The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA Dubai) has clarified the rules for the UAE's visit visa for relatives and friends, detailing who can sponsor visitors, the minimum salary requirements, visa validity, fees and the documents needed to apply.
The visit visa allows UAE residents to sponsor eligible relatives and friends for short-term stays. Applicants can choose between single-entry and multiple-entry visas with validity periods of 30, 60 or 90 days. Visitors can stay in the UAE for up to 120 days in a year, and eligible visas can be extended from within the country, subject to approval and compliance with regulations.
A single-entry visa allows one visit during its validity, while a multiple-entry visa lets travellers enter and leave the UAE multiple times during the visa period.
Who can sponsor a visit visa?
According to GDRFA Dubai, the minimum monthly salary required depends on the relationship between the sponsor and the visitor.
Residents sponsoring first-degree relatives, including parents, spouses and children, must earn at least Dh4,000 per month.
Those sponsoring second- and third-degree relatives, such as siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, uncles, aunts and cousins, must have a minimum monthly salary of Dh8,000.
Residents sponsoring a friend must earn at least Dh15,000 per month.
Sponsors must hold a valid UAE residence visa and Emirates ID. Income can be verified through a salary certificate, an attested labour contract or partnership documents for business owners.
