There are two ways to bring family to Dubai on a visit visa. You can sponsor them yourself, which since September 2025 needs a monthly salary of at least AED 4,000 for parents, children or a spouse, AED 8,000 for second or third degree relatives, and AED 15,000 for friends. Or you can buy them a tourist visa through a licensed agency, which has no salary rule for you at all and costs from $185.
The right choice depends on who is visiting, what you earn and how soon they need to travel. This guide compares both routes side by side.
Two ways to bring family to Dubai
You sponsor them yourself | Tourist visa through an agency | |
|---|---|---|
Who applies | You, as the UAE resident host | The agency, for each visitor |
Your salary | Must meet the ICP minimum for the relationship | Not part of the application |
What you provide | Your residence details, proof of income and proof of the relationship | Your address and a phone number |
Where | ICP or GDRFA channels, or an Amer or typing centre | Online, in a few minutes |
Who it suits | Hosts who meet the salary rule and want to sponsor directly | Anyone, including friends, cousins and hosts under the threshold |
Both routes end in the same thing: an e-visa that lets your relative enter the UAE and stay for a set number of days.
The sponsor salary rules
On 29 September 2025, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) set a minimum monthly income for residents who sponsor a visit visa for someone they know:
Who is visiting | Minimum monthly salary of the host |
|---|---|
First degree relative | AED 4,000 |
Second or third degree relative | AED 8,000 |
Friend | AED 15,000 |
Parents, children and a spouse are first degree relatives in every source. Brothers and sisters are not handled the same way everywhere: some reports place them in the first degree group and others in the second. If you are sponsoring a sibling, a grandparent, an in law or a cousin, confirm the category with the ICP or GDRFA before you apply, because it decides whether you need AED 4,000 or AED 8,000.
What sponsoring a relative yourself involves
When you sponsor a visit visa yourself, the application is built around you, the host. Expect to provide:
- Your valid UAE residence visa and Emirates ID
- Proof of your income, such as a salary certificate or employment contract
- Proof of the relationship, such as a birth or marriage certificate, which may need to be attested if it was issued outside the UAE
- Your relative's passport copy and photograph
Requirements can differ between Dubai, where visas are issued by the GDRFA, and the other emirates, which use the ICP. Check the current list with the channel you apply through.
The simpler route: a tourist visa for your relative
A tourist visa is applied for in your relative's own name, so your salary is never assessed. For each visitor we need:
- A clear colour scan of their passport bio page, with at least six months of validity
- A recent photograph on a white background
- A return or onward ticket dated inside their stay
- The address where they will stay and a contact number. If they are staying with you, that is your address and phone number. No invitation letter is needed.
Visas take 3 to 4 working days, or 24 to 36 hours on express for $50 more, and arrive as a PDF by email.
Visa | Stay | Price per person |
|---|---|---|
14 days | $185 | |
30 days | $205 | |
60 days | $325 | |
60 days | $390 |
Which route suits you
- You earn above the threshold and want to sponsor directly: the sponsored visit visa works, as long as you can supply the income and relationship documents.
- You earn under the threshold: a tourist visa is the way to bring them, because your salary is not part of it.
- You are inviting a friend: sponsoring needs AED 15,000 a month; a tourist visa does not.
- You are not sure which degree a relative falls in: a tourist visa avoids the question entirely.
- They need to arrive soon: express tourist visas take 24 to 36 hours.
Bringing parents for a longer stay
For parents who want to stay a while, the 60 days visa at $325 is usually the right choice. If they plan to leave the UAE and come back during the visit, for example to see other relatives in the region, choose the multiple entry version, because a single entry visa ends when they leave. Our guide to choosing 14, 30 or 60 days helps with the length.
A visit visa is for visiting. If you want your family to live with you in the UAE, that is a family residence visa, issued through your own residence file with its own medical and Emirates ID steps. We handle visit and tourist visas only.
What a family visit costs
Every visitor needs their own visa, children included, and children pay the same as adults. Two parents on 60 days visas cost 2 × $325, which is $650. A family of four on 30 days visas costs $820. Our Dubai visit visa price guide lists every price and the costs people forget.
Mistakes that spoil family visits
- Booking the return flight from the wrong date. The stay counts from the day they enter, not the day the visa was issued.
- Staying a few days too long. An overstay costs AED 50 a day and stays on their record for future visits. See what to do about an overstay.
- Passports close to expiry. Older relatives often travel on passports with less than six months left, which is not accepted.
- Applying at the last minute in busy seasons. Apply one to two weeks ahead; our guide to processing time explains why.
About this guide
The salary thresholds come from the ICP announcement of 29 September 2025 and can change; the channel you apply through has the final word on the documents. Prices are eDubai Visa's own, as listed on each visa page in October 2026. Approval of every application is decided by UAE immigration.
eDubai Visa is operated by Only Tourism L.L.C., a travel agency licensed in Dubai under Department of Economy and Tourism licence 690148. To compare every visa and apply, see all Dubai visas and prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much salary do I need to sponsor my parents on a UAE visit visa?
AED 4,000 a month. Parents, children and a spouse are first degree relatives, which is the lowest threshold set by the ICP in September 2025.
Can I sponsor my brother or sister for a visit visa?
Yes, but sources classify siblings differently: some as first degree relatives (AED 4,000) and some as second degree (AED 8,000). Confirm the category with the ICP or GDRFA before you apply.
How much salary do I need to sponsor a friend?
AED 15,000 a month. A tourist visa for your friend has no salary requirement for you.
What if I don't earn enough to sponsor my family?
Buy them a tourist visa through a licensed agency instead. It is applied for in their own name, so your salary is not assessed. We only need your address and a phone number.
Do my relatives need an invitation letter for a Dubai tourist visa?
No. If they are staying with you, we need your address and a contact number, not a formal invitation letter.
How long can my parents stay on a Dubai tourist visa?
14, 30 or 60 days, depending on the visa. The 60 days visa costs $325, or $390 for multiple entry. The stay counts from the day they enter.
Do children need their own visa to visit family in Dubai?
Yes. Every visitor needs their own visa, and children pay the same price as adults for the same visa.
Is a family visit visa the same as a family residence visa?
No. A visit visa lets relatives stay for a set number of days. A residence visa lets them live with you, and is issued through your own residence file with medical and Emirates ID steps.
About the author
Eunice Rollon
Dubai Visa Specialist, eDubai Visa
Eunice Rollon has spent more than six years filing UAE entry permits for travellers, and handles Dubai tourist, visit and transit visa applications at eDubai Visa day to day. Her work covers the part of the process most applicants find hardest to judge: whether a given passport and travel route qualifies, which visa length actually fits a trip, and what causes an application to be refused before it is submitted. She reviews the visa guidance published on this site for accuracy against current GDRFA and ICP practice. eDubai Visa is operated by Only Tourism L.L.C., a travel agency licensed in Dubai under Dubai Economy and Tourism licence 690148, trading since 2013.
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