The salary thresholds, and the one way to lower them
To sponsor a spouse and children you need a salary of AED 4,000 per month, or AED 3,000 per month if your employer provides accommodation. Accommodation is the only mechanism that lowers this bar, and it applies to spouse and children only.
Parents are a different matter entirely. In Dubai, GDRFA requires AED 10,000 per month, and accommodation does not reduce it — instead it adds conditions. You need a valid Ejari and a home with at least two bedrooms. There is also a refundable security deposit of AED 5,000, returned once the residence visa is approved.
If you hold a partner or shareholder position rather than a salaried job, Dubai works from your share in the company: at least AED 48,000 under the partnership agreement.
Women sponsor on the same thresholds as men. A mother sponsoring her children may additionally need a no-objection letter from the father, or proof of custody if she is divorced.
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Who you can actually sponsor
Spouse: yes, in both directions. Sons: up to the age of 25. Unmarried daughters: no age limit. Children with special needs: no age limit. Parents: subject to the AED 10,000 threshold above. Green Visa holders can sponsor first-degree relatives, which is broader than the standard employment-based rule.
The document list is where applications stall, and two items cause most of the delays.
The marriage certificate and the children's birth certificates must be attested — not merely translated. Attestation is done in the country of issue and then, in many cases, by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Started late, this alone can add weeks.
The tenancy contract must be Ejari-registered and sized to the household. A studio will not support a family application.
Beyond that: passports valid at least six months, photographs, employment contract, salary certificate, health insurance, Emirates ID application, and a medical fitness test for every family member aged 18 and over. For parents, add an attested consanguinity certificate translated into Arabic, a consulate affidavit of sponsorship, and three months of bank statements.
What it costs, honestly
The government fees are modest and published. In Dubai the entry permit is AED 200 plus VAT, a status change for someone already inside the UAE is AED 500, file opening is AED 200, the residence permit is AED 200, Emirates ID is AED 250, and delivery is AED 20. The medical test is AED 250 standard, AED 430 for six-hour results or AED 700 for thirty-minute results.
That puts the government portion at roughly AED 1,600 to AED 2,300 per dependant.
The figure you will actually spend is higher, because that total excludes mandatory health insurance, document attestation and legal translation, Ejari registration and typing-centre charges. When you see a published "family visa costs AED 6,000" headline, that is what has been bundled in. Ask any provider which of the two numbers they are quoting.
Validity and the deadlines that catch people
Sponsored visas are issued for one, two or three years, and a dependant's visa can never outlast the sponsor's. If your visa is cancelled, theirs must be cancelled too.
There is a six-month grace period from expiry or cancellation to obtain a new permit. After that, fines accrue daily — the official page does not publish a rate, so check the GDRFA or ICP fine inquiry service for the current figure rather than relying on the numbers quoted online.
One provision worth knowing in advance: a woman on her husband's visa who is divorced or widowed receives a one-year extension from that date, renewable once, with no substitute sponsor required. Children on the father's visa at that time are included.
