Checked on 19 October 2026 against GDRFA Dubai service pages, the UAE government portal and ICP.
To get a UAE family visa for your wife or husband and children, you need a monthly salary of at least AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 if your employer also gives you accommodation. Both men and women can sponsor. In Dubai, the government fees come to roughly AED 900 for an adult dependant and AED 650 for a child, before health insurance, document attestation and typing-centre charges. If your family is already in the UAE on a visit visa when you apply, add about AED 1,000 per person.
Below is what each step costs, which papers to prepare, and where people usually get stuck.
Who you can sponsor on a UAE family visa
| Family member | Can you sponsor them? |
|---|---|
| Wife or husband | Yes. Male and female residents can both sponsor a spouse. |
| Sons | Yes, up to age 25 |
| Daughters | Yes, at any age while unmarried |
| Children with special needs | Yes, at any age |
| Parents | Yes, through a separate route with a higher salary and a deposit (see below) |
A mother can sponsor her children, but GDRFA Dubai asks for a no-objection letter from the father when the wife is the sponsor. Get it signed before you start, because it can take time if the father is abroad.
Minimum salary for a family visa in the UAE
The rule on the UAE government portal is AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. Your job title doesn’t matter anymore, only the salary. GDRFA Dubai’s entry permit page describes the figure as salary excluding housing, so a housing allowance on your payslip won’t push you over the line.
You prove it with your employment contract or, for government, semi-government and free zone employees, a salary certificate. Our guide explains how to get a salary certificate from HR. The salary on the paperwork has to match what’s registered with MOHRE, so check your contract before you apply.
Family visa cost in Dubai (2026)
There’s no single price for a family visa. You pay for each stage separately. These are the government fees GDRFA Dubai publishes on its family entry permit and family residence service pages, plus the Emirates ID fee from ICP:
| Stage | Fee per person |
|---|---|
| Entry permit | AED 200 + 5% VAT |
| Residence permit | AED 200 |
| Knowledge and Innovation Dirham | AED 20 |
| Delivery | AED 20 |
| Emirates ID | AED 100 for each year of residence |
| Medical fitness test (age 18 and over) | From about AED 250 at standard speed |
| Extra if the person is already inside the UAE | AED 500 at the entry permit stage, plus AED 20 in Dirham fees, and AED 500 at the residence stage |
Example: 2-year family visa price in Dubai for a wife and one child arriving from abroad. Two entry permits (AED 420), two residence permits with Dirham and delivery fees (AED 480), two Emirates IDs for two years each (AED 400) and one adult medical test (about AED 250). That adds up to around AED 1,550 in government fees. If both were already in Dubai on visit visas, add about AED 2,040, for roughly AED 3,590.
On top of that, budget for:
- Health insurance for each dependant. It’s compulsory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the price depends on age and cover.
- Attestation of your marriage and birth certificates, in your home country and then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
- Typing or Amer centre charges if you don’t apply online yourself.
For residence longer than two years, GDRFA adds AED 100 to the residence fee for each extra year. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates go through ICP instead of GDRFA, and ICP lists its own fees on each service card on its smart services site.
Documents required for a family visa
From you, the sponsor
- Passport copy and Emirates ID.
- Employment contract, or a salary certificate if you work for a government, semi-government or free zone employer.
- A tenancy contract big enough for your family. In Dubai this means a registered Ejari, and some cases also ask for three months of bank statements.
For each family member
- Passport valid for at least six months, and a recent colour photo with a white background.
- Attested marriage certificate for your spouse.
- Attested birth certificate for each child.
- The father’s no-objection letter if the mother is the sponsor.
- Medical fitness result for anyone aged 18 or over, and proof of health insurance.
Attestation is where most applications lose time. A marriage or birth certificate issued abroad has to be attested in the country that issued it, then by the UAE embassy there, and finally by MOFA in the UAE. Pakistani families usually start with a NADRA-issued certificate, then go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan and the UAE Embassy in Islamabad. Our certificate attestation guide covers the full chain. If a name is spelled differently on the passport and the certificate, fix it before you attest, not after.
How to apply for a UAE family visa
Dubai residents apply through GDRFA Dubai’s website or app, or at an Amer centre. Residents of the other emirates use ICP. What decides it is the emirate that issued your own visa.
- Attest your certificates and collect your salary and tenancy papers.
- Apply for the entry permit. If your family is already in the UAE on a visit visa, apply for a change of status instead, so they don’t have to leave.
- Book the medical fitness test for anyone 18 or older. Our UAE medical fitness test guide explains what’s checked.
- Buy health insurance that meets residence rules. A travel policy won’t do.
- Apply for residence and the Emirates ID, and attend biometrics if you’re called. The Emirates ID process takes a few extra days for the card itself.
GDRFA lists 48 hours for each of its family services. In practice, the whole thing usually takes a few weeks, because attestation, the medical result and the Emirates ID card each add their own waiting time.
Sponsoring parents in the UAE
Parents don’t come under the normal family visa. In Dubai, GDRFA handles them through its residence for humanitarian cases service. According to that page:
- The sponsor needs a salary of at least AED 10,000 a month.
- Once a committee approves the request, you pay an AED 5,000 financial guarantee per request, up to AED 15,000 in total.
- The permit lasts one year and can be renewed.
- You need a tenancy contract suitable for the family size and three months of bank statements.
Many typing centres quote AED 20,000 as the salary for parent visas. That figure isn’t on GDRFA’s published service page, so call GDRFA on 800 5111 and confirm your case before paying anyone to apply. Parents’ health insurance also costs much more than a child’s, so price it before you commit.
Family visa or family visit visa?
A family visit visa only lets relatives stay for a set period. It isn’t residence, and they can’t get an Emirates ID on it. Visit visas have their own salary rules: sponsoring parents, a spouse or children for a visit needs AED 4,000, and other relatives need more. Our guide to UAE visa rules by nationality lists them. If your family will live with you, apply for residence from the start and save the cost of a second visa.
What happens if you change jobs or lose your job
Your family’s visas depend on yours. If your residence is cancelled, theirs has to be dealt with too. ICP’s rules say family members’ permits must be cancelled, or put on hold for a fee, before the sponsor’s own residence is cancelled. If you’re moving to a new employer, our guide to work visa cancellation explains the order.
After cancellation or expiry, GDRFA’s family services give dependants a 60-day grace period. ICP gives 180 days to the families of Golden, Green and Blue residence holders. The UAE portal still mentions a six-month period for dependants in general, so check the exact date on your family’s own file rather than assuming the longer one. After the grace period, each person is charged the AED 50-a-day overstay fine. Our grace period guide shows how to check it.
Mistakes that slow family visas down
- Attesting a certificate with a spelling mismatch. It gets rejected, and you pay for attestation twice.
- Bringing the family on a tourist visa and letting it run out while waiting for papers. Apply for the change of status before the visit visa expires.
- Paying a “guaranteed approval” agent. Nobody outside GDRFA or ICP can guarantee a visa. Pay only through official channels and keep itemised receipts.
- Assuming your spouse can work. A family visa doesn’t include work permission. Your spouse’s employer still needs a MOHRE work permit.
UAE family visa questions
Can I sponsor my family on an AED 3,000 salary?
Yes, if your employer also provides accommodation. Without it, the minimum is AED 4,000.
Can a woman sponsor her husband in the UAE?
Yes. GDRFA allows both male and female residents to sponsor family members, including a husband, as long as the salary and housing conditions are met.
Up to what age can I sponsor my son?
Until he turns 25. Unmarried daughters can stay on your sponsorship at any age, as can children with special needs.
How much is a 2-year family visa in Dubai?
Government fees are roughly AED 900 for an adult and AED 650 for a child coming from abroad, plus about AED 1,000 each if they’re already in the UAE. Health insurance, attestation and service charges come on top.
Can my wife work on a family visa?
Only once her employer gets her a work permit from MOHRE. She keeps your sponsorship for residence.
Sources and helplines
This guide is based on GDRFA Dubai’s service pages for the family entry permit, family residence and humanitarian residence, the UAE government portal’s family residence page and ICP’s residence cancellation service. Medical test prices come from clinic and typing-centre packages and vary by centre. Fees change, so confirm with GDRFA Dubai (800 5111) or ICP (600 522222) before you pay. This is general information, not legal advice.
