UAE residence visa.

How residence is obtained

The UAE does not grant permanent residency; it grants renewable residence visas. In practice this is not a disadvantage — renewal is straightforward, and many long-term residents live here this way for years.

The main routes to residence:

• Taking a job with a UAE company (employer sponsorship)
• Setting up a company in the UAE — usually the fastest route
• Obtaining a freelance permit
• Enrolling at a university
• Being a dependant of a resident
• Meeting the Golden Visa criteria
• Owning property in the UAE above a defined value

The process

If you're obtaining residence through a company, the order is:

1. Incorporation and issue of the trade licence
2. Obtaining the establishment card
3. Issue of the entry permit
4. Entry to the UAE and the medical examination
5. Biometric registration and Emirates ID application
6. Residence stamping in the passport

Most of this can be run from abroad. Two steps require you to be in the UAE: the medical and the biometrics. Those usually take a few working days, so we plan your trip around them.

Sponsoring your family

Once you hold residence you can sponsor your spouse, your children and — if you meet the conditions — your parents. If family members are outside the UAE, an entry visa is issued first; after arrival you apply for the residence stamp.

• A minimum monthly income threshold applies for spouse and child sponsorship; a lower threshold may apply where accommodation is provided.
• The threshold for sponsoring parents is markedly higher, and suitable accommodation is required.
• Family members over 15 require a medical examination.
• A marriage certificate issued abroad must be properly attested.

Income thresholds and document lists are updated by authority decision. We confirm the current figures and give you the up-to-date list before applying.

Validity, renewal and cancellation

• Residence visas are generally valid for two or three years; the term varies between free zone and mainland and by visa type. The Golden Visa runs ten years.
• To keep the visa valid you must not remain outside the UAE for more than six months.
• Renewal means repeating the medical before expiry and refiling — simpler than the first issue.
• Cancellation is initiated by the sponsor. If you are closing the company or leaving the country, we handle the cancellation too.