The Family Visa in Dubai is a residence visa that allows expatriates to sponsor their loved ones and bring them to live in the UAE legally. PRO Deskk handles the entry permit, status change, medical, Emirates ID and stamping as one file.
Visa services
Entry permit, status change, medical, Emirates ID and stamping for your spouse, children or parents.
Renewed ahead of the expiry date, with medical and Emirates ID handled alongside where required.
Filed cleanly so dependants are not left out of status when circumstances change.
Overview
The Family Visa in Dubai is a residence visa that allows expatriates to sponsor their loved ones and bring them to live in the UAE legally. This visa provides security and peace of mind for families who wish to stay together in Dubai.
Any UAE resident holding a valid residence visa and earning the minimum required salary can sponsor their family. Eligible dependents include a spouse, children (sons up to 25 years old and daughters until marriage), and in some cases, parents.
Eligibility requires either a salary of AED 4,000 with Ejari or AED 3,000 with company-provided accommodation. In addition, supporting documents must include an attested marriage certificate and attested birth certificates, which should be legalized by the UAE Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
To apply for a family visa, several documents are required such as passport copies of the dependents, sponsor’s Emirates ID and residence visa, attested marriage or birth certificates, recent photographs, proof of accommodation (Ejari), and salary certificate or labor contract.
The process involves applying for an entry permit, completing a status change if the dependent is already in Dubai, undergoing a medical fitness test for dependents above 18 years, registering for Emirates ID, and finally stamping the residence visa in the passport.
Family visas in Dubai are typically valid for 1, 2, or 3 years depending on the sponsor’s visa type and must be renewed before expiry. Our team provides complete assistance to make the process smooth and hassle-free.
The rule
With effect from 20th March 2016, there is a new rule for applying for a Family (dependant) visa. Now, while applying for a Family or Dependant visa, the procedure is made easier than before. Once you have all the required original documents ready, all the process can be completed from any authorized typing centre.
All the required charges such as application fee, bank guarantee, deposits, file opening and courier charges are to be processed through any authorized typing centre. Due to any reason there is a cancellation of application, refund of all the amount can be processed through to the sponsor’s bank account only. The IBAN (International Bank Account Number) of the sponsor (applicant) is required.
Once the visa is applied online, you will get the approval from Immigration through SMS. On receiving the SMS from the immigration (GDRFA) on your registered number you can then visit the Immigration centre. You will receive application status through SMS about approval or modification if any required in the application. On receiving the approval, a white colour visa will be mailed to the applicant’s email address. If you need a pink colour visa, you can visit any GDRFA Dubai branch after receiving the approval SMS.
How it works
Type the dependant entry permit and scan all the documents required at any authorised typing centre to process the Family or Dependant visa. If the dependant is outside the country then do outside country typing; if they are inside the country then do inside country typing. All dependant visas need to be processed online, then wait for the approval message from GDRFA to the registered mobile number. On receiving the approval message, the visa will be sent online to the email id registered at the time of application.
Visa holder should enter the UAE within 60 days from the date of issue and should complete Emirates ID, medical and visa stamping within 60 days from the date of entry or status change. If the visa holder could not enter the UAE within 60 days from the date of visa issue, the visa can be renewed against payment of Dh360 + typing charge. This renewal is allowed two times.
On receiving the online visa, if the dependant is inside the country then you need to do the change status of the applicant. If the dependant is on a tourist visa or visit visa they need not travel outside the country. The change status can be done by applying through any authorised typing centre. On receiving the approval message from GDRFA, the change status documents will be sent to the registered email id.
On completing the change status, you can then do medical typing and then proceed to do the medical test at the authorised medical centre.
Once medical typing is done, you can do Emirates ID typing and then proceed for fingerprints, if required.
On receiving the medical report and EID application, proceed to the nearest typing centre to process the visa stamping. Once the application is submitted online, wait for approval from Immigration. The approval message will be received by SMS on the mobile number given, and an airway bill number will be assigned to pick up the original passport by Zajel. Contact Zajel and arrange for pickup of documents. After the visa is stamped on the passport, Zajel will deliver the passport after 2 working days.
Special cases
The following additional documents and conditions apply:
Special cases
As per UAE immigration rules:
Profession categories
Follow up clerk, Archives Clerk, Insurance Clerk, Sales, Sales Representative, Sales Executive, and similar.
For Sales Executive: Dh4,000 salary and company-provided transportation is a must — transportation by first party in the contract.
Light Vehicle Driver, Messenger, Eye Glasses Salesman, Maintenance Mechanic General, and similar.
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, not the dependant. Everything about the sponsor’s own status is checked before the dependant’s file is opened.
The salary threshold and the accommodation proof work together. One without the other is not enough, and the figures must agree across contract, WPS and salary certificate.
Foreign marriage and birth certificates are the longest lead item in a family visa, because the first stage of attestation happens in the country of issue.
Not every relative can be sponsored, and age limits apply to children. Confirming eligibility upfront avoids paying for an application that cannot succeed.
Two separate 60-day windows govern a family visa, and missing either one means paying to reissue.
Beyond the application fees, a family visa can carry refundable deposits — and knowing which are refundable and how they return matters.
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
Eligible dependents include a spouse, children (sons up to 25 years old and daughters until marriage), and in some cases, parents. Any UAE resident holding a valid residence visa and earning the minimum required salary can sponsor their family.
Eligibility requires either a salary of AED 4,000 with Ejari, or AED 3,000 with company-provided accommodation. For a Sales Executive, Dh4,000 salary and company-provided transportation is a must.
Yes. Supporting documents must include an attested marriage certificate and attested birth certificates, legalized by the UAE Embassy in the country of issue and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) inside the UAE. This is the longest lead item, so start it first.
Family visas in Dubai are typically valid for 1, 2, or 3 years depending on the sponsor’s visa type, and must be renewed before expiry.
The visa holder should enter the UAE within 60 days from the date of issue. If they cannot, the visa can be renewed against payment of Dh360 plus typing charge. This renewal is allowed two times.
Yes. As per UAE immigration rules, a mother can sponsor her child if she receives an NOC in Arabic from the husband. If the husband is outside the UAE, the NOC must be attested by the UAE Embassy abroad and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs inside the UAE.
Where the sponsor is an investor or partner, a deposit of Dh3,020 applies for each family member. This amount is refundable after cancellation of the visa from Immigration, and is credited to the sponsor’s account — which is why the IBAN is required at application.
A medical fitness test is required for dependants above 18 years. It is completed after the status change, at an authorised medical centre.
Get in touch
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