UAE residency
Residence visas for you and your family
Investor and partner visas, employment visas, family sponsorship, renewals and re-entry permits. Four routes, four sets of rules. Start by finding yours.
Which route is yours?
Pick the one that fits you and this page narrows down to it — who qualifies, what you need, the steps, and the thing people get wrong.
You own part of a UAE company and want your residency through it.
Sponsor: Your own company · Usually takes: 2–4 weeks once the company is licensed, if you are around for the in-person steps
Who qualifies
- You hold shares in a UAE Free Zone or Mainland company
- The company holds a valid trade licence and Establishment Card
- Your licence package or office allows at least one visa
What you need
- Passport copy valid at least six months
- Passport-size photograph, white background
- Trade licence and Establishment Card
- Share certificate or memorandum showing your shareholding
- Entry permit, then medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics
How it goes
- 01
Entry permit
The authority issues this once your company file is in order. It is valid for a set window, and the rest of the steps have to happen inside it.
- 02
Status change or entry
Either you change status without leaving, or you fly out and come back in on the permit. Which one depends on the visa you hold now.
- 03
Medical fitness test
A blood test and chest X-ray at an approved centre. You have to go yourself, and results take two to five working days.
- 04
Emirates ID biometrics
Fingerprints and a photo at a registration centre, by appointment. We book it for you.
- 05
Visa and Emirates ID issued
Your residence visa is issued electronically and the Emirates ID card arrives by courier.
The mistake people make here
Your visa count comes from the authority, the licence and the space you take — not from how much of the company you own. If you need several, build that into the package at formation. Adding them later is harder.
You are hiring someone, or a UAE company is hiring you.
Sponsor: The employing company · Usually takes: 2–4 weeks, longer if a certificate needs attesting
Who qualifies
- The company has a valid licence and Establishment Card with a spare visa slot
- The job title matches an occupation the authority recognises
- The employment contract is registered with the right authority
What you need
- Passport copy valid at least six months
- Passport-size photograph, white background
- Signed employment contract
- Attested education certificate where the role requires one
- Medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics
How it goes
- 01
Quota approval
We confirm the company has a visa slot free for the role.
- 02
Offer letter and contract
The offer goes out and the contract is registered before we apply for the permit.
- 03
Entry permit
Issued to the employee, who then enters the country or changes status here.
- 04
Medical and biometrics
Both in person, same as the investor route.
- 05
Visa issued
The residence visa is issued and linked to the employer.
The mistake people make here
Attesting certificates is what wrecks timelines. It goes through the UAE embassy in the country that issued the document, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, and you cannot rush it at the end. Start it first, not last.
You already have UAE residency and want to bring your spouse, children or parents.
Sponsor: You, as the resident · Usually takes: 2–4 weeks per person, once your own residency is issued
Who qualifies
- Your own residence visa is issued and valid
- Your income clears the threshold for the family members you are sponsoring
- You have a registered tenancy contract in your own name, big enough for the family
What you need
- Your passport, visa and Emirates ID
- Salary certificate or an equivalent proof of income
- Registered tenancy contract in your name
- Marriage certificate, attested and translated, for a spouse
- Birth certificate for each child, attested and translated
How it goes
- 01
Eligibility check
We check your income and your home against the current thresholds before we file anything.
- 02
Entry permit for each person
One application per family member.
- 03
Medical test
Needed above a certain age. Younger children are usually exempt.
- 04
Emirates ID and visa issued
Biometrics for each person, then the visa comes through.
The mistake people make here
Getting marriage and birth certificates attested and translated takes the longest, and it happens in the country that issued them. If you are planning the move, start the certificates before you leave.
Your visa is up for renewal, or you will be out of the country for a long stretch.
Sponsor: Unchanged from your original route · Usually takes: Start 30 days before expiry
Who qualifies
- The sponsoring company’s licence and Establishment Card are still valid
- You have not been outside the UAE longer than the rules allow
What you need
- Current passport, visa and Emirates ID
- Company trade licence and Establishment Card, valid
- Repeat medical fitness test
How it goes
- 01
Company documents first
The licence and Establishment Card have to be renewed before any visa attached to them can be.
- 02
Medical and biometrics
You redo the medical every renewal. Biometrics may be needed again too.
- 03
New visa and Emirates ID
A fresh visa and card for the next cycle.
The mistake people make here
Your residence visa lapses if you stay outside the UAE past a set period, commonly six months. A re-entry permit protects it — but you have to arrange it before you go, not after you have already overstayed.
Every step, start to finish
Two of these five steps need you here in person. We can handle everything else while you are anywhere in the world.
A five-step vertical sequence for obtaining a UAE residence visa. Step one, entry permit, issued once the company file is in order. Step two, status change or entry: either an in-country change, or you leave and re-enter. Step three, medical fitness test — a blood test and chest X-ray with results in two to five days; this step must be done in person in the UAE. Step four, Emirates ID biometrics — fingerprints and photograph by appointment; this step must also be done in person in the UAE. Step five, visa issued: the residence visa is issued and the Emirates ID card follows.
Two of the five steps happen in person, here. Medical results usually take two to five working days, and that step sets the pace for everything after it.
What residency actually gets you
Beyond the right to live here, residency gets you a few practical things people do not expect.
An Emirates ID
The ID everything else runs on — your bank account, your tenancy, your phone contract, a doctor’s appointment.
The right to bring your family
Once your own visa is issued, and as long as you meet the income threshold and have a home registered in your name.
A tenancy in your own name
Which is what makes sponsoring your spouse and children possible in the first place.
One thing to keep an eye on
Your visa lapses if you stay outside the UAE too long. A re-entry permit protects it — arrange it before you go, not after.
What you need for your residence visa
The investor and employee routes share most of this list. Two steps — the medical and the biometrics — need you here in person. Nobody can do them for you.
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What this list is
Requirements differ by emirate and visa type, and they get updated often. We confirm the current list for your route before you book anything.
Questions we get asked most
Usually two to four weeks once the company is licensed, as long as you are around for the medical test and the biometrics. Those two steps need you here in person, and they are the usual reason things slip when someone is travelling.
It depends on the authority, the licence and the office or desk you take — not on your activity alone. Anyone quoting you a number without knowing those three things is guessing. Tell us the number you want and we will find the packages that reach it.
Yes, once your own residency is issued. Sponsoring a spouse or children normally needs a tenancy contract in your name and an income above a set level, and the certificates need attestation and translation. We do the paperwork and tell you the current thresholds when you apply.
Your residence visa lapses if you stay outside the UAE past a set period — commonly six months. A re-entry permit protects it when you know you will be away longer. Tell us before you go, not after. It is far easier to arrange in advance.
No. An offshore company comes with no UAE residence visa eligibility and cannot trade inside the UAE. If residency is part of your plan, offshore is the wrong tool, and we will tell you that early rather than sell it to you.
Get started
Tell us who needs a visa
You, your team, your family. The number changes which licence package makes sense, so raise it early.
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Let’s get your visas moving
Tell us who needs a visa — you, your team, your family — and we will map out what it takes.
We reply within one working day.