages: sponsor a spouse and children, with the general family-residence conditions on the ICP card, a financial guarantee of AED 3,000 per member up to AED 15,000, and a clear note on what the pages do not say about parents and dependants' absence rules.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa for investors (public investments): the three routes to a 10-year residencyThe public-investment Golden Visa as the ICP Golden Residency Guide states it: a 10-year residency through an AED 2 million fund deposit, AED 2 million company capital, or AED 250,000 in annual tax confirmed by the Federal Tax Authority. Documents, issuers, process and fees.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa for outstanding students: 95% at school, GPA 3.8 at universityThe outstanding-students Golden Visa as the ICP Golden Residency Guide states it: 5 years for secondary-school students with a score of 95% or more and a Ministry of Education recommendation; 10 years for university students and graduates with a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or more from an accredited university, within two years of graduation.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa for property investorsWhat the official ICP and UAE Government pages say about the real-estate investor Golden Visa: the AED 2 million property threshold, the 'without loans' condition, duration, documents, fees and how the application runs.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa requirements and documents: the master checklist by categoryEvery document the ICP Golden Residency Guide and the ICP residence service card name for a Golden Visa application, organised by category, with the body that issues each one and the general items all applicants need.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa for skilled professionals: executive directors, specialists and PhD holdersWhat the ICP Golden Residency Guide actually requires of salaried professionals: executive directors with a degree, five years' experience, a contract and a salary certificate of AED 50,000 or more; specialists in priority scientific and engineering fields with a certified PhD or degree and a contract. Why the AED 30,000 figure is not on the official pages.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa for creatives, artists and athletesThe 10-year exceptional-talents Golden Visa for creatives in culture and the arts (accreditation letter from the Ministry of Culture and Youth or a Department of Culture and Arts, with the mcy.gov.ae recommendation service) and for athletes (recommendation from the General Sports Authority or a sports council).Reviewed Read
Start a business
Mainland, free zones, offshore, corporate tax and VAT, and the investor or partner visa.
- UAE corporate tax and VAT for new companies: rates, registration and deadlinesWhat the FTA, Ministry of Finance and UAE Government portal state: corporate tax at 0% to AED 375,000 and 9% above, who must register and by when, the AED 10,000 late-registration penalty and its waiver, Small Business Relief, the Qualifying Free Zone Person rules, VAT at 5% with the AED 375,000 and AED 187,500 thresholds, and the duties in one table.Reviewed Read
- UAE free zones compared: what they are and how to choose oneWhat a UAE free zone company can and cannot do, the zones and their authorities as officially stated, the licence types and legal forms, and a checklist for comparing zones on activities, office options, visa allocation, banking and mainland access.Reviewed Read
- UAE investor and partner residence visa through your companyHow a company owner or partner obtains UAE residence: ICP's investor residence with its AED 1,000,000 contribution condition, GDRFA Dubai's Green residence for investors and partners, the Golden Visa public-investor route, free zone owner visas, the documents, the official fees, the sequence and the family-sponsorship thresholds.Reviewed Read
- Mainland vs free zone in the UAE: the comparison that decides itA side-by-side comparison of UAE mainland and free zone companies on ownership, market access, legal forms, office, visas, customs, corporate tax, VAT and constitutional documents, each row tied to its official source, plus seven scenarios worked through.Reviewed Read
- Mainland company formation in the UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and SharjahHow a mainland licence is issued by DET in Dubai, ADDED in Abu Dhabi and SEDD in Sharjah: the nine official steps, licence types by emirate, the documents you hand in and who issues them, the establishment card, the Dubai branch licence for free zone companies, and the local service agent question answered honestly.Reviewed Read
- UAE offshore companies: RAK ICC and JAFZA Offshore explainedWhat an offshore company registered at RAK ICC or JAFZA Offshore is, the entity types the registries list, why registration runs through registered agents, what an offshore company cannot do inside the UAE, and the compliance caveats a professional must review before you use one.Reviewed Read
- DMCC free zone, Dubai: what the authority states and what it does notDMCC in Jumeirah Lakes Towers as DMCC describes it: a designated free zone that calls itself a qualified free zone for corporate tax, with 26,000+ member companies, 1,000+ activities, a fully digital setup and UBO records for 25% owners. Fees and visa quotas are not stated, and we say so.Reviewed Read
- IFZA (International Free Zone Authority), Dubai: licences, setup and what it offersWhat IFZA states about itself: professional, commercial, general trading and branch licences, combined activities under one licence, FZCO incorporation with no paid-up capital, office options from flexi desk to private office, visa packages, the four-step remote incorporation process and the documents it needs.Reviewed Read
- Meydan Free Zone, Dubai: what the authority statesMeydan Free Zone as its own website describes it: a fully digital setup, a flexi-desk office option, up to three activity groups on a licence and visas added only when needed. What is not stated, including fees and quotas, is listed plainly.Reviewed Read
- RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone): free zone and non-free zone licencesRAKEZ as the authority describes it: established by the Government of Ras Al Khaimah and licensing both free zone and non-free zone entities. What that split means for mainland access, what is verified, and what RAKEZ does not state as a rule.Reviewed Read
Invest
Property and investment routes that connect to residence.
Guides by country
Country-specific routes, documents and attestation for people starting from India, Pakistan and the UK.
- Moving to the UAE from India: visas, attestation and the routes that fitAn independent, source-checked guide for Indian nationals: the conditional 14-day and 60-day UAE entry visa, why a plain Indian passport is not visa-on-arrival, the India-to-UAE document attestation chain, the 1993 double-tax agreement, and which UAE residence or business route fits your goal.Reviewed Read
- Moving to the UAE from Pakistan: visas, attestation and the routes that applyAn honest, source-checked guide for Pakistani nationals: no official visa-on-arrival exists, so the sponsored tourist, relative/friend, 5-year tourist and jobseeker routes apply; the Pakistan-to-UAE attestation chain via HEC, IBCC, NAVTTC, NADRA and MOFA Pakistan; the CNIC document rule; and the Consulate General Dubai guidelines.Reviewed Read
- Moving to the UAE from the UK: visa on arrival, attestation, driving licence and taxA source-checked guide for British citizens: the 90-day visa on arrival, passport-validity and overstay rules, the FCDO apostille to UAE Embassy London attestation chain with fees and timings, the Dubai RTA driving-licence exchange, and the UK-UAE double taxation convention.Reviewed Read
- Company setup in Dubai from India: the process, and what Indian founders needHow Indian nationals set up a company in Dubai: the mainland and free-zone process is the same for every nationality (100% foreign ownership since 2021), plus the documents an Indian founder specifically prepares and gets attested. We do not invent RBI or remittance limits.Reviewed Read
- UAE Golden Visa from India: investor routes, documents and attestationHow the UAE Golden Visa applies to Indian nationals: the AED 2 million property route (5 years) and public-investment route (10 years), which supporting documents are UAE-issued, which Indian certificates need attestation, and how family sponsorship works. There is no India-specific Golden Visa rule.Reviewed Read
- Company setup in Dubai from Pakistan: the process, and what Pakistani founders needHow Pakistani nationals set up a company in Dubai: the mainland and free-zone process is the same for every nationality (100% foreign ownership since 2021), plus the documents a Pakistani founder specifically prepares — a valid CNIC copy and an HEC/IBCC-then-MOFA attested degree where needed.Reviewed Read
Glossary
ICP, GDRFA, MOHRE, entry permit, establishment card, FZCO, QFZP: the authorities, documents and structures defined in the words the authorities use, with links back to the guides.
Review dates are the date a person last compared the page with the official sources it cites. Rules change without notice; the deciding authority’s page prevails. 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.
Check your options with an advisor
Tell us where you are and what you want to do. You get a preliminary view of the realistic routes, the documents involved and what happens next — in plain language.
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