What the government pages say about sponsoring a spouse and children, the fees listed on the GDRFA service, and the points you must confirm for an investor visa holder.
Once you hold a UAE residence visa, you can bring your family. The published rules sit on the UAE government portal and on the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFA) service pages. This article sets out what those pages say, what they cost, and the points specific to an investor visa that we could not verify and that you must confirm in writing.
The UAE government portal's page on residence visas for families lists the eligible relatives as "spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 years old, and children with special needs". Meydan Free Zone states more broadly that "Once you are a resident, you can sponsor your spouse, children, parents". The government page quoted above does not list parents, so treat parent sponsorship as a separate application with its own conditions and ask the authority what they are.
The portal states a salary condition: a "minimum salary of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus accommodation". The GDRFA service page repeats it: "In addition to housing, the resident's salary must be AED4,000 or AED3,000". Both pages are written for employees who sponsor family. We have not verified how the authorities apply an income test to an investor who draws no salary from a free zone company, and the answer may depend on the authority. Ask for the investor rule in writing before you plan around a figure.
The portal says that family members who "have completed the age of 18 need to undergo and pass medical fitness tests". It also says "The family's residence permits are linked to the residence permit of the sponsoring family member". In practice, that means a family member's status depends on yours: if your visa is cancelled or expires, theirs is affected.
Meydan's guide lists the documents as: "Submit attested documents (marriage/birth certificates), photos, and proof of accommodation and income". Marriage and birth certificates issued abroad usually need attesting before the UAE accepts them. We have not verified the attestation chain for each country, so ask the authority, or the embassy in your home country, which stamps it requires.
The GDRFA Dubai service page for family residence lists four charges, which in plain terms are:
The medical test, health insurance and Emirates ID are separate costs that this page does not price. Fees change, so read the live service page on the day you apply.
The GDRFA page describes the steps: "Log in to the smart services system through (UAE Pass or username)", search for the service, fill in the application data and pay the fee. The sponsored person then completes the medical test and the Emirates ID process described in our guide to the residence visa steps.
Family applications follow your own residence, so the sequence is your visa first, then a tenancy in the right name, then the documents from home, then the filing. Attestation of marriage and birth certificates happens in your home country, so ask early how long it takes there and start before you travel. Keep scans of every certificate, and check that names and dates match your passports exactly.
DBC packages that include one visa for the founder start from USD 4,605 (AED 16,900) in Ajman Free Zone. Family visas are filed after the founder's own residence is in place, and they are priced separately from the formation package. See /pricing or /pricing/calculator for the formation figures.
Personal tax residence is a separate question. If your family will spend time in another country, you need advice in that country about its residence rules.
Share who you want to sponsor and your free zone, and we will list what to confirm before you file. Book a Free Discovery Call
More published insights from the same category.
The UAE virtual work visa suits people employed by a company abroad. A company residence visa suits people who run a UAE business. Here is how they differ and which questions decide the choice.
Your licence is issued, so what comes next? The residence visa and Emirates ID steps in sequence, with the deadlines and late fees that apply once you hold the card.
Book a discovery call and discuss your specific UAE expansion questions with DBC.
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