Federal guidance on dependant visas: employees earning AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 with accommodation, may sponsor a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs regardless of job title; Green visa holders may sponsor first-degree relatives; dependants over 18 need a medical fitness test; cancelled sponsors must cancel dependants, who get a six-month grace period.
The u.ae family residence page is the federal government portal's plain statement of who may sponsor a dependant's residence visa in the UAE and on what terms. It is guidance drawn from the Entry and Residence Law and its executive regulations, not a legal text itself, and it covers the whole country, so it applies in every emirate whether the file runs through the ICP or, in Dubai, the GDRFA.
Both employers and employees holding valid UAE residence visas can sponsor residence visas for their families. The old link between job title and the right to sponsor has gone: an employee may sponsor family members regardless of job title provided the salary requirement is met. The sponsor must have a minimum salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. The family members an expatriate resident may bring are a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 years old and children with special needs, the last without an age limit. Holders of the Green visa may also sponsor first-degree relatives. Family members aged 18 and over must pass a medical fitness test at an approved centre in the UAE before the residence is issued.
A dependant's residence is tied to the sponsor's. When the sponsor's visa is cancelled, the dependants' visas must be cancelled too, and a sponsor who fails to renew or cancel a dependant's visa may be fined. Dependants are granted a six-month grace period from the date of expiry or cancellation of their visas to obtain a new residence permit, which is the window a family has to move to a new sponsor or leave.
The page separately records that a foreign spouse, parent or child of a UAE citizen may obtain a five-year residence visa without working, with the citizen as sponsor, and that a foreign widow or divorced mother of a UAE citizen may be sponsored by her eldest child.
The page does not cover Golden visa dependants, the deposit and insurance conditions for sponsoring parents, a document checklist, or overstay fines beyond noting that a fine applies; those sit on the ICP and GDRFA service pages and in the Cabinet fee and fine resolutions. It notes that conditions may change and points readers to the ICP and GDRFA. It is current as read on 29 October 2026.
Expatriate employees and employers holding a valid UAE residence visa who earn at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation, and their spouses, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs; Green visa holders sponsoring first-degree relatives; and foreign family members of UAE citizens.
| Section: Overview | Both employers and employees with valid UAE residence visas can sponsor residence visas for their families, and employees may do so regardless of job title if they meet the salary requirement. |
| Section: Sponsorship requirements – salary | The sponsor must have a minimum salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. |
| Section: Sponsorship requirements – eligible family members | An expatriate resident may bring in a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 years old and children with special needs; Green visa holders may also sponsor first-degree relatives. |
| Section: Sponsorship requirements – medical fitness | Family members aged 18 and over must pass a medical fitness test at an approved health centre in the UAE before the residence is granted. |
| Section: Cancellation and grace period | Dependants' permits are linked to the sponsor's, so cancelling the sponsor's visa requires cancelling theirs; dependants are granted a six-month grace period from expiry or cancellation to obtain a new residence permit, and a sponsor who fails to renew or cancel may be fined. |
| Section: Residence visa for a UAE citizen's spouse, parent and child | A foreign spouse, parent or child of a UAE citizen may obtain a five-year residence visa without working, sponsored by the citizen; a foreign widow or divorced mother of a citizen may be sponsored by her eldest child. |
The page states that a sponsor who fails to renew or cancel a dependant's visa could face a fine, without giving amounts; the daily overstay fines and other administrative penalties are set by Cabinet resolution under the ICP fine schedule.
This is the page we send to clients outside Dubai because it states the federal position without the emirate-specific layers. In every employee or founder visa we handle we check the salary on the contract against the AED 4,000 threshold before promising a family file, and for Green visa holders we use the first-degree relative rule to bring in parents as well as spouse and children. The cancellation rule matters most when a client changes employer, closes a company or lets a licence lapse: the dependants' visas fall with the sponsor's, so we sequence the new sponsor's residence first and use the six-month grace period to move the family across without an overstay. Where a client's son is approaching 25 we plan his move to a student or employment visa in advance.
Entry and Residence Law
The framework immigration law replacing Federal Law No. 6 of 1973: passport, visa and approved-port requirements, ICP's power to issue, renew and cancel residence permits…
Entry and Residence Executive Regulations (visa types)
The visa rulebook: defines every entry permit and residence category, including Golden residence for investors, entrepreneurs, talents, scientists, students and humanitar…
ICP Administrative Fines (overstay, Emirates ID)
Sets the fees and administrative fines under the Emirates ID and residency system: late Emirates ID renewal costs AED 20 per day capped at AED 1,000, late establishment-c…
Family Sponsorship Entry Visa (GDRFA Dubai)
Dubai's service card for sponsoring family: a resident sponsor needs a salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus housing; a business partner's share must be at least AED 48,…
Green Residence Guide (ICP)
ICP's rule page for the five-year renewable Green residence: skilled workers need a UAE contract at MoHRE skill levels 1–3, a bachelor's degree and AED 15,000 monthly sal…
Golden Residency Guide (ICP)
ICP's rule page for the ten-year Golden residence: investors in public investments or real estate (minimum AED 2,000,000 deposit, capital or property value), entrepreneur…
Emirates ID Law
Creates the federal population register and unified identity number, requires citizens and residents aged fifteen and over to hold an identity card, bars employers and in…
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