If you’re an employment visa holder in Sharjah and wish to bring your family members to live with you, you’ll need to follow a specific procedure. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the process.
Sharjah visa services
Eligibility criteria
Ensure that your employment visa is valid and that your salary meets the minimum requirement set by the UAE authorities for sponsoring family members.
Male expatriates: minimum monthly salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 with accommodation.
Female expatriates: at least AED 10,000 a month, or AED 8,000 with accommodation.
You should have appropriate housing that meets the requirements for family accommodation.
Required documents
A company trade licence copy is enough instead of the labour contract or salary certificate.
How it works
Visit the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), or use their online portal, to apply for an entry permit for your family members. Provide all the required documents and complete the application form.
Once your entry permit is approved, your family members will receive an entry permit (entry visa) that allows them to enter the UAE.
If the family members are already in the UAE on a visit or cancelled visa, a change of status should be processed after receiving the e-visa or entry permit. Complete the visa status change within 60 days from the date of visa issuance.
Upon arrival in the UAE, your family members will need to undergo a medical fitness test at an authorized medical center. This includes a blood test and chest X-ray.
After passing the medical fitness test, apply for Emirates IDs for your family members through the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA). If biometrics are required, the appointment date and time are fixed at the time of application.
With the medical test and Emirates ID application completed, visit the GDRFA to get your family members’ residence visas stamped in their passports.
Complete Emirates ID Process: collect the Emirates IDs once they are ready. Health Insurance: ensure that the health insurance is activated and valid for your family members.
Important notes
Verify if there are any limitations or additional requirements based on your job title or salary.
Be prepared for various fees for visas, medical tests, and Emirates ID applications. It’s always a good idea to check with local authorities or consult with a PRO to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.
Government fees
Government charges for a Family Visa New in Sharjah, shown at cost and grouped by the stage they fall due. Our service fee is quoted separately, in writing, before you commit.
Total of the six charges above for one dependant applying inside the country. Fees are reviewed periodically — we confirm the figures applicable on the day of filing.
Fees are set by MOHRE and GDRFA and are reviewed periodically. We send an itemised written breakdown showing government cost at cost and our fee separately, before any payment is made.
Before you apply
Family visa applications fail on eligibility far more often than on paperwork. These six are confirmed before anything is filed — because an application that cannot succeed still costs the fee.
A family visa is granted against the sponsor. Their employment status, salary and gender all affect which threshold applies.
The salary threshold and the accommodation evidence work as a pair. Which threshold applies depends on how accommodation is provided.
Marriage and birth certificates issued abroad are the longest lead item, because the first stage of attestation happens outside the UAE.
Each family member has their own document set, and what applies depends on whether they are already in the country.
Once the entry permit or e-visa is issued, a clock starts. Missing it means paying to reissue.
Job title as well as salary can affect what you are permitted to sponsor, and the cost is worth knowing before the family books flights.
Start the process
Gather these 24 items and we can open the file the same day. Start the attestation items first — they take longest. Tap any line to tick it off as you collect it.
FAQs
Male expatriates require a minimum monthly salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 with accommodation. Female expatriates must earn at least AED 10,000 a month, or AED 8,000 with accommodation.
The six government charges total around AED 2,905 for one dependant: sponsor file 390.00, entry permit 490.00, change status 700.00, medical 350.00, Emirates ID 385.00 and residency 590.00. Our service fee is quoted separately.
A company trade licence copy is enough instead of the labour contract or salary certificate.
Complete the visa status change within 60 days from the date of visa issuance. Where family members are already in the UAE on a visit or cancelled visa, the change of status is processed after receiving the e-visa or entry permit.
Yes. A marriage certificate for a spouse must be attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the UAE embassy in your home country, and children’s birth certificates must be attested by the relevant authorities.
Yes. Upon arrival in the UAE, family members undergo a medical fitness test at an authorized medical center, including a blood test and chest X-ray.
Verify if there are any limitations or additional requirements based on your job title or salary. We check the designation as well as the figure before filing.
Get in touch
Business setup, visas, PRO services or Golden Visa — send us the details and a consultant will come back with a clear plan and a full cost breakdown.
