How Green Visa holders can sponsor their family in the UAE

Dubai: If you are a Green Visa holder, you can sponsor your first-degree relatives in the UAE, too. The Green Visa or Green Residency is a self-sponsored five-year residency permit for freelancers, skilled employees and investors and partners in businesses in the UAE.

If you are a skilled worker who has a Green Visa issued in the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, or Umm Al Quwain, you can apply for your family’s UAE residence visa through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP).

How can I apply for the visa?

The visa application can be made through three channels:

1. The ICP Smart Services website: smartservices.icp.gov.ae
2. The ICP mobile app – ‘UAEICP’, which is available for Apple and Android devices.
3. A typing centre authorised by ICP – you can find the list of approved typing centres in each Emirate by visiting this link: https://icp.gov.ae/en/typing-offices/

Documents required

Here are the documents Green Visa holders need to submit to sponsor their family members:

• The original entry permit of each family member.
• Valid passport copy.
• Copy of the medical fitness test results of the family members. 
• Coloured passport sized photograph
• A copy of the sponsor’s health insurance card
• Front and back copy of the sponsor’s Emirates ID.
• Sponsor’s valid passport copy.
• Proof of kinship document – for example, a birth certificate or marriage certificate. According to ICP, if the documents are issued by a foreign government, then they must be legally translated into Arabic and attested by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC).

To find out how you can translate official and legal documents into Arabic, click here and for attesting documents through MOFAIC, click here.

• The sponsor’s tenancy contract.
• Proof of sponsor’s monthly income.

According to ICP, you may be asked to provide additional documents, depending on the information entered in the application.

How to apply for the visa online:

To sponsor your family’s UAE residence visa through the ICP Smart Services platform, you must first visit this link: https://smartservices.icp.gov.ae/echannels/web/client/default.html#/login and then follow the steps below:

1. Login using your UAE Pass, or through an ICP online account, if you already have one. 
2. Once you are logged in, you will be transferred to a personal dashboard on the app.
3. Next, click on the ICP department in your Emirate, for example - Federal Authority For Identity and Citizenship\Abu Dhabi or Sharjah.
4. Then, search for the ‘Green Residency Visa For Skilled Person Family Members – Issue’ in the search bar. The application for a visa will appear below.
5. Click on ‘Start Service’
6. Fill in the application and upload the required documents.
7. Next, pay the service fee using a credit or debit card.

Once you have made the payment, you will receive a confirmation from ICP that the application has been submitted.

It will take approximately two to five business days for a residency visa to be issued, once approved. You will receive a digital version of the residency permit at the email address that you have provided in the application form.

How much does the visa cost?

As per ICP, the final cost of the visa would depend on the application details and the sponsor must pay a security deposit. Here is an estimated cost breakdown, as per the authority:

• Request fees: Dh100
• Issue fees: Dh100
• E-services fees: Dh28
• ICP fees: Dh22
• Smart services fee: Dh100
Total cost – Dh350

This is only the cost of issuing the residence permit. Along with this process, you would also be required to apply for the Emirates ID, which you would need to pay for separately, as well as the medical fitness test for members who are above the age of 18.

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