Sponsoring your Family in the UAE

sponsoring uae

With some new changes being made to the regulations for sponsoring family in the UAE, we thought it would be a great time to share some more details on how you can get this done as smoothly as possible. 

Expats and their families make up about 80% of the UAE’s population. What tends to happen is that the main breadwinner of the family is the first to move to the UAE, start a new job, get settled in the country & then send for their family to join them here. 

As many of us already know, it is not just a simple matter of booking flights and making sure you’ve got somewhere for all of you to live. There are many documents that need to be submitted along with the residency sponsorship application for your family.

Documents needed for Application

There are 3 main scenarios where the sponsorship of a dependant happens in the UAE, and the documents needed will vary with each scenario. 

A Husband Sponsoring his Wife & Children

If a man that wants to sponsor his wife and children for residency in the UAE (assuming that his visa & residency have been fully processed), he will have to submit the following documents: 

  • Original passport & Emirates ID 
  • Original labor contract  
  • Salary certificate (for employees of free zones, semi government & government companies) 
  • 3 month bank statement 
  • Bank information, including IBAN 
  • Ejari certificate (with sponsor’s name on rental contract) 
  • One passport photo (with a white background) of each dependent 
  • Color passport copy of each dependent 
  • Fully attested marriage certificate (must be in Arabic or English) 
  • Fully attested birth certificate(s) (must be in Arabic or English) 
  • For daughters over 18, a letter signed by her father stating that she is unmarried 
  • For sons over 18; they can only be sponsored until 21 provided they can prove they are in full time study 
  • To sponsor any step children, your spouse must get a notarized & attested NOC from the other parent stating that they have no issues with their child living with your husband/wife under their sponsorship 

A Woman Sponsoring her Family

While uncommon in the UAE, it is not unheard of for a woman to sponsor both her husband & children for residency in the UAE. There are similar conditions that need to be met for the woman to be able to sponsor her husband & children: 

  • In addition to the above listed documents, you will need a fully attested educational certificate. 
  • For women working in the fields of Engineering, Medicine or Education, the income requirements are the same as for men.
  • For women not working in these specific fields, their income per month must be at least DHS 10,000 (without accommodation) or DHS 9,000 (with accommodation). A special application must be made to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) as these applications are decided on a case by case basis. 
  • While women under their husbands/father’s sponsorship can work under that visa (an NOC from the sponsor must be provided), men cannot work under the sponsorship of their wives/mothers. They must obtain an employment visa under the sponsorship of their employer. 

Sponsoring Parents or Parents in Law

Besides spouses and children, many expats often leave their parents in their home countries & eventually hope to be able to bring them over to the UAE. 

As with sponsoring a spouse and children, there are conditions and certain documents that need to be met & provided for sponsorship of your parents or parents in law.  

The requirements are:

  • A minimum monthly income of DHS 20,000 or DHS 19,000 
  • Original labor contract 
  • One passport photo of each parent 
  • Attested proof of your relationship (ie birth certificate) 
  • A 2-bedroom accommodation 
  • Both parents must be sponsored together; 
  • If your parents are divorced, then an attested divorce certificate must be provided 
  • If one of your parents is deceased, then an attested death certificate must be provided 
  • Proof that you are the sole provider for your parents/parents in law 

While further clarification is yet to be issued, the UAE government is taking steps to ensure that all expats have increased family stability and a more positive work-life balance, as well as reaffirming the UAE as the prime destination for global talent. 

Get in touch with us here to have the necessary documents attested and/or translated to help ensure that the process for sponsoring your family goes as smoothly & as quickly as possible. You can also give us a call on +971 (0)4 556 7338. We look forward to hearing from you.

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