Dubai Family Visa: How to Sponsor Your Spouse and Children (2026)

An expatriate with a valid UAE residence visa and Emirates ID can sponsor immediate family to join them. According to the UAE Government portal (u.ae), employees can sponsor their family regardless of job title once they meet the income condition, though some professions and circumstances are treated differently in practice.

Your family's residence permits are linked to your visa. If your permit is cancelled, your dependants' visas have to be cancelled too, so keep your own status valid.

Women can sponsor family, but the conditions and income thresholds differ and can be higher. If you are a wife sponsoring a husband and children, confirm the specific requirements with GDRFA or ICP, because the general figures quoted assume a male sponsor.

The headline requirement is a minimum income. A resident sponsor is commonly cited as needing around AED 4,000 a month, or roughly AED 3,000 a month plus employer-provided accommodation. The authorities update these figures, so treat them as guideline numbers.

If you use the lower salary plus accommodation route, you need to document the housing. An allowance on its own may not be enough unless your employer formally certifies that it provides accommodation, so check exactly what evidence your case needs.

You also need to show suitable housing through a registered tenancy contract (Ejari) or proof of property ownership, along with proof of steady income such as a salary certificate or labour contract.

To sponsor a wife or husband, you must prove a valid, existing marriage. The UAE Government portal says a resident sponsoring a spouse must submit an authenticated marriage certificate in Arabic, or an official Arabic translation certified by an approved translator.

A marriage certificate issued abroad needs attestation before the UAE will recognise it. The chain runs through the relevant authorities in the country of issue and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed by legal translation into Arabic where needed.

Adults you sponsor must pass a medical fitness test at an approved health centre in the UAE. Timelines vary, so prepare the marriage certificate and attestations well before you plan to apply.

You can sponsor your children, subject to age and status rules. Unmarried daughters can be sponsored with no fixed upper age limit, and children with special needs are covered without the standard age cap.

Sons have been sponsored while young, with study extending the eligible age for older sons. Some 2026 sources say sons can be sponsored up to around age 25 if enrolled in accredited study, while past official guidance referred to lower ages with a study extension. This detail has changed over time, so confirm the current limit for sons with GDRFA or ICP.

You will need each child's birth certificate showing the parental relationship, attested and translated into Arabic where required. Older children may also need medical fitness tests under the rules for adults.

You can sponsor your parents, under stricter conditions. The income threshold is significantly higher than for a spouse and children, and extra requirements such as medical insurance and a deposit may apply. Check the current threshold and conditions with GDRFA before you commit.

A UAE Golden Visa makes family sponsorship considerably more generous. Golden Visa holders do not have to meet the standard minimum salary condition to sponsor family, and can sponsor a spouse and children on longer-term residency aligned with their own visa.

Golden Visa holders can also sponsor domestic workers and, in some cases, extend sponsorship more flexibly to family members. For many property investors and professionals, long-term stability for the whole household is a key reason to take the Golden Visa route, and we are happy to discuss it alongside your property plans.

You will need your passport and residence visa, Emirates ID, a recent salary certificate or labour contract, bank statements, a registered tenancy contract (Ejari) or title deed, an attested marriage certificate for a spouse, attested birth certificates for children, passport photos and, in most cases, valid medical insurance.

The sequence runs: confirm you meet the income and housing conditions; gather and attest the certificates; apply for an entry permit if the family member is outside the UAE; complete the medical fitness test for adults inside the UAE; apply for the Emirates ID; then have the residence visa issued. In Dubai you apply through GDRFA or the ICP smart channels.

Costs vary by emirate, visa length and service, and bundle items such as the entry permit, status change where relevant, medical test, Emirates ID and visa issuance, plus any deposit and insurance. Budget several hundred to a few thousand dirhams per family member. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice; GDRFA and ICP publish the current rules and fees.