Spouse visa
Husband or wife sponsorship, including the attested marriage certificate and the salary and accommodation evidence GDRFA assesses.
GDRFA Dubai & Amer
Family residence visas,sponsored properly first time
Sponsoring a spouse, children or parents in Dubai — eligibility checked, documents prepared, and the application submitted through Amer on your written authorisation.
Overview
Sponsorship is decided before you apply, not after
A Dubai family visa turns on whether you personally qualify to sponsor, and that is assessed against your salary, your profession, your accommodation and your relationship to the person you are sponsoring. The requirements differ depending on whether the sponsor is male or female, and they differ again for parents compared with a spouse or children.
This is why we check eligibility before anything is submitted. An application that goes in without the right salary evidence, the right tenancy, or a properly attested marriage or birth certificate does not simply get delayed — it gets refused, and refusals sit on the file.
Once eligibility is confirmed, the process itself is well defined: entry permit, status change where applicable, medical fitness for adults, Emirates ID, and residence stamping. We prepare and submit each stage through Amer as an authorised typing centre partner.
Scope of work
Who we can help you sponsor
Eligibility depends on your circumstances. We confirm which of these routes is actually open to you before you commit.
Children
Sons and daughters sponsored under the residence file, including the rules that apply as sons reach adulthood and continue studying.
Parents
Parent sponsorship, which carries a materially higher bar than spouse and children and often needs a deposit and specific insurance.
Renewals
Renewal ahead of expiry so residence does not lapse, including re-testing and Emirates ID renewal where required.
Status change
Moving a family member already inside the UAE onto a residence file without exiting, where their current status allows it.
Emirates ID & medical
Medical fitness booking for adults, ICP biometric appointments and card tracking for every dependant on the file.
What to prepare
Documents you will need
Certificates issued outside the UAE generally need attestation and, where not in Arabic or English, legal translation. Start that early.
From the sponsor
- Passport and current UAE residence visa
- Emirates ID
- Salary certificate or employment contract showing your position and pay
- Recent bank statements where requested
- Ejari tenancy contract or title deed for your accommodation
- DEWA bill or equivalent proof of occupancy
For each dependant
- Passport copy with sufficient remaining validity
- Passport photographs on a plain white background
- Attested marriage certificate for a spouse
- Attested birth certificate showing both parents for each child
- Legal translation of any certificate not in Arabic or English
- Medical insurance meeting the minimum required cover
How it works
How it runs
Timelines vary with authority workload and whether the dependant is inside or outside the UAE.
- 01
Eligibility check
We assess your salary, profession, accommodation and relationship documents against the current sponsorship rules before anything is filed. If you do not qualify yet, we tell you what would change that.
- 02
Entry permit
The residence entry permit is applied for through GDRFA. If the dependant is already in the UAE, we confirm whether a status change is available instead.
- 03
Medical & Emirates ID
Adults complete medical fitness testing. Biometrics are captured for the Emirates ID. We book the appointments and type the applications.
- 04
Stamping & handover
Residence is issued onto the passport file and the Emirates ID is released. We return the full set and record the renewal date.
From our case desk
Why family applications get refused
Almost every refusal we are asked to fix traces back to one of these.
Certificate not attested
A marriage or birth certificate issued abroad is not accepted on its own. It needs attestation through the correct chain in the issuing country and in the UAE.
Salary evidence does not match
The salary shown on the labour contract, the salary certificate and the bank statements must tell the same story. Allowances treated as basic pay are a frequent cause of trouble.
Accommodation not evidenced
Sponsorship is assessed against where the family will actually live. A missing, expired or mismatched Ejari undermines the whole application.
Wrong route for parents
Parent sponsorship is not the same process as spouse and children and cannot be filed the same way. Attempting it as a standard family application wastes weeks.
Name inconsistency across documents
Where a passport, a marriage certificate and a birth certificate spell a name differently, the relationship cannot be established to the authority’s satisfaction.
Applying too close to expiry
Leaving a renewal to the last week removes every option if a medical needs repeating or a document needs re-attesting.
What a Dubai family visa costs in 2026
Costs are quoted per dependant, and the figure people forget is attestation — which is often larger than the visa itself and has to happen first.
| Component | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Entry permit | AED 500 – 1,100 | Inside or outside country |
| Status change (if already in UAE) | AED 650 – 1,100 | Avoids an exit and re-entry |
| Medical fitness test | AED 300 – 700 | Not required for children under 18 |
| Emirates ID | AED 170 – 370 | Per year of validity |
| Residence visa stamping | AED 500 – 1,000 | |
| Medical insurance | AED 650 – 2,500+ | Mandatory; age and cover dependent |
| Ejari registration | AED 200 – 300 | If not already registered |
| Attestation, per certificate | Varies widely | Country dependent; start early |
| Realistic all-in, per dependant | AED 2,500 – 3,500 | Excluding attestation and insurance extremes |
How we quote
Government fees passed through at cost, with a separate fixed service fee agreed before we start. We tell you the attestation position in the first conversation, because that is what actually determines your timeline.
Before you spend anything: the eligibility gate
Two things decide whether this application succeeds, and both can be checked in ten minutes.
| Gate | Requirement | Where it is read from |
|---|---|---|
| Income | AED 4,000/month | Basic salary on the attested MOHRE contract |
| Income, with employer housing | AED 3,000/month | Same, plus documented accommodation |
| Accommodation | Min. 1 bedroom | Registered Ejari in the sponsor's name |
The number that causes most refusals
It is basic salary, not total package. Someone earning AED 11,000 with a basic of AED 3,500 does not qualify. The fix is a contract restructure through MOHRE at no extra cost to the employer — but it must register before you apply.
How long it takes
| Stage | Working days |
|---|---|
| Eligibility and document review | 1 |
| Entry permit | 2 – 5 |
| Status change or entry | 1 – 3 |
| Medical fitness | 1 – 3 |
| Emirates ID biometrics | 1 – 2 |
| Visa stamping | 2 – 5 |
| End to end, complete file | 2 – 4 weeks |
Attestation sits outside this timeline entirely. A marriage certificate that has not begun the legalisation chain can add four to ten weeks, and it cannot be accelerated once the file is running.
Who you can and cannot sponsor
| Relationship | Position | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse | Yes | Attested marriage certificate; names must match passports |
| Sons under 18 | Yes | Attested birth certificate |
| Sons 18+ | Restricted | Usually a student visa while in full-time education |
| Unmarried daughters | Yes | Generally without age limit |
| Married daughters | No | Not sponsorable as dependants |
| Parents | Separate route | Higher income threshold, refundable deposit, enhanced insurance |
| Siblings, in-laws | No | Not sponsorable as dependants |
| Newborn in the UAE | Yes | Birth certificate and passport first; act within the window |
What we check before we take the file
Free pre-flight check
- Basic salary on the registered MOHRE contract — the actual figure, not the offer letter
- Ejari validity, name match and room count against dependant numbers
- Attestation status of every certificate, and the remaining chain
- Name transliteration consistency across passport, Emirates ID and certificates
- Sponsor's own visa expiry relative to the dependant's processing window
- Outstanding fines against the sponsor's file, including ILOE and overstay
- Profession code on the labour card and whether it invites scrutiny
Common scenarios
Family already in the UAE on visit visas
Status change avoids an exit and re-entry, but watch the visit visa expiry closely. If it lapses mid-process, overstay accrues at AED 50 per day per person.
Marriage certificate not attested
Start attestation immediately and in parallel with everything else. The chain begins in the issuing country, so if you are still abroad, complete it before you fly.
Basic salary just below AED 4,000
Ask HR to restructure the basic-to-allowance split and amend the contract through MOHRE. Total employer cost is unchanged. Wait for it to register before applying.
Living in a studio or shared accommodation
Generally a hard blocker. Resolve accommodation before applying rather than hoping it passes.
Family visa cost questions
How much does a family visa cost in Dubai?
Roughly AED 2,500–3,500 per dependant all-in, covering entry permit, status change, medical, Emirates ID and stamping. Medical insurance and certificate attestation are additional and vary widely.
Do children need a medical test for a Dubai family visa?
Children under 18 are generally exempt from the medical fitness test. Adults being sponsored do require it.
How long does a Dubai family visa take?
Two to four weeks from a complete file. Attestation sits outside that window and can add four to ten weeks if it has not been started, which is why we assess it first.
Can I apply if my marriage certificate is not attested?
No. The attested certificate is required, and the chain must begin in the country that issued it. Start attestation before anything else, and ideally before relocating to the UAE.
What if my basic salary is below AED 4,000?
Ask your employer to restructure the split between basic salary and allowances and amend the contract through MOHRE. Their total cost does not change. Allow time for the amendment to register before applying.
Read before you apply
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Entry Permit
Permission to enter and start the residence chain. Two clocks, both matter.
View service →Residence Visa Renewal
Renew before the grace period bites — fees, timeline and what blocks it.
View service →Family Visa Renewal
Spouse and children renewals, including the Ejari and salary re-check.
View service →Dependent Visa
Sponsor a spouse, child, parent or domestic worker onto your file.
View service →Visa Status Change
Switch visa type without leaving the country — and without a border run.
View service →Parents Visa Sponsorship
The harder route — higher income bar, refundable deposit, one-year visa.
View service →Newborn Baby Visa
120 days from birth to birth certificate, passport, Emirates ID and visa.
View service →Visa Medical Fitness Test
DHA screening for every residence visa — tiers, timing and what a referral means.
View service →Maid & Domestic Worker Visa
AED 25,000 income on your own file — or the Tadbeer route that waives it.
View service →Other services we handle
PRO Services in Dubai
Every government transaction, one licensed desk.
View service →Employment Visa
Work permits, entry permits, medical, Emirates ID and stamping.
View service →Corporate PRO Services
Licence, labour file, quota and WPS compliance on retainer.
View service →Golden & Investor Visa
Long-term residence, assessed against the right category.
View service →Emirates ID & Typing
Applications, renewals, corrections and Amer typing.
View service →Fines & Absconding
Overstay fines, absconding cases, bans — checked and cleared.
View service →Document Attestation
Degree, marriage and birth certificates, sequenced correctly.
View service →Questions
Family visa questions
Do I earn enough to sponsor my family?
Sponsorship thresholds are set by GDRFA and depend on whether you are a male or female sponsor, your profession, whether accommodation is provided, and who you are sponsoring. Rather than quote a figure that may not apply to your case, we assess your actual documents and tell you where you stand.
Can I sponsor my parents?
Parent sponsorship is possible but carries a considerably higher bar than sponsoring a spouse or children, and usually involves additional conditions such as a deposit and specific medical insurance. We check whether your circumstances support it before you apply.
Until what age can I sponsor my son?
Sons are sponsored as dependants up to adulthood, and can often be extended while they remain unmarried and enrolled in full-time study at an accredited institution. Unmarried daughters are not subject to the same age limit.
My family is already in Dubai on a visit visa. Can we avoid leaving?
In many cases yes, through a change of status. Whether that is available depends on the visa they currently hold and how much validity remains on it. We confirm this before you make travel plans.
Does my wife need a medical test?
Adults on a residence application complete medical fitness testing. Requirements for children differ by age. We confirm exactly who needs what for your specific family.
What if my marriage certificate is in another language?
It will need legal translation into Arabic in addition to attestation. Both steps run on their own timelines, so we recommend starting them before the visa application rather than alongside it.
How far ahead should I renew?
Start well before expiry. Renewals that begin in the final days leave no room if a medical result is delayed or a document needs replacing.
Check your sponsorship eligibility
Send us your salary certificate, tenancy contract and the family documents you hold. We will tell you honestly whether you qualify now, and what to fix if you do not.
MIRDXB PRO is a private PRO services and document-typing company acting solely on the written authorisation of its clients. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official agent of MOHRE, ICP, GDRFA Dubai, Amer, Tasheel, Dubai DET, Dubai Police, RTA or the Dubai Land Department. Government fees, eligibility rules and processing times are set by the relevant authority and can change without notice. Confirm current requirements for your case during your consultation.