Dubai Health · MOFA · GDRFA · ICP
Birth certificate, MOFA attestation, passport, then residence and Emirates ID, all within 120 days of birth. See every step, document and fee first, then let us file it for you through Amer on your written instructions.
Fees at the counter fromAED 1,585Our fee AED 500 VAT incl.The short answer · checked 28 October 2026
In short: a baby born in the UAE to resident parents needs four things in order: a birth certificate from the health authority, MOFA attestation of that certificate, a passport from the parents' embassy, and a residence permit with an Emirates ID on the sponsoring parent's file. UAE law gives four months from the date of birth (u.ae counts it as 120 days) to finish, or for the baby to leave. There is no medical test and no fingerprinting at this age. At the Amer counter in Dubai the four lines come to about AED 1,585, typing included, before the passport fee your embassy sets.
Reviewed by Mir Ali, founder of MIRDXB PRO · fees and rules checked 28 October 2026
The deadline
Article 12 of Federal Decree-Law 29 of 2021 tells a foreign parent to do two things within four months of the birth: obtain the baby's identity documents under the law of their own country, and establish the baby's residence. The executive regulation (Cabinet Resolution 65 of 2022, Article 6) adds the alternative: the baby can instead leave the UAE within the same four months. The clock starts on the day of birth. A slow certificate, a late embassy appointment or a holiday does not pause it.
30 days
u.ae gives residents up to 30 days to register a birth. In practice the hospital starts it before discharge.
120 days
Four months in the law, 120 days on u.ae. Passport, residence and Emirates ID must all be done inside it, or the baby leaves.
AED 50
ICP's fine card lists AED 50 a day once a newborn's registration period has passed. It runs until the status is put right.
AED 20
A separate ICP fine for a child born in the UAE, counted after four months from birth and capped at AED 1,000.
Two official figures for the daily fine
u.ae's newborn page still says AED 100 a day after the 120 days and that the baby cannot leave the country until it is settled. ICP, which issues the fine, lists AED 50 a day for an expired newborn registration, and the executive regulation caps any daily residence fine at AED 100 (Article 64). We work on ICP's AED 50, and the payment screen for your file is final. Article 13 of the Decree-Law lets the ICP Chairman, or someone he delegates, waive all or part of the fine; there is no published automatic waiver.
The legal text, article by article, is in our family sponsorship and newborn law guide. The per-day fine for every other status is on our overstay fine guide.
Eligibility
A newborn is a family member like any other, so the sponsoring parent has to meet the family visa test on the day of the application. Check it in the first week, because a problem here cannot be fixed at the counter.
Income test · GDRFA, ICP and u.ae
AED 4,000 a month
or AED 3,000 a month where your employer provides housing
The same figure applies to fathers and mothers who sponsor. It is read from your MOHRE contract or salary certificate, so those documents must show it. How income is proven is covered in our family visa salary requirement guide.
The usual route. The baby goes onto the father's family file, on the same residence cycle as his own permit.
A resident mother can sponsor her children on the same income test. GDRFA's family entry permit card lists a no-objection letter from the father when the wife is the sponsor. The residence card used for a baby born in Dubai publishes no separate newborn rule, so have the father's letter ready.
The baby is sponsored on the Golden Visa holder's file. ICP lets Golden holders sponsor children of any age, and a dependant's residence can never run past the sponsor's. Full detail: Golden Visa family sponsorship.
The same four stages. Partners in a Dubai company show their trade licence and share as on any family file; see our investor and partner visa guide.
Not this process. The baby needs a family entry permit, and the foreign birth certificate goes through the full attestation chain abroad. Follow our family visa in Dubai page.
A dependant's residence matches the sponsor's and cannot exceed it (ICP; Cabinet Resolution 65 of 2022, Article 54). Renew yourself first if your permit expires inside the 120 days.
If your file sits near the line, a file check (AED 100, 5% VAT included, credited to your fee if you go ahead) confirms the route before the clock runs down. Book a file check on WhatsApp
Before the due date
The hospital asks for the parents' documents to register the birth, and anything missing on that day costs you weeks later. Put these in one folder, with digital copies, before the due date.
Attesting the marriage certificate: marriage certificate attestation. The order of every stamp: attestation process explained.
The process
Each stage needs the output of the one before it: the passport is issued from the birth certificate, and the residence is issued on the passport. Only the passport stage is outside UAE control, so plan everything around it.
Who issues itTypical timeCounter price, Dubai
DHADaysAED 250
The hospital issues the live-birth notification and checks the parents' originals. The certificate is then requested on DHA's website, paid online and delivered, in Arabic and English.
MOFAAbout 3 working daysAED 400
u.ae says expatriates must have the birth certificate attested by the health authority and MOFA. A DHA stamp counts as the health ministry's. MOFA attests it through its website or app.
Your embassyDays to weeksEmbassy fee
The baby takes the nationality rules of the parents' country; u.ae notes that a child of mixed-nationality parents takes the father's. ICP needs a passport valid for at least 6 months.
GDRFA · ICPAbout 48 hours + up to 5 daysAED 935
The baby is already in the UAE, so there is no entry permit: the residence is issued inside the country on the sponsor's file, with the Emirates ID. Only a photo is needed for the baby.
The medical fitness test applies from 18 (u.ae, GDRFA), and ICP takes fingerprints and a signature from age 15. A newborn needs neither.
ICP replaced the residence sticker with the Emirates ID on 11 April 2022. The baby's residence is electronic and the card is the proof.
If you have never sponsored a family member, a sponsor file is opened first: AED 253 at the counter (GDRFA's own lines are AED 230). If your spouse is on your visa, the file already exists.
Paperwork
Four short lists, in the order you will need them. Clear scans are enough to start; keep every original until the Emirates ID arrives.
A plan that leaves room
The law sets only the end date. This is the plan we work to, with a month spare for an embassy delay or a returned document. Your embassy's passport time decides how much of the buffer you use.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column
| When | What to do | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 to 3 | Give the hospital both parents' originals and the attested marriage certificate; collect the birth notification | The facility checks originals before the certificate request |
| Day 1 to 10 | Request the birth certificate on DHA's website and pay; book the embassy passport appointment | u.ae: register within 30 days; embassy slots are the slowest part |
| Day 7 to 20 | Attest the certificate at MOFA | MOFA: about 1 to 3 working days |
| Day 14 to 60 | Apply for and collect the passport; add the baby to a health policy | Embassy times vary by country |
| Passport + 1 to 7 | Apply for the residence and Emirates ID | GDRFA: about 48 hours; ICP: up to 5 days for the card |
| By day 90 | Residence issued, Emirates ID on its way | Leaves 30 days for anything that goes wrong |
| Day 120 | Last day of the four months | Decree-Law 29 of 2021, Art. 12; u.ae: 120 days |
| From day 121 | AED 50 a day, plus AED 20 a day for the late Emirates ID (capped at AED 1,000) | ICP fine cards |
Put your own dates in the UAE visa deadline planner: it counts the newborn deadline from the date of birth.
Cost · checked 28 October 2026
Two tables, so you can see where every dirham goes. The first is what you pay at the Amer counter in Dubai, typing and service charges included. The second is what the authorities charge on their own fee cards, for comparison.
| Line | AED |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate Arabic and English, delivered | 250 |
| MOFA attestation of the birth certificate | 400 |
| Emirates ID 2 years | 385 |
| Residence visa (stamping) 2 years, electronic | 550 |
| Total excluding passport fees set by the embassy | AED 1,585 |
MirDxbPRO counter price list, October 2026. Add AED 253 if a family sponsor file has to be opened first.
| Line | AED |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate DHA, per certificate | 70 |
| MOFA attestation personal status document | 150 |
| Emirates ID, 2 years ICP: AED 100 a year + AED 100 | 300 |
| Residence permit, 2 years GDRFA card lines: 200 + 10 + 10 + 20 delivery | 240 |
| Sum of the lines one certificate | AED 760 |
GDRFA's card also prints an AED 500 inside-country line, charged only where GDRFA applies it; the payment screen for your file is final.
Official fee (source, checked 28 Oct 2026): DHA birth certificate card, MOFA fees page, ICP new identity card service, GDRFA family residence service.
Why the two totals differ
The counter list is our package price for Dubai: on top of the government lines it covers typing, service-centre charges, delivery, both language certificates and MOFA handling. The sum of the official lines is lower, AED 760. We show you the payment screen for your file before you pay. Neither table includes the passport, health insurance or our own fee.
The examples are illustrations on the October 2026 counter list, not quotes; your fixed quote comes in writing. A Golden Visa holder's baby uses different residence and Emirates ID lines: the calculator below shows them.
Your own total
The calculator uses the same counter price list, typing included. Choose the parent's visa; our fee is shown on its own line.
Your resultExample
Newborn visa: Sponsor: Employment visa
AED 2,085estimated total
Estimated total, before the baby’s passport (issued by your embassy).
Apply within 120 days of birth to avoid daily fines.
Get my fixed quote on WhatsAppPrice list reviewed 1 Nov 2026; counter prices at Amer and Tasheel, typing included. Estimate, not legal advice; the authority's payment screen and decision are final.
Sponsoring other family members too? Use the visa cost estimator for every visa type in one place.
Dubai or another emirate
The deadline, the salary test and the order of the stages are national. Who issues the birth certificate and where you apply for the residence follow the emirate: the birth certificate goes by where the baby was born, the residence by the emirate that issued the sponsor's own visa.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column
| Item | Dubai | Abu Dhabi | Northern emirates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth certificate issued by | DHA, on its website after the hospital notification | Department of Health, through TAMM | Emirates Health Services, with UAE PASS and the notification number |
| Certificate fee | AED 70 per certificate | AED 50 for the English certificate | AED 65 per certificate, delivery AED 20.75 |
| MOFA attestation | Separate step on MOFA's website or app, AED 150 | Can be added when the certificate is issued, AED 150 | MOFA digital attestation can be chosen at issuance |
| Residence issued by | GDRFA Dubai: website, app, Amer centres | ICP: website or app with UAE PASS | ICP: website or app with UAE PASS |
| Residence fee, 2 years | GDRFA card lines, AED 240; the card also prints an AED 500 inside-country line, charged where GDRFA applies it | ICP: AED 100 application + AED 100 a year + AED 100 smart service | The same as Abu Dhabi |
| Health insurance | Not on GDRFA's card; Dubai law makes the sponsor insure dependants | A valid policy is a listed ICP document | A valid policy is a listed ICP document |
| Service time | About 48 hours | About 2 days | About 2 days |
| Emirates ID | ICP everywhere: AED 100 a year + AED 100; no fingerprints under 15 | ||
Our counter price list covers Dubai. For a baby born in another emirate, or a sponsor whose visa was issued outside Dubai, the lines change and we quote them in writing.
When the file is not routine
Most newborn files are straightforward. These are the ones that are not, with only what the official sources state.
DHA's birth certificate card accepts, in place of a marriage certificate, the parents' acknowledgement of the child's lineage authenticated by their embassy or a notary public. Federal Decree-Law 31 of 2021, Article 410, says no case is brought where the parents marry, or both acknowledge the child and obtain identity and travel documents for it. Take legal advice for your own situation.
The birth certificate is the source for the passport, and the passport for the residence and Emirates ID. If a spelling differs, fix it at the source: the health authority amends the certificate, then the passport, then the residence follows. Our name correction guide sets out the order.
The executive regulation allows the baby to leave within the four months instead of taking residence. A baby who leaves has no UAE status to return on, so it comes back on an entry permit or visit visa like any foreign child. After the four months, u.ae says the baby cannot leave until the status is settled.
The residence can still be issued; the daily fines are paid with it. Work out the amount first, then apply without further delay, because every day adds AED 50, plus AED 20 for the Emirates ID until the AED 1,000 cap. A waiver is at ICP's discretion only.
The baby follows the four stages, then joins the Golden file with its own residence and Emirates ID lines. The baby's residence is tied to the parent's and cannot run past it. See Golden Visa family sponsorship; our fee for Golden work is quoted with the file.
A baby born outside the UAE never enters this process. It comes in on a family entry permit, with the foreign birth certificate attested in the country of birth, at the UAE embassy there and by MOFA. Start on our family visa page.
Any of these apply to you?
Problem files (past the deadline or carrying fines, unmarried parents, a name mismatch, or a sponsor below the salary line) start with a file check: AED 100 (5% VAT included), fully credited to your fee if you go ahead. It tells you the route, the fines and the timeline before you spend anything else. Book a file check on WhatsApp
From our case desk
The four months run from the birth. A certificate collected in week three has already used three weeks.
Booking the passport appointment only after attestation, when many embassies take the request earlier. Ask yours in the first week.
Found at the hospital, when the foreign chain takes weeks. Attest it during the pregnancy.
A transliteration on the certificate that differs from the passport application. Agree the spelling before you register.
The baby's residence cannot outlast yours. Renew your own first, or the baby's permit comes out short.
Flying out with no residence, then needing an entry permit to bring the baby back. Finish the residence first if you can.
Our service
MIRDXB PRO is a private PRO and visa services firm in Al Barsha 1, Dubai. On your written instructions we request the birth certificate, attest it at MOFA, tell you exactly what your embassy needs, then submit the residence and Emirates ID through Amer and GDRFA, or ICP, and track the card to your door.
AED 500 per new visa, VAT included
Counter and government lines are paid at cost, with a receipt for each. A Golden Visa holder's baby is quoted with the file. Your total is fixed in writing before you pay.
Get your fixed quote on WhatsAppQuestions
Short answers to what new parents ask first. Anything else, ask us directly.
Ask us on WhatsAppFour months from the date of birth, which u.ae counts as 120 days. Federal Decree-Law 29 of 2021 (Article 12) asks the parents to obtain the baby's identity documents and residence in that time; the executive regulation lets the baby leave the UAE instead. The clock starts at birth, not when the certificate is issued.
ICP's fine card lists AED 50 a day once a newborn's registration period has passed, and a separate AED 20 a day for the late Emirates ID, capped at AED 1,000. u.ae's newborn page still shows AED 100 a day. The payment screen for your file is final, and only the ICP Chairman, or someone he delegates, can waive a fine.
At the Amer counter, about AED 1,585 with typing included: birth certificate AED 250, MOFA attestation AED 400, Emirates ID AED 385 and residence AED 550 (MirDxbPRO counter price list, October 2026). The passport fee is set by your embassy. Add AED 253 if a family sponsor file must be opened first. Our own fee is AED 500, VAT included.
On the official cards checked on 28 October 2026: AED 70 per birth certificate (DHA), AED 150 for MOFA attestation, AED 300 for a 2-year Emirates ID (ICP) and AED 240 in GDRFA residence lines. That sums to AED 760 before typing. GDRFA's card also prints an AED 500 inside-country line, charged only where GDRFA applies it; the payment screen for your file is final.
No. The medical fitness test applies from age 18, according to u.ae and GDRFA, and ICP takes fingerprints and a signature only from age 15. For the residence and Emirates ID, the baby needs a passport valid for at least 6 months and a recent photo on a white background.
No. The baby is already in the UAE, so the residence is issued inside the country on the sponsoring parent's file, followed by the Emirates ID. An entry permit is only needed for a baby born abroad, or for a baby who left the UAE before its residence was issued.
The hospital issues the live-birth notification and checks both parents' original Emirates IDs or passports and the attested marriage certificate. The certificate is then requested on DHA's website, paid online and delivered. DHA lists AED 70 per certificate, issued in Arabic and English. u.ae gives residents 30 days to register a birth.
Yes. u.ae says expatriates must have birth certificates attested by the health authority and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; a DHA or DoH stamp counts as the health ministry's. MOFA charges AED 150 for a personal status document, applied for on its website or app.
From the embassy or consulate of the parents' country, under that country's own rules; the UAE does not issue it. u.ae notes that when parents have different nationalities, the child takes the father's. Embassy times range from days to several weeks, so book the appointment in the first week after the birth.
Yes, if she meets the same salary test of AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 with employer housing. GDRFA's family entry permit card lists a no-objection letter from the father when the wife is the sponsor. The residence card used for a baby born in Dubai publishes no separate newborn rule, so keep the father's letter ready.
AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 a month if your employer provides housing, the same test GDRFA, ICP and u.ae apply to any family visa. It is read from your MOHRE contract or salary certificate. If you earn less, the other parent may qualify, or GDRFA's humanitarian route can consider the case.
The executive regulation lets a newborn leave the UAE within the four months instead of taking residence. Once it leaves without a residence, it has no UAE status to return on and comes back on an entry permit or visit visa like any foreign child. After the four months, u.ae says the baby cannot leave until the status is settled.
DHA's birth certificate card accepts, instead of a marriage certificate, the parents' acknowledgement of the child's lineage authenticated by their embassy or a notary public. Federal Decree-Law 31 of 2021, Article 410, says no case is brought where the parents marry, or both acknowledge the child and obtain its identity and travel documents. Take legal advice first.
Fix it at the source before applying. The health authority amends the birth certificate, the embassy issues or corrects the passport from it, and the residence and Emirates ID follow the passport. A mismatch caught after the residence means correcting several documents, so agree one spelling before the birth is registered.
No. A baby born abroad comes in on a family entry permit, and the foreign birth certificate must be attested in that country, at the UAE embassy there and by MOFA in the UAE. The steps and fees are on our family visa in Dubai page.
The birth certificate, MOFA and passport stages are the same; the baby then joins the Golden Visa holder's file with its own residence and Emirates ID lines. ICP lets Golden holders sponsor children of any age, and a dependant's residence cannot run past the sponsor's. See Golden Visa family sponsorship.
The four-month deadline and the salary test are the same everywhere. The birth certificate comes from the Department of Health through TAMM in Abu Dhabi or from Emirates Health Services in the northern emirates, and the residence is filed with ICP on its website or app with UAE PASS. ICP lists valid health insurance as a document.
ICP lists valid health insurance for family residence in the emirates it covers. GDRFA's Dubai card does not list a policy, but Dubai's Health Insurance Law (No. 11 of 2013) makes the sponsor responsible for insuring dependants when the employer does not. Add the baby to a policy before the residence is filed.
The UAE stages are quick: MOFA attestation takes about 1 to 3 working days, GDRFA issues the residence in about 48 hours and ICP completes the Emirates ID within 5 days. The passport is the variable, from days to weeks by embassy. We aim to finish by day 90, leaving a month spare.
AED 500 per new visa, VAT included. Counter and government lines are paid at cost with a receipt for each, and a Golden Visa holder's baby is quoted with the file. Send the date of birth and the sponsoring parent's visa on WhatsApp, and you receive a fixed quote in writing before you pay.
Every fee and rule on this page was checked against these pages on 28 October 2026 and reviewed by Mir Ali, founder of MIRDXB PRO. Counter prices are the MirDxbPRO counter price list, October 2026. Government fees can change without notice; the authority's payment screen and decision are final. How we write and check our guides.
Send the date of birth and the sponsoring parent's visa. You get the route, every line and our fee in writing before you pay.
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Send the date of birth and the sponsoring parent's visa. We confirm the route, every counter and government line and our own fee, in writing, before anything is paid.
Tell us what you need and a PRO consultant will reply within one business hour. No obligation, no pressure.
Prefer to talk now? WhatsApp +971 56 897 4054 or email info@mirdxbpro.com.
MIRDXB PRO is a private PRO services company acting solely on the written authorisation of its clients. We are not a government body and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official agent of GDRFA Dubai, ICP, MOHRE, MOFA, Amer, Tasheel or any other authority. Government fees are passed on at cost; our own fee is quoted in writing before we start. Fees, eligibility rules and processing times are set by the relevant authority and can change without notice. This page is general information, not legal advice.