Relocating to UAE with your family? Be it in Dubai or Abu Dhabi or other place of where you reside in the emirate, one of the ways of reuniting with your family is by seeking a family visa. So, this is all you should know about eligibility, documents, and cost as well as step-by-step application process of UAE family visa in 2025.
What Is a UAE Family Visa?
A UAE family visa entails the right of a resident to sponsor his or her close relatives, such as spouses, kids, and in other cases, other family members like parents or step kids. The validity of the visa is 1-3 years which can be renewed depending on the residency of the sponsor.
Who Can Sponsor a Family Member?
As a sponsor, you have to:
- Have a UAE residency permission and a valid visa.
- Get at least AED 4,000 salary per month, or AED 3,000 and Accommodation.
- Live in a house which complies with the housing requirements of the UAE.
- Support marriage (or birth certificate) scenes must be attested.
Note: Female sponsors are subjected to a higher income role and stipulated according to emirate.
Eligible Family Members You Can Sponsor
- Spouse: Husband or wife
- Children: Under 18 male children; unmarried daughters (to the age of 21 years in most cases)
- Parents: Needs extra revenue and bigger living-quarters
- Stepchildren: They are permitted through legal documents and consent of the parents
Required Documents for UAE Family Visa
Make sure you collect and certify the following documents:
- Copies of passports (about sponsor and dependents)
- Passport sized pictures of dependents
- Copy of the sponsor Emirates ID
- Wages or work contract
- Witnessed certificate of marriage
- Registered birth certificates (in children)
- Adult medical fitness testing outcomes (an examination into adulthood fitness)
- Legal Ejari lease agreement
- Bank statements (where necessary)
- The health insurance reports
Tip: All non-Arabic documents have to be translated into Arabic legally and have to be certified by UAE government.
Step-by-Step Process to Apply for a Family Visa
- Document Preparation
- Gather all the above mentioned documents.
- Certify and get them translated in official UAE channels.
- Application of an Entry Permit
Apply online GDRFA (Dubai) /icp Smart Services.
Obtain the entry permit prior to the arrival of dependants (in the case you have to apply internationally).
- Medical Examination
Adults (18+) have to take a blood test and X-ray of the chest at a certified health center in the UAE.
- Emirates ID Application
Give a reservation to biometric scan and Emirates ID registration.
- Visa Stamping
After completing all the procedures, handover the passport to be stamped with a visa.
- Final Confirmation
- Redo that stamped information.
- Save copies of every receipt, and confirmations.
Cost of UAE Family Visa in 2025
Fees vary slightly by emirate and service speed:
| Item | Estimated Cost (AED) |
|---|---|
| Entry Permit | 500–1,200 |
| Visa Application | 2,000–3,000 per dependent |
| Medical Test | 300–500 |
| Emirates ID | 200–400 |
| Health Insurance | Varies by provider |
| Total Budget | ~AED 5,000+ per dependent |
How to Apply for a Family Visa Online
Most of the steps can be done on line:
- CP Smart Services or GDRFA portal
- Deactivate your Emirates ID and create an account
- Selecting the term: “Family Visa Services”
- Post documents and pay their fees
- Monitor application in real-time
The digital verification and courier dropping of passports to many services is now possible.
Process Time
The time to obtain the permit differs, between 3 to 10 working days on dependent on the emirate and the complexity
To process faster at an additional cost, we can make use of express service
Why Use a Visa Consultant?
Assistance can be provided through simplifying process by:
- Document attestation and translations management
- To figure out emirate-wise processes
- Dealing with delays or rejections or special cases
- Provision of door-to-door services to the busy executives
Ideally suited to infants who have never applied or to complicated family cases.
Common Challenges & Pro Tips
- Document Problems: All should be attested as well as translated.
- Income Requirements: You should verify them with your emirate.
- Application must be done in time: within 60 days after the entry of a dependent.
- Housing Compliance: Assure that the size of space to be lived in is similar to required contract on tenancy.
What’s New for 2025?
- Online broadened services
- Greater time of stays in the emirates
- Faster processing tools on digital verification
- A larger number of emirates permit passport collecting and delivery by courier nowadays
Final Thoughts
In 2025 applying using a UAE family visa is easier than before, thanks to better digital channels and better documentation guidelines. Doing it alone or getting a consultant does not make that much of a difference though, so the trick to ensure that going through it will be a great experience is to stay up-to-date and prepared.
