Everything you need to know about UAE Residency Visa

a)  Can all family members get a UAE residence visa: i.e. Father, Mother, Father, and children under 18 and unmarried daughters? 

Yes. Expatriate employees or employers can obtain a residency visa There are three ways they can change their status from an entry permit holder to a resident visa holder: official employment, company registration, and real estate acquisition.

Once they have a valid residency permit, male residents can sponsor his spouse and children (under 18 years of age) and any unmarried daughters above the age of 18 years. 

Expatriate employers are issued residency visa for three years, while expatriate employees are issued residency visa for 1 to 2 years, depending on their labor contract. 

The UAE cabinet granted long-term visas to certain expatriates such as entrepreneurs, specialized talents and researchers in the knowledge and science field, and outstanding students, with some conditions. 

Find out more here.

b) Who issues the residence visa and is it guaranteed? 

The Government of Dubai issues it and it is guaranteed as long as the property purchaser owns the property, clears all security and medical tests, and is not rejected by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

c)  If the property purchaser is not living in Dubai but plans to in the future, what will be the procedure to obtain a residence visa? 

The type of residency visa you're entitled to depends on the value of the purchased property. Once the property purchaser buys a property, he/she is automatically entitled to obtain a residence visa.

Applying for residency visa can be done either on the website of Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA), which is the eChannel for citizenship and residency, or the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), which works under the UAE ministry.

d)  If the property purchaser is not living in Dubai can they get a visa in a different person’s name such as their employees or other family members etc.? 

No, only the principal property purchaser gets a residence visa but may sponsor his/her dependents.

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