UAE Family Sponsorship 2026: Salary Rules and Who You Can Sponsor

Bringing a spouse, children or parents to live with you in the UAE runs through ICP federally or GDRFA Dubai for Dubai-issued cases. The rules turn on your salary and on who you’re sponsoring. The official u.ae page gives one salary rule for every sponsor, while many visa guides report a higher bar for women, so this guide separates what u.ae confirms from what is only widely reported.

Salary requirements to sponsor family

These salary figures are the basic salary on your attested employment contract, not your total package with allowances. A generous total built mostly on housing or transport allowances can still fall short if the basic salary line is below the threshold. u.ae publishes the AED 4,000/AED 3,000 figures directly for spouse and children; the parent-sponsorship figures above come from GDRFA Dubai’s own guidance, since u.ae doesn’t publish a single federal parent-sponsorship salary. The u.ae page lists no separate salary for women sponsors, only noting that a mother can sponsor her children in special cases approved by ICP. Several visa-service guides still quote AED 10,000 (or AED 8,000 with accommodation) for female sponsors, but we could not find that figure on an official page, so confirm it with ICP or GDRFA Dubai before you apply.

Who can be sponsored

• Spouse: your legally married husband or wife, with an attested marriage certificate.
• Sons: up to age 25, with no enrollment or visit requirement, under Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022. Past that age, a son can continue only if enrolled full-time in higher education, subject to immigration authority approval.
• Daughters: unmarried, with no age limit.
• Children with special needs: no age limit.
• Parents: both together, unless you provide official (attested) documentation showing the other is deceased or divorced. Subject to the higher salary threshold above.

Sponsoring domestic help is a separate MOHRE-regulated visa category, not part of family sponsorship, so it isn’t covered by the rules above.

Documents you’ll need

• Passport copies of the sponsor and every dependant
• Recent passport-sized photos on a white background
• Attested marriage certificate (spouse) or attested birth certificates (children)
• Proof of accommodation (tenancy contract)
• Salary certificate or employment contract showing your basic salary
• Sponsor’s Emirates ID and valid UAE residence visa
• Health insurance for every dependant, arranged before the visa is stamped

How to apply

1. Apply through ICP Smart Services, or GDRFA Dubai for Dubai-issued visas.
2. Upload your documents.
3. Pay the fees, which vary by visa type and emirate.
4. Dependants 18 and over complete a medical fitness test at an approved centre.
5. Once approved, the dependant receives a residence visa and Emirates ID.

Duration and renewal

Standard family visas typically run 1 to 2 years and are renewable, with an updated medical test required for adult dependants. Under a Golden Visa, dependants’ visas match the sponsor’s own term (5 or 10 years) rather than the shorter standard cycle. If your own visa is cancelled, failing to also cancel or transfer your dependants’ visas in time can result in a fine, so handle both together.

If you’re on a Golden Visa yourself, see our Golden Visa eligibility guide for how the more flexible sponsorship rules fit into the wider picture.