The shortest answer to this question is – “Yes, provided the married female UAE resident meets certain criteria”! However, this answer may spark up a series of questions, such as – What are the eligibility criteria for sponsoring a husband in Dubai? What is the husband sponsorship process in the UAE? What are the requirements UAE wives have to fulfil to sponsor their husbands? What is the cost of sponsoring a husband in the UAE? And so on. If you are one of those married female residents in the UAE who are looking to sponsor their husbands, then this article is for you. Without further ado, we are springing to answer all your doubts one by one.
Can I sponsor my husband for UAE residency?
You sure can sponsor your husband’s residence visa, whether you’re a salaried full-time worker, a successful freelancer or a well-established businesswoman in the UAE, if you are able to meet the specific eligibility criteria laid out by the UAE Government.
Who issues residency visas in Dubai? Where can I apply for the visa?
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) is the authority in charge of granting visas in Dubai. You may apply for the visa through any of the following licenced entities:
- Online, through Dubai
- Amer centers
- A registered typing center
- Licenced Dubai-based Visa Service Providers such as Adam Global
What are the husband sponsorship eligibility criteria in the UAE?
A wife is eligible to sponsor her husband (or children) in the UAE if she:
- Is earning not less than AED 12,000
- Is able to pay a security deposit (applicable in certain cases). The decision to take the warranty deposit is at the sole discretion of the immigration authorities, considering the profession or designation of the female sponsor
- Holds all the documents required for the husband’s sponsorship
What documents do I need to sponsor my husband’s UAE residency visa?
Below is the list of documents you need to present before the authority as part of the prerequisites to sponsor your husband’s UAE residence visa:
- Your Emirates ID
- Original passports, and copies, of you and your husband
- Your salary certificate and the labour contract signed by you
- Tenancy contract or EJARI registered under your name
- Your husband’s passport-size photo against a white background as per the UAE guidelines
- Duly attested marriage certificate and its Arabic translation (Typing center or your service provider can help you with the translation part as well)
- A copy of your husband’s entry permit or residence visa (as applicable)
- International Bank Account Number (IBAN) Number
How can I apply for my husband’s UAE residency visa from inside/outside the country?
The process of sponsoring a family member in Dubai, UAE is easy and straightforward. All you have to do is provide the documents required by your visa service provider and pay the fees as and when required. Read on to know the steps involved in the process:
Step 1: Entry permit issuance
Whether your husband is outside the UAE or inside the UAE (on a tourist visa or other), you will first need to apply for an Entry Permit. In the former case, the entry permit allows your husband to travel to the UAE to complete the steps to apply for a residence visa. While in the latter case, as he is already present in the country, you will need to request for ‘change status’. Once the “change status” process is done, you will receive an entry permit from the immigration authorities. A change in visa status will also save you from attracting overstay penalties in case your husband’s tourist visa is on the brink of expiration. From the day change status is done, you get 60 days period to complete the formalities and attain the requested visa along with Emirates ID.
Step 2: Submission of visa application
Once your husband’s visa status change is done, you or your service provider will need to fill out the visa application form. While filling out the visa application, you can also get the application for your medical fitness test typed out, which will assist you in the next step.
Step 3: Medical fitness test of the husband
This step is for adults who are above 18. Residence visas in the UAE are granted to them only after they take and pass a specific medical fitness test at a government-approved health center. Don’t worry, it’s a simple health examination that includes a blood test and an X-ray. Your husband needs to undergo this test at a DHA Medical Fitness test center near you.
Step 4: Emirates ID Issuance
Once your husband passes the medical fitness test, you or your visa service provider have to fill in an Emirates ID application form. Assuming that your husband has never been previously issued a UAE residency visa, he also has to visit the Emirates ID Center (with a negative PCR test report generated within the last 24 hours, provisionally) to provide his thumbprint for the biometric data, as UAE residence visa applicants need to undergo this step once. Every applicant’s biometric data gets saved in the ICP database of the UAE, so next time your husband wouldn’t need to go through this step. Note: Do not forget to ask your service provider or PRO to mention your contact number on the Emirates ID application, as usually they provide their mobile number and changing your phone number on the ID will cost you extra. You will need to buy or access some services later that will be sending OTP to the provided mobile number only. For instance, buying a Wi-Fi connection, booking COVID-19 vaccinations on Government websites, etc.). Also, you will be asked to furnish your address for the delivery of your husband’s Emirates ID (additional charges applicable, about AED 32).
Step 5: Health Insurance Purchase (Optional)
Medical facilities in Dubai or any part of the UAE can cost you an arm and a leg, however health insurance can be a lifesaver! Anyway, buying health insurance is compulsory in Dubai as per the Dubai Health Insurance Law, effective from January 2014. By law, health insurance is supposed to be provided by the sponsor only. If you are doing a job, then your employer might have provided health insurance for you. At this stage, you may check your employment contract to determine if your employer offers spouse insurance, as part of their company policy. If they do, you can request them to apply for your spouse’s health insurance. If not, you yourself have to buy your husband’s insurance policy. Note: If you want to further the process without any health insurance at the moment then you may communicate this to your service provider. Our visa providers will complete your family visa process without health insurance and you may purchase one later depending on your requirements.
Step 6: Visa Stamping
Visa stamping is the final part of the visa application process. After all relevant documents are typed out, you have to leave your husband’s passport at the immigration office for stamping the pink-coloured sticker. Note: Although UAE has canceled the residency visa stamp effective from April 11, 2022., Dubai visa holders’ immigration still pastes visa on passports.
Step 7: Emirates ID Delivery
Once your husband’s visa process is complete and his Emirates ID is ready, you will receive a call from the department to choose between whether you would like to collect the Emirates ID yourself or opt for the doorstep delivery. If you go for the latter option, you have to bear the courier charges. You may go for the other option as well.
How much do I have to pay to sponsor my husband’s UAE residency visa?
The overall cost of sponsoring your husband may slightly vary depending on various factors, such as his current location, choice of visa service agent, attestation fees, warranty deposite, visa duration, etc. The UAE residence visa fee for a year is roughly AED 1000. If we exclude the health insurance charges, a 2-year Dubai residency visa without health insurance for your husband (in 2022) will cost you somewhere around AED 3,500 if applied when he is inside the UAE and about AED 2200 if applied when he is outside the UAE. You may click here to know your health insurance options in Dubai, UAE. Here are the major cost elements involved in the UAE residency visa application process:
- Entry Permit: AED 1,170 (if the husband is inside the UAE) & AED 492 ((if the husband is outside the country)
- Family Personal File Opening: AED 300
- Visa Status Change: AED 690
- Medical Fitness Test: Roughly AED 450 (Husband has to undergo and pass medical fitness tests at approved health centres in the UAE)
- Visa Processing (2-Year): AED 350
- Health Insurance: The total cost depends on the policy coverage
- Warranty Deposit (if applicable) Fees: AED 1,114.15; AED 3,114.15 & AED 5,114.15 for AED 1,000; AED 3,000 & AED 4,000 respectively
In addition to these primary costs, you also have to pay the service provider’s fee, document attestation charges, various administrative costs such as Arabic translation, etc.
Connect with Adam Global for visa assistance.
