Dubai’s new family visa regulations open the door for expatriates to bring their parents closer, offering a unique opportunity for family reunification and support. The Parent Residence Visa allows parents to legally reside in the UAE, either on a renewable one-year basis or for an extended 5 or 10-year period if the sponsor holds a long-term visa. In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about the requirements for parents residence visa in Dubai, including eligibility, the application process, and the benefits of having your parents live with you in the UAE.
What is a Parent Residence Visa?
The Parent Residence Visa is a type of family sponsorship visa in the UAE. It allows a qualified expatriate resident to sponsor his or her parents for legal stay in the UAE. Typically issued for one year at a time, the visa lets the parents live with the sponsor and enjoy resident privileges. Importantly, Dubai now offers extended “Parents Golden Visas” – for example, sponsors holding a 10-year Golden Visa can obtain a 10-year residence visa for their parents. This long-term option removes the need for annual renewals and even waives the usual deposit in many cases.
Parent Residence Visa means legal status and family unity. Parents can live in Dubai without repeated tourist visas and can enjoy access to healthcare, travel flexibility, and other rights of residents. This visa is especially important for family support and care, allowing grown children to fulfill cultural and emotional duties to their elderly parents. It essentially treats parents like dependents (similar to a wife or child visa), subject to certain rules.
Parents Residence Visa Requirements in Dubai
A Dubai Parent Residence Visa requires fulfillment of multiple requirements by the sponsor who can either be the child or his or her child-in-law. Here are major requirements for parents residence visa in Dubai:
- Minimum Salary: resident must earn The visa eligibility starts with proof of a monthly income of at least AED 20,000* or the combination of AED 19,000* salary with company-provided two-bedroom accommodation. The enhanced financial requirements guarantee both the parents receiving support from their sponsor.
- Valid UAE Residency: The sponsorship process requires both the holder of the visa and the parent applicants to possess a valid residence permit from UAE which must have at least one year to two years remaining until expiration. The sponsor needs to show housing facilities sufficient to support his parents.
- Accommodation Proof: The property ownership or rental contract known as Ejari or a title document must be under the sponsor’s management. Dubai migration authorities establish a requirement of sponsoring a lease agreement in the applicant’s name for offering a family visa approval. UAE residents must have a policy of complete health insurance to handle their visa period for both parents. Each policy needs to fulfill specified minimum protection levels and the insurance contract requires yearly renewal.
- Health Insurance: It is mandatory for both parents to obtain a UAE visa because they need full-term coverage through a medical insurance policy. Annual renewal of the insurance plan requires the policy to maintain specified minimum coverage levels.
- Medical Fitness: The visa procedure demands all parents above 18 years to get tested at approved UAE health centers for HIV and Tuberculosis as part of their medical fitness requirements.
- Sole Support Declaration: To qualify, the sponsor must prove they provide all financial support to their parents alone, since no other person exists in their home country to care for them. Embassy officials must provide an accredited affidavit which establishes the family conditions of the sponsor.
Who Can Sponsor Parents for a Residence Visa in Dubai?
Dubai residence visa eligibility extends to expatriate residents of the UAE- male and female residents who fulfill these requirements. Specifically, the sponsor can be:
- Adult children of the parents who are valid UAE visa holders, can sponsor their parents as long as the child qualifies for visa sponsorship. A UAE residence visa eligibility extends to both male and female children who fulfill the required salary threshold and accommodation standards.
- Son-in-laws as well as daughter-in-laws holding similar qualifications can become valid sponsors for their parents-in-law through the residence visa process.
- A son or daughter who is a UAE resident with valid citizenship can request permission from his wife to bring her parents to the country through sponsorship.
Very rare cases exist where relatives other than children can seek sponsorship approval from UAE authorities if the child seeks sponsorship but cannot meet the criteria. The laws in the UAE allow UAE citizens to provide better opportunities to sponsor their parents through alternative requirements. Dubai permits both, male and female expats to act as sponsors for their parents if they satisfy the set income standards and document requirements.
Required Documents for Parent Residence Visa in Dubai
Here is the list of documents required for the application process of a residence visa for parents in the UAE:
- Passport copy (Sponsor)
- UAE residence visa copy (Sponsor)
- Emirates ID copy (Sponsor)
- Salary certificate or employment contract (attested by MOFA) / Trade license or ownership documents
- Recent bank statements (3–6 months)
- Registered Ejari tenancy contract or title deed
- Utility bills (if applicable)
- Parents’ passport copies
- Passport-sized photos of parents
- Attested birth certificate of the sponsor
- Marriage certificate (if applicable)
- No Objection Letter / Affidavit (from embassy/consulate)
- Health insurance policy (for each parent)
- Medical fitness certificate
- Visa application forms (entry permit/status change)
All necessary documents must be fully legible before requiring official translation (if non English/Arabic) or attestation procedures for the UAE. Before proceeding it is important to verify with the immigration services of ICA or GDRFA for any modifications. A complete file will help avoid delays because minor errors or omissions occur during the process.
Step-by-Step Process of Obtaining Parents Residence Visa in Dubai
Several steps constitute the process of obtaining a Parents Residence Visa. The standard application progress for Dubai follows the below pattern:
Entry Permit Application
The family entry permits also known as one-year visa requests are submitted to immigration agencies by sponsors on behalf of each parent. A resident of Dubai applying for a family entry permit files their request through the Federal Authority (ICA) either online or at any GDRFA/typing center located in Dubai.
To obtain an entry permit with its associated security deposit (AED 2,500 per parent in Dubai) the sponsor needs to make the payments. The immigration authority maintains a security payment serving as refundable compensation. All application documents from the listed collection including passport copies, salary proof along with tenancy and insurance documents (etc.) will be needed.
Visa Approval & Entry
When the entry permit gets approved by authorities, the sponsor becomes the recipient of this permit through the online system. Parents need to visit the UAE territory during the permit duration which remains 60 days.
The sponsor must use the initial 60-day period to submit their application for an actual residence visa after parental arrival into the country. A visitor to the UAE can obtain the “status change” without entry by their sponsor if the request happens within the first 60 days after submission.
Medical Fitness Test
The medical fitness testing happens directly upon arrival in Dubai or shortly afterwards through Dubai Health Authority or Emirates Health Services medical centers. The medical assessment requires testing for both tuberculosis and HIV. Results are automatically shared with the immigration system. The visa will not be issued when a parent receives an unfavorable result during the health check process.
Emirates ID Registration
When registering for the medical test parents need to complete Emirates ID fingerprint registration and picture taking procedure at authorized typing centers or Emirates Post locations. As part of the residence visa procedure the Emirates ID application gets directly connected to the visa through an automatic mechanism.
Visa Stamping (Finalization)
The sponsor sends their visa stamping request after their medical examination results become valid and when they have registered for Emirates ID. The e-channel together with GDRFA offices accept the required documents including entry permit printout insurance policy tenancy and medical fitness certificate.
At this stage the sponsor dedicates the stamp fee payments toward the residence visa. The parents’ passports receive residence visa stamps after processing which depend on the sponsor’s status for durations of 1, 2, 5, or 10 years. Emirates ID cards reach the sponsor’s mailing address or are available for collection.
Residence Visa Issuance
Currency authorities finalize the procedure by distributing the official visa stamp together with the Emirates ID documents. The visa approves parents to live lawfully in the UAE for its specified period. Parents need to renew their visa before it reaches expiration date (which is annual or according to individual terms). GDRFA/ICP returns the security deposit either by bank transfer or credit after visa expiration or cancellation.
All steps demand strict adherence to the department of immigration’s specified procedures and deadlines (an example is obtaining stamping services within the 60-day time window). Consulting with an area Professional Representative alongside tracking the process online increases the chances of performing all procedures with efficiency.
Cost of parent residence visa in Dubai
The process of sponsoring parents to Dubai requires various expenses at government and service level, that change according to visa length and residency status. Long-term Golden Visa options provide better cost efficiency for visa holders since they reduce expenses that come with annual deposits and renewals that one-year visas require. The estimated costs for 2025 can be divided into three sections outlined below:
| Expense Type | Estimated Cost (AED) |
| Security Deposit | 2,500* (per parent) |
| Entry Permit Fee | 100*–150* |
| Medical Test | 200*–400* |
| Emirates ID | ~100*/year |
| Health Insurance | 1,000*–5,000*/year |
| 1-Year Visa (Standard) | ~8,832* |
| 5-Year Visa (Golden Visa) | ~5,154* |
| 10-Year Visa (Golden Visa) | ~6,054* |
Benefits of parent’s residence visa in Dubai
The process of sponsoring parents to live in Dubai through residency visa provides emotional, legal, and practical benefits:
Family Unity and Support
The availability of parents under a residence visa enables families to stay connected while providing emotional backing to each other. Expatriates with elderly parents’ experience additional comfort through this opportunity because it allows them to share daily life and celebrate traditions and provide mutual care.
Legal Residency
Parents gain UAE legal residency through the residence visa which eliminates their need for consecutive entry visas. The Emirates ID provides them with convenient access to basic functions like banking and lease signing and protects them from visa consequences.
Healthcare Access
The mandatory health insurance provides parents full access to Dubai’s healthcare services and enables them to seek treatment in hospitals or consult doctors under their UAE policy whenever medical assistance is needed. Such healthcare coverage matches the standards afforded to UAE residents which demonstrates protection of their well-being.
Travel flexibility
Parents with a UAE residence visa enjoy travel convenience because they obtain visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to various nations similarly to their sponsor’s passport benefits. The arrangement grants increased freedom for country home visits because reentry permit applications become unnecessary.
Daily convenience
The presence of parents in Dubai creates daily practical advantages that help with children’s maintenance needs, especially when such parents need medical attention. This arrangement reduces the expense of hotel accommodations and travel expenses and full-time foreign caregiver employment providing various types of relief both practically and financially.
Golden Visa Stability
Extended stability can be obtained through the Parents Golden Visa program since it provides them with up to 5 or 10-year permanent residency that avoids the need to renew their visas regularly and process paperwork each year. The residency program leads to extended security because it decreases testing requirements while lowering expenses throughout the extended duration.
Conclusion
The Parent Residence Visa program of Dubai presents expatriates with an excellent chance to bring their parents together under one roof. If the requirements for parents residence visa in Dubai through document submission are fulfilled, then the visa application process becomes simpler. Applications for parents’ residence start early since the deadline for submission runs from the moment parents arrive up to 60 days afterward. Correct preparation makes it possible for Dubai visa permits that enable parents’ entry which allows them to experience family togetherness as a Dubai resident.
Planning to Apply for a Parent Residence Visa in Dubai? Let Xpert Advisory handle the process from start to finish professionally. We specialize in family and dependent visa services, ensuring your parents’ residence visa journey is smooth, timely, and stress-free. Contact us today and let our experts take the stress out of the process!
FAQs
What Are the Key Requirements for Parent Visa in the UAE?
To apply for a residential visa for parents, the applicant must meet the minimum salary requirement, provide a valid tenancy contract that fulfills accommodation requirements, and secure medical insurance coverage.
How Can You Sponsor Your Parents in UAE for a Residence Visa?
To sponsor your parents in UAE, submit an application with required documents, pay the visa fee, and complete verification at the consulate. Visa validity is typically one year and renewable.
Can a UAE Resident Apply for a Long-Term Visa for Parents?
Yes, UAE residents can apply for a long-term visa for parents by fulfilling all sponsorship conditions and submitting documents through official immigration channels.
