How long does it take to get a family residence visa in the UAE?
Top tips from experts on how to apply for your family’s UAE residency
Dubai: If you are new to the UAE and are planning to bring in your family members, you might be wondering how long the entire process may take. According to experts who spoke to Gulf News, the family residence visa application process can easily be completed within a week, if all your papers are in place.
“It will take a maximum of seven working days, it depends on the approval of the application. Sometimes, we apply for the visa in the morning and the approval comes at night. Then you need to go for the medical fitness test and the Emirates ID biometric scan. Sometimes, it may take time to get an appointment for the biometric scan, but the whole process can be easily completed in a week in most cases,” Shafiq Muhammad, Chief Supervisor at Horizon Gate Government Transactions Centre, told Gulf News.
It will take a maximum of seven working days, it depends on the approval of the application. Sometimes, we apply for the visa in the morning and the approval comes at night.
If you do plan to first bring your family to the UAE on a visit visa, remember that applying for their residence visa later would cost you a little more, as you would need to apply for a ‘change of status’ process.
“You need to first apply for the entry permit, whether they are currently in the UAE or outside. But if they are already here on a visit visa, the entry permit, which is called ‘entry permit/inside country’, will cost you more. You also need to apply for status change, so it will be approximately Dh1,800 more expensive, compared to if your family was outside the UAE,” Muhammad advised.
Here is a breakdown of the cost list, which you would need to keep in mind.
Family residence visa cost list
• File opening charge – Dh269
• Entry permit – Dh500 (if the family is outside the UAE) or Dh1,180 (if your family is already in the UAE)
• Change of status (if your family is already in the UAE) – Dh675
• Medical fitness test – Dh320
• Emirates ID – Dh170 for 1 year, Dh270 for two years, Dh370 for three years, Dh690 for five years and Dh1,198 for 10 years.
• Visa stamping – Dh500
Three factors that affect the final cost of the visa
1. If the family members are in the country or abroad.
2. If they need to get medical fitness test.
3. For how many years is the visa being issued?
You would not need to apply for a medical fitness test for children who are under the age of 18 or for the Emirates ID biometric for children under the age of 15.
You can then get an estimate of the visa cost, based on the cost list above, depending on the age and number of your family members. It is also important to remember that if you are applying for the visa through a typing centre or agent, they would charge you an additional service fee.