Here’s a hypothetical scenario: you’ve moved to Dubai, and are looking to sponsor your family to move here. You want them to join you in this desert oasis, but how long will it take? Will your application be approved? How Many Days To Get Family Visa In Dubai: As per recent news that has been circulating through Dubai, UAE about delay in family visa applications for Pakistani nationals.If you intend to visit Dubai, whether for tourist or business trip, but have a family waiting for you in your home country, there is nothing like getting a family visit visa. This visa is meant to allow family members to enjoy the stay in the United Arab Emirates while they are visiting their relative.
Dubai is one of the most popular tourist destinations around the world. Every year, thousands of people from all over the world go to Dubai for different purposes. Some of them are tourists who come to explore the new exciting places of Dubai, but there are others who live in Dubai for their work. They got the jobs in Dubai as they wanted to settle down here as a permanent resident. If you’re reading this article, it’s perhaps because you are one of those people who wants to immigrate to UAE and become a resident.
How Many Days To Get Family Visa In Dubai
In or out of Dubai
Nothing to panic or worry, if you have all your documents in place you can apply and process their dependent visa in Dubai while they are in or out. It doesn’t have any impact on the approval or rejection.
Family members outside of Dubai
If you have made a decision that you are definitely sponsoring your family member to Dubai, you may proceed to receive an entry permit while your family member is out of Dubai. After your family member has arrived, you can finish the rest of the process like stamping. This process will save you from spending extra as an entry permit for those who are out of Dubai costs 490 AED. To know the cost of an entry permit if they are in Dubai keep reading.
Family member in side Dubai
Your family member has arrived in Dubai with a tourist or on arrival visa and you wish to convert their visa status to Resident? This can be done without them exiting the country or doing an Oman visa run. If you are opting for without exit option you have to pay for inside country entry permit which costs 1140 AED and the status change priced at 640 AED. If you are doing Oman visa run you will have to drive to the Oman border but will be able to save 640 AED.
02
Eligibility
Having a valid Resident visa stamped on your passport and having a valid Emirates ID are the requirements in UAE to sponsor your family members. Additionally, your salary mentioned on the labor contract decides your eligibility to sponsor your family member. According to Dubai immigration any individual earning a salary of 4000 AED or more can sponsor their family members in a Residences visa. The other requirement is the Ejari tenancy contract of your apartment or a rental agreement on your name from any flat or residence.
Update
Previously, only certain professions in an approved list were capable of sponsoring their family members. Currently, all professionals can sponsor their family members as long as they fulfill all criteria stated above.
There are certain other requirements depending on the situation:
- If a woman wishes to sponsor her husband and children, she needs to hold a residence permit listing her profession as teacher, engineer, nurse, doctor or any other profession in the medical sector. Her salary should be minimum 10,000 AED or 8,000 AED with accommodation. She will also need to submit any additional documents requested by the relevant authorities.
- Expatriates wishing to sponsor their parents need to keep a deposit as guarantee and provide proof that there is no means of care back home. The expatriate should earn the minimum mentioned salary (20,000 AED or 19,000AED and two-bedroom accommodation) and obtain an annual medical insurance policy for both parents with the minimum stated coverage per parent.
- If an expatriate wishes to sponsor his step children, there are certain conditions laid out by GDRFA that need to be followed. It is mandatory to have a written no-objection certificate from the biological parent and a monetary deposit for each child.
- A Muslim expatriate can sponsor two wives if the necessary tems and conditions laid out by the GDRFA are fulfilled
- Single mothers who want to sponsor their child must keep a deposit for each child and produce a written no objection certificate from the biological parent.
- An expatriate can sponsor his daughter only if she is/they are unmarried
- An expatriate can sponsor his son only until he is 18. If the son is studying in UAE or abroad after 18,sponsorship is given until the son is 21 years if proof is shown that he is pursuing education.
03
Types of family visas in Dubai
There are 3 types of family visas in Dubai.
- 1. 1 year family visa – individuals sponsoring their step children will get a 1 year UAE Resident visa which should be renewed annually.
- 2. 2 years family visa – based on the sponsor’s 2 years labor contract 2 years family visa is granted.
- 3. 3 years family visa – based on the sponsor’s 3 years labor contract 3 years family visa is granted
04
Documents required
- Necessary documents to process a visa for your wife
- Necessary documents to process a visa for your child
- Sponsor (Husband) passport copy all bio pages – soft copy
- Sponsor (Husband) visa copy – soft copy
- Sponsor (Husband) Emirates ID – Original needed
- Ejari – Soft copy
- Labor contract – Soft copy
- Your picture – Soft copy
- Marriage certificate with attestation – Soft copy
- Wife’s passport copy all bio pages – Soft copy
- Wife’s recent color passport size photo – Soft copy
If you are sponsoring your parents, second wife, stepchildren, son or daughter, read under “Eligibility” to know the additional documents you will need to submit along with these.
05
Process till stamping
Here is the step by step process to complete family visa in Dubai
01 Collecting the documents (soft copies and Original Emirates ID)
Send the soft copies of the required documents and hand over the Original Emirates ID to us. If in case you do not want to come to our office we can collect it through courier.
02 File opening
A new file needs to be created in immigration system using the provided documents. Then they will proceed to creating the entry permit.
03 Entry permit
There are 2 types of entry permits. After the file has been opened, the entry permit application will be done based on your family member’s location. If your family member is in Dubai, you can get first type of entry permit. If your family member is out of UAE, you have to process the second type of entry permit
- Entry permit – new – residence – (children/wife) – Resident sponsor working in private sector / free zone / government (inside)
- Entry permit – new – residence – (children/wife) – Resident sponsor working in private sector / free zone / government (outside)
04 If applicant is in Dubai, change status & if not in Dubai, enter Dubai
As soon as the entry permit has been approved if your family member is in Dubai, the status change application needs to be done. If they are out they can enter Dubai using the entry permit.
05 Medical
The medical exam for issuance of family residence visa needs to be done at any medical Centre that has been approved by Dubai Health Authority and Ministry of Health & Prevention. You can visit the nearest approved medical Centre in Dubai.
Necessary documents
- Valid Passport Copy.
- Valid Entry permit
- 2 Passport size photograph with white background
06 Emirates ID
To obtain an Emirates ID card, the eform on FAIC website will be filled and submitted with the documents mentioned below:
- Original passport
- Original valid residency or entry permit
- Original birth certificate or father’s passport or Emirates ID
- Passport and visa of the sponsor of the applicant (only for newborns)
07 Insurance
As per the rules of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), it is compulsory that all visa holders possess medical insurance plans approved by the DHA.Source: Isahd
Personal medical policy for dependents with an annual limit of 150,000 AED and 20% coinsurance payable by the insured, can be purchased via local insurance providers.
Services can be hailed via accepted health centers, clinics, hospitals, etc. 20% coinsurance is payable by the insured with 500 AED payable per encounter and a total annual cap of 1000 AED. The insurer will bear 100% cost of treatment above these limits. Including coinsurance the charge of medicine and drugs has an annual limit of 1,500AED. 30% payable by the insured with regards to each and every prescription. No cover for drugs and medicines in excess of the annual limit. Restricted to a list of formulary products where available at the physician and the pharmacist
08 Stamping
The visa holder should either enter Dubai or perform a status change within 60 days from the date of issue of entry permit. They should then proceed to get Emirates ID and perform medical to go ahead with the visa stamping.
06
How long it takes
Most of the time, family visa processing is influenced by the current visa status of your family member which is usually the expiry date of your tourist visa. You get confused whether the time you have is sufficient to process family visa or would you need to do a tourist visa extension. We can give you a breakdown of how many days it takes to complete the process from file opening to stamping.
| Steps | Approximate Duration |
|---|---|
| Collecting the documents | 1 day |
| File opening | 1 day |
| Entry permit | 2 days |
| Change status | 1 day |
| Medical | 2 days |
| Emirates ID | 1 day |
| Insurance | 2 days |
| Stamping | 5 days |
| Total | 15-17 working days |
The duration stated are all approximate and it might take more than expected due to immigration and weekends (Friday & Saturday) in Dubai are not calculated.
07
Cost of Dubai family visa – Price List
The cost of a Dubai family visa is based on where the applicant is, the validity duration of your residence visa (2 or 3 years), what insurance you want for your family member and whether you need a normal service or express service. Here, we tried to give you an approximate cost based on the situation
| Type | Situation | Approximate cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 years visa | Applicant is in Dubai | Without insurance | 3550 AED |
| With insurance | 5322 AED | ||
| Applicant out of Dubai | Without insurance | 2250 AED | |
| With insurance | 4022 AED | ||
| 3 years visa | Applicant is in Dubai | Without insurance | 3750 AED |
| With insurance | 5522 AED | ||
| Applicant out of Dubai | Without insurance | 2450 AED | |
| With insurance | 4222 AED |
- The insurance rates of children and single women are 50 % less than those of married women (0-65 years)
- The insurance rates for Parents insurance are two times expensive insurance rates of married women (Age 45-90)
- Married women ages are accepted 18-45 years