In order to live in the UAE everyone needs a so-called Residence Visa and Emirates ID. The Residence Visa is a sticker in your passport and the Emirates ID is a credit card sized ID card.
How can I get a Residence Visa and Emirates ID?
If you are partner in your own company then this company can sponsor you. Freezones usually offer online portals where you can start this visa process. We are happy to assist you with any visa application, as it is a very long process and there may be major delays if you miss a step or go to the wrong place. If you have a mainland LLC it is common practice to hire a so called "PRO Agency" as the steps involved are lengthy and tricky.
If you are employed by a local company, this company will take care of everything and you will not have to take action. The visas for your relatives will also be handled by the Public Relations department of your firm.
Another way to get a Residence Visa is to buy a property in the Emirates. The value of this property must be above AED1,2mil. In addition, you must be able to provide a regulated monthly income of minimum AED10,000. This income can also come from outside the UAE.
Of course, every residence visa owner can bring his family to the UAE. When a person gives their family members a visa, it is called sponsorship. However, only direct family members may be sponsored. Wife / husband, parents and children. Children can only be sponsored until their 18th birthday (or until graduation). Read more about sponsoring family and nannies below ....
Entry Permit: The entry visa (Investor Visa) is essentially a temporary visa, valid for 60 days. The application process for an entry permit usually takes 15 days, but there is also a fast-track option (5-7 working days).
Fitness Test: After entering with this visa, you have to go directly to a medical fitness test. The medical test is mandatory for every visa applicant and usually lasts just under 15 minutes. The main points are a blood test to detect infectious diseases and the x-ray of the chest.
Emirates ID: The Emirates ID must be requested with the medical fitness application form. As stated above, the Emirates ID is a personal ID card that is basically required for all business activities such as account opening, apartment rental, car purchase, etc.
Residence visa stamping: The final stage of the visa application procedure is the stamping of the residence visa. This is about obtaining the valid UAE residence visa stamp or sticker in the applicant's passport. For this the passport is handed over to the respective immigration office.
It is possible to sponsor your spouse, children, parents and domestic workers such as housemaids, nannies or drivers. Whoever you sponsor, you must first ensure that you meet the required criteria and can provide the right documents.
The basic requirement is that you own a valid residence visa from the UAE. Without this visa, you can not sponsor anyone else. You must also have a registered lease (apartment size must match number of sponsored persons) in the UAE and be able to provide a minimum wage of AED 5,000 (spouse alone), AED 10,000 for spouse and children and AED 20,000 if you wish to sponsor a parent or parents.
To sponsor a child or spouse, you must also provide the UAE Consulate with a certified marriage and / or birth certificate from your country of origin. This must be translated legally if it is not written in English or Arabic.
These rules may also be slightly different if you are a woman who wants to sponsor her loved ones. In most cases, women can only sponsor relatives if they can present a fully legalized and certified divorce or spouse certificate. In some emirates, such as Abu Dhabi, women will only be allowed to sponsor relatives if they work in certain occupations - e.g. Engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or other professions in the medical field - and if they receive a salary of over AED 10,000.
The criteria for sponsoring non-family members, such as domestic workers, are slightly different. For example, only certain nationalities can be sponsored. In regards to housemaids and nannies, they can only be sponsored by married men and their visas are only valid for one year (standard residence visas can take one, two or three years). Some Emirates also require an official letter from a employment agency when sponsoring domestic helpers.
The cost of sponsoring a dependent depends on the Emirate you are in and the relevant immigration office. Normally, prices start at around AED 2,500 per visa.
