Questions & Answers
UAE family visa: who you can sponsor, and the salary you need
An expatriate resident earning at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation, can sponsor a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs.
To sponsor your family in the UAE you need a salary of at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. You can bring your spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs.
Who can be sponsored
| Family member | Condition |
|---|---|
| Spouse | — |
| Daughters | Unmarried |
| Sons | Under 25 |
| Children with special needs | — |
| First-degree relatives | If you hold a Green visa |
A son over 25 who is studying can stay on his parent’s sponsorship with evidence that he attends a higher-education institution; see student visas.
Medical test
Every sponsored family member aged 18 or over, male or female, must pass a medical fitness test at an approved health centre in the UAE.
If the sponsor’s visa ends
Family visas are tied to the sponsor’s. If the sponsor’s visa is cancelled, the dependents’ visas must be cancelled too. Dependents then have a 6-month grace period from the expiry or cancellation of their visas to get a new residence permit. A sponsor who neither renews nor cancels a dependent’s visa can be fined.
Families of UAE citizens
- A UAE citizen’s spouse, parent or child who holds a foreign passport can get a 5-year residence visa without having to work in the UAE, sponsored by the citizen.
- A foreign widowed or divorced mother of a UAE citizen can get a residence visa without having to work, sponsored by her oldest child.
Longer-term options without a sponsor are the Golden Visa and the retirement visa.
Conditions change from time to time; ICP (the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) and, in Dubai, GDRFA are the reference.
Checked against the UAE government portal (u.ae) on 24 September 2026. See our editorial policy.
Sources we checked
The official bodies where these figures and rules are kept up to date. Where an official page disagrees with us, the official page is right.
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