Planning to extend your stay in UAE with your family? Or want to bring them with you through a family visa UAE? Whatever the reason, knowing the recent amendments made by the UAE and the application process in detail can help avoid unnecessary expenses.

Staying updated on the documents required for a family visa in UAE is key to a faster and hassle-free family visa application process. But you must know the rules that are mandatory when applying for a family Visa in the UAE. 

Family Visa UAE: Before Application

  • Rules

If you want to live with your loved ones for a long time in the UAE, then a family visa is the right option. Earlier obtaining a family visa UAE required an educational background as mentioned by the UAE authorities. But that’s not the case anymore. 

The family member who is applying for the Visa must be present in any area located in the UAE. The entry permit legally issued for the family member’s stay in UAE might be required. 

Make sure you apply for the family Visa in UAE within 60 days, as UAE doesn’t allow the person to apply to sponsor his/her family visas after two months of his stay in the UAE.

The Dubai Health Authority checks the medical condition of the member to declare the resident fit for sponsoring his/her family’s visa. To locate the screening center near you in UAE, simply go to the official UAE website and locate the nearest government medical fitness center.

This was for the resident, but even family members must provide their medical condition proof as medically unfit individuals are not granted the resident visa.

All the rules above are subject to change regularly as the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) is always trying to provide a better experience to individuals that wish to apply for a family visa in UAE.

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  • UAE Family Visa Requirements

Before accepting your application for the family visa, UAE verifies all the documents of the family member you wish to stay with in UAE. This is an easy and monotonous process if you have all the documents as per the standard, but just so you don’t miss out on anything we have listed the general documents below.

  • Passport copy
  • Photos
  • Medical certificate
  • Entry permit of the member staying in UAE
  • Company contact of the member living in the UAE
  • Utility Bill(Must be Latest)

As a male member wishing to bring his family to UAE on a family visa, the authority allows you to bring your sons, wife, daughters(only if unmarried), parents, and stepchildren. But the above family members must meet the criteria set by the GDRFA to get the family visa. 

The process to get the sponsorship is a bit intricate for female members staying in the UAE. However, she can sponsor the loved ones she wishes to stay with after the given criteria-

  1. Family members need to be either her husband or children
  2. The minimum salary requirement for a family visa in UAE for a female sponsorer is AED 10,000 or AED 8,000 plus accommodation.

Apart from the above UAE family visa requirements, the female member also needs to work in the medical sector or as an engineer or teacher to be eligible for sponsoring her family members. But the UAE does accept the sponsorship even if she works in another sector given that her salary is above AED 10,000(Special permission from DNRD might be required).

The Application Process For Family Visa UAE

The member who wishes to sponsor his/her loved ones must first get the entry permit to the UAE to apply for the family visa. 

How to apply for the entry permit for your family members?

The official website of GDRFA allows you to apply for a new visa or you can apply through the official app of Dubai GDRFA. There are other online portals too. 

How to apply for the UAE Family Visa?

The Sponsor visa or family visa UAE is a type of visa that needs to be submitted at the Dubai Office of GDRFA of the respective emirate by the member who is sponsoring the family members. It should be noted that the family members need to be in the UAE on an entry permit before they apply for this visa. The family visa UAE price is AED 100 for first-time issuance and should be confirmed once with the authorities as per your needs.

Family Visa UAE: After Application

Now that we have understood the complete family visa UAE procedure of application, let us understand how long the Visa is valid so that you and your family don’t face any issues due to expiration or invalidation of the family Visa.

Validity:

During the application process, you will be provided the option to opt for a 1, 2, or 3-year period of validity. This is the period after which you will be required to renew the family visa. Make sure that you apply for renewal within the last month of expiration otherwise the visa might get canceled or expire.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQS) 

  • How to renew a UAE family visa?

To renew the visa you need to first visit a typing center and fill up the application form. Then visit the nearest General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) and pay the necessary fees to complete the renewal process.

  • Who can apply for a family visa in the UAE?

Any employer who has a valid visa can sponsor his/her family members. The sponsor must have a salary of AED 10,000 or above to be eligible to apply for a family visa.

  • What is the validity period of a UAE family visa?

It depends upon the validity period you have selected during the application period. A UAE family visa is valid for a period of 1, 2, or 3 years. During the last 60 days, you need to renew the visa otherwise it will expire.