Dubai has one of the highest percentages of expat population in the world as more than 85% population of the city consists of foreigners. They are residing in the emirate to take advantage of the lucrative business and job opportunities available in Dubai. As compared to several other locations, expats want to live as long as possible in Dubai due to the high lifestyle of Dubai and security they receive in this emirate.
Like other countries in the Gulf area, it is very difficult for foreigners to get citizenship in UAE. The rules are quite strict in this regard. But the country, specifically the emirate of Dubai, provides several incentives for foreigners to stay in the country for long periods. UAE is specifically quite friendly for investors and skilled professionals. It is the reason that UAE 10-year residency visa for investors and professionals is now available for foreigners in Dubai and other parts of UAE.
Importance of Dubai residence family visa
In order to take advantage of these facilities, there are several people from around the world who have made Dubai their second home and are residing permanently in the city. In this case, it is important to bring your whole family with you. Dubai provides opportunities in such cases for residents to shift their family from their country of origin to Dubai. For this purpose, residence family visa is required. In this type of visa, a foreign resident in Dubai sponsors his family for their residence in Dubai.
Initial Requirements for Dubai residence family visa
But there are several conditions that have to be met in order to approve the residence visa for a family in Dubai. The recent rules and regulations for a family residence visa in Dubai came in force from March 2016. This new law has simplified the procedure as compared to previous complicated process.
Following are important points that you are required to remember before applying for residence of your family in Dubai.
- In order to apply for family (wife and children) residence visa, the minimum salary required is AED 4,000 without accommodation or AED 3,000 with accommodation.
- The size of his rented property must be equivalent to the size of family.
- If an expat woman wants to sponsor her family (husband and children) in Dubai, then her minimum monthly income must be AED 10,000. She also needs to fulfill other important conditions.
- If your family is outside Dubai, then you will initially apply for an entry residence visa. After their arrival in Dubai, you will have to complete the family residence visa process in 30 days.
Dubai family residents visa documents
Like all other types of legal procedures, the submission of various documents in relevant departments is also required while applying for a Dubai residence family visa. Following are the documents that will be required to complete the visa process:
- Completely typed application form
- Emirates ID
- Original marriage certificate, attested by Foreign Affairs in UAE and UAE embassy in the country of origin
- Original birth certificate of children, attested by Foreign Affairs in UAE and UAE embassy in the country of origin
- Attested work contract for private employees or salary certificate for government/ semi-government employees
- Attested tenancy contract
- Original and photocopies of a passport of all family members
- 3 passport size photos of all family members
- Bank statement of last three months and sponsor’s IBAN (International Bank Account Number).
- Medical certificate of spouse and children over 15 years of age
- If a sponsor is an investor then few additional documents will also be required including AED 3020 (refundable) deposit for each family member, trade license copy and LLC agreement
Main authority for approval
The authorities may differ for approval of different types of visas in Dubai. In the case of a family residence visa, the main government department is General Directorate of Residency & Foreign Affairs.
The typed application and all the necessary documents will be submitted to GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency & Foreign Affairs) Dubai. This department will verify all the documents and then approve the visa by stamping a residence visa on passport of your family members.
Services of several other departments of Dubai and UAE along with UAE embassy in the expat will also be required to contact for completion of this process.
Important Points to note
There are a few important things to consider regarding residence family visas.
- Family members living on residence family visas will be required not to leave UAE for consecutive 6 months at a time. Doing so will invalidate the visa.
- It is also important to note that there is a completely different procedure for parents’ visa in Dubai. An example is a minimum salary required to sponsor one’s parents which is far more as compared to sponsoring other family members (spouse and children).
This is just a synopsis of the relatively complicated process of acquiring a residence family visa in Dubai. For complete assistance and quick approval of the whole process, you can contact Riz & Mona Consultancy. We have experienced team of PROs that can complete the whole visa process on their own and you will not need to worry at all. You can contact us by calling us at our landline # 971-4-5586339.
