A Dubai family visa can refer to a temporary visit to relatives or a residence application to live with family. These routes have different eligibility rules, documents and costs. For a family holiday, check each traveler’s existing entry rights before arranging a tourist visa. There is no single application or price covering all three situations.

This guide explains how to choose a route and read the published charges. Visa approval does not guarantee admission at the border.

Which Dubai visa route does your family need?

Your purpose	Route to investigate	Important distinction
Visit a relative or friend temporarily	A relative/friend visit permit, if eligible	GDRFA lists single- and multiple-entry options for 30, 60 or 90 days. Confirm the specific service conditions.
Live in Dubai with a resident family member	Family residence sponsorship	An entry permit for completing residence procedures is a stage of the process, not the completed residence permit.
Take a family holiday	Existing visa-free/visa-on-arrival rights, or an appropriate tourist visa	Traveling with relatives does not itself create a separate immigration category or establish eligibility.

Sources: GDRFA’s multiple-entry service and GDRFA’s family sponsorship entry service. The number of entries, deadline to enter and permitted stay are separate conditions: read all three on the issued permit. Do not assume that a multiple-entry visa gives a fresh full allowance after every border crossing.

Family preparing travel documents for a Dubai family visit visa or residence visa

Dubai family visit visa requirements

Start by identifying the relationship, the host’s status and the Dubai service being used. For a visit sponsored or hosted by a foreign resident, ICP publishes these minimum monthly income thresholds:

Visitor’s relationship to the resident	Published monthly income threshold
First-degree relative	AED 4,000
Second- or third-degree relative	AED 8,000
Friend	AED 15,000

These are visit-route conditions published by ICP’s September 2025 announcement, also reflected in its current visa issuance service. They are different from family residence sponsorship rules. Before submitting a Dubai application, ask GDRFA or Amer to confirm the applicable relationship category, host requirements and supporting evidence.

Do not assume a sponsor-free application is available: some GDRFA service descriptions use wording about applying without a sponsor or host, while ICP specifies conditions for resident-sponsored visits. Confirm which route applies to you rather than treating those descriptions as interchangeable.

Documents to prepare

• Passport copy and recent photographs.
• Relationship evidence and explanation of the visit.
• Relevant host income or employment records.
• Any additional identity documents requested for the nationality concerned.

For Dubai entry planning, passports should have at least six months’ validity from entry; see Dubai Government’s entry guidance. Check the selected service’s insurance, travel-ticket, accommodation and document-attestation requirements. A checklist for a tourist visa does not replace the requirements for a relative visit.

Passports, family certificates, and supporting documents required for a Dubai family visa application

What changes if your family is moving to Dubai?

Family residence sponsorship requires a separate assessment of the resident sponsor and dependants. GDRFA’s family sponsorship entry service requests family certificates and employment or income evidence. Its entry permission provides a 60-day period from arrival to complete residence requirements; this is not a long-term residence grant. See GDRFA’s family sponsorship entry service.

Ask GDRFA or Amer for the current residence checklist, including the applicable income and housing rules, eligible dependants, attestation or translation, medical fitness, Emirates ID and insurance steps. Parents, spouses and children can involve different conditions. Do not apply a general spouse-and-children threshold to a parent sponsorship case.

Dubai family visit visa cost: published charges

For the GDRFA single-entry relative/friend service, the published visa fees are:

Visit duration	Visa fee before additional charges
30 days	AED 200
60 days	AED 300
90 days	AED 400

The same service card lists 5% VAT; a security deposit of AED 1,000; deposit-related fees of AED 20 and AED 40; and insurance of AED 40, AED 60 or AED 90 for the respective durations. It also lists conditional inside-UAE charges of AED 10, AED 10 and AED 500.

Source: GDRFA’s single-entry service card, checked 11 November 2026. These are published components, not a final quotation or a combined family package. Confirm the applicable total and deposit-return procedure before paying. Multiple-entry permits and residence applications have different costs.

For a family budget, request a breakdown for every traveler and identify visa fees, taxes, insurance, deposits and provider charges separately. A deposit should not be treated as an automatically refunded visa fee.

How to apply for a family visa in Dubai

1. Check entry rights individually. Nationality, passport type and relevant residence documents can affect the route. Visa-free entry and visa on arrival are different from pre-arranged permission. Do not purchase a visa solely because other family members need one.
2. Choose visit, residence or tourism. Confirm the correct service with the issuing authority. Do not use a tourist application to request family residence sponsorship.
3. Confirm who submits. For Dubai services, check whether the applicant, resident host or authorized provider must submit through GDRFA’s digital channel or Amer. ICP services apply where the federal route is relevant; the portals are not interchangeable for every case.
4. Prepare and submit the required records. Follow the selected service’s current checklist and review each person’s details.
5. Review charges and retain the reference. Check the full amount and any deposit conditions before payment.
6. Check the issued permission. Verify name, passport number, entry deadline, stay allowance and entry count. For residence, complete the remaining required procedures.

For tourism, Dubai’s single-entry tourist service identifies a tourism establishment as the sponsor/host. Confirm the provider’s applicable arrangements before choosing assistance.

Applicant completing an online Dubai family visa application with passport and family information

Processing time and extensions

GDRFA lists an expected completion time of 48 hours for the single-entry relative/friend service. This is an estimate, not an approval guarantee or a timeline for completing family residence. Allow for checks and document requests.

For an eligible relative/friend permit, GDRFA’s relative/friend extension service lists AED 600 plus 5% VAT, with inside-country charges of AED 10, AED 10 and AED 500 where applicable. Its conditions refer to extensions by authority decision and a total not exceeding 180 days. Confirm the stay calculation for your permit and apply before permission expires; do not assume an extension will be granted.

Dubai family visit visa extension requirements and permitted stay dates

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for a Dubai family visa online?

Digital channels exist, but the route and authorized submitting party depend on whether you need a relative visit, residence sponsorship or tourist visa. Check the service before opening an application.

Do all family members need the same visa?

No. Check each person’s passport and entry rights. Family members traveling together may need different arrangements.

Can I apply without a UAE resident sponsor?

Do not assume that you can. Ask GDRFA or Amer to identify the applicable service and confirm its current sponsor or host conditions. Tourist travel through a tourism sponsor is a different route from a resident-sponsored relative visit.

Is AED 200 the total family visit visa cost?

No. It is the published starting visa fee for one duration under the specified single-entry service, before the additional components described above. It is not a price for the whole family.

Can uaevisa.ae arrange family residence sponsorship?

This article does not offer a family residence sponsorship service. Use the relevant official Dubai channels for that route. For a tourist trip, confirm whether uaevisa.ae can assist with your particular circumstances.

Tourist visa assistance for a family holiday

uaevisa.ae is an independent visa assistance website and is not affiliated with the UAE government. Its published fees describe tourist eVisa assistance and distinguish a Service Fee from a Government & Admin Fee. The latter includes administrative costs and should not be described as a purely governmental charge.

If your family needs pre-arranged permission for tourism, contact the support team to confirm support for each traveler’s nationality, passport and travel plans. You can also review the application assistance process. This assistance is separate from relative-visit permits and family residence sponsorship.