Once you hold a UAE residence visa through your job, you can sponsor your spouse, your unmarried daughters, your sons under 25 and children with special needs, provided you earn at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation [1]. Each family member over 18 passes a medical fitness test in the UAE, and each gets an Emirates ID. The step that takes longest from the UK is attesting your marriage and birth certificates, so start it before you fly.
Last reviewed 3 November 2026. The UAE government portal page was saved and read in full on 3 November 2026; the document list was read from search results. Sources are listed at the end.
Who you can sponsor
Salary test
AED 4,000 a month
Or AED 3,000 plus accommodation
Sons
Under 25
Unmarried daughters at any age
Medical test
Everyone 18 and over
At an approved UAE health centre
If your visa is cancelled
6-month grace period
For your family to get a new permit
The UAE government portal lists who an employee can sponsor [1]:
- your spouse
- unmarried daughters
- sons under 25
- children with special needs
Green Visa holders can also sponsor first-degree relatives [1]. The rules are set by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), and in Dubai by the GDRFA; the portal says the conditions change from time to time, so check with them before you apply [1].
The salary test
You need a minimum salary of AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation [1]. Check which figure your employer's salary certificate shows, because that is the document you hand in. The How to Read a UAE Job Offer guide explains the difference between basic pay and allowances.
The order things happen in
- Your own visa comes first. Your family's permits are linked to yours, so you apply for them once your residence visa is issued [1]. The visa timeline tool shows the usual sequence for your own visa.
- Ask how your family enters. Ask your employer's visa team how your family travels to the UAE while their permits are processed, and who files the application.
- Medical fitness test. Every family member aged 18 or over takes it at an approved health centre [1]. The first-month cash calculator uses AED 320 in Dubai and AED 250 in Abu Dhabi [2] [3].
- Emirates ID. AED 300 for a two-year card for each family member [4].
Documents and attestation
Reports quoting the government portal list these documents for a spouse and children [5]:
- passport copies and photos for each family member
- an attested marriage certificate
- attested birth certificates for the children
- your employment contract or a salary certificate
- a registered tenancy contract (Ejari in Dubai, Tawtheeq in Abu Dhabi)
Ask your employer's visa team for the current list for your emirate before you pay for anything.
A UK certificate is attested in three steps, which can take several weeks:
- FCDO apostille in the UK, £45 a document. The standard service usually takes up to 15 working days plus post [6].
- UAE Embassy in London, applied for and paid online through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs [7]. The embassy does not publish its fee; third-party guides put it at about £70 plus £25.
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE, AED 150 [8].
If you can, attest a fresh certified copy rather than your only original.
The tenancy contract matters
Because a registered tenancy contract is usually on the document list, sign your lease and register it before you apply for your family. In Dubai that is Ejari, in Abu Dhabi Tawtheeq. The cost of moving guide lists what the first lease costs.
If your visa ends
Your family's permits depend on yours. If your visa is cancelled, your family's visas are cancelled too, and they have a 6-month grace period from the date of expiry or cancellation to get a new residence permit [1]. If you change jobs, plan the cancellation and the new visa together. The Keeping Your Options Open guide covers changing employer.
Your partner's work
A spouse on your sponsorship can work once an employer gets a work permit for them. The Partner Career guide covers how, and the Green Visa route that lets a partner hold their own visa.
What this guide does not cover
- The visa fees for each family member. Landed has no sourced figure; ask your employer's visa team or the GDRFA (Dubai) or ICP (other emirates) for the current fees.
- Sponsoring parents, which has its own rules. Check with the ICP or GDRFA.
- Family visas for people who are self-employed or own a company.
Next steps
- Check your own visa sequence in the visa timeline tool.
- Price the move for the whole family in the first-month cash calculator.
- Read the Health Insurance guide before you add your family to a policy.
Sources
Checked 3 November 2026.
- Residence visa for families of employees (UAE government portal, updated 28 September 2026): who can be sponsored, the AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus accommodation salary test, the medical test from 18, Green Visa holders and first-degree relatives, family permits linked to the sponsor's, the 6-month grace period. Saved through Cofounder and read in full, 3 November 2026.
- DHA medical fitness test cost (Takween Advisory, September 2026): AED 320 in Dubai. Search results, 21 October 2026.
- Visa screening (SEHA, Abu Dhabi): AED 250. Search results, 21 October 2026.
- Emirates ID issuance (ICP): AED 100 a year plus AED 100 smart-services fee. Opened 26 October 2026.
- UAE family residence visa: 9 requirements you need to fulfill (Gulf News): documents including an attested marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, the salary certificate and a registered tenancy contract. Search results, 3 November 2026.
- Get a document legalised (GOV.UK): £45 apostille, usually up to 15 working days plus post. Opened 26 October 2026.
- Attestation information (UAE Embassy London, Ministry of Foreign Affairs): digital attestation applied for and paid online. Opened 26 October 2026.
- Frequently asked questions (UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs): AED 150 attestation fee. Opened 26 October 2026.