How to sponsor your parents in the UAE

Dubai: If your parents are living in your home country and do not have anyone to look after them, how can you sponsor their visa in the UAE? These are all the immigration requirements you need to fulfil when you apply for your parents’ residence visa in the country.

Minimum salary

To sponsor parents, you must earn a minimum salary of Dh20,000 or a monthly pay of Dh19,000 plus a two-bedroom accommodation. You must also obtain a medical insurance policy for your parents, with the minimum coverage stipulated for each.

Once the visa is issued, it will be valid for one year, after which you would need to apply for renewal.

Who can apply?

The parents’ visa can be applied for by the couple’s:

• son

• daughter

• son-in-law

• daughter-in-law

However, if the sponsoring resident is a son- or daughter-in-law, their application would need the approval of the humanitarian section within the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), according to Kashif Ali, Business Development Consultant at Emirates Zone PRO.

“You would be required to submit some documents like the reason behind applying for your in-laws’ visa, a kinship certificate and other different documentation. However, if the son and the daughter are the sponsors applying for the visa, then as long as they fulfill the basic requirements, there is no need for such an approval,” Ali told Gulf News.

You would be required to submit some documents like the reason behind applying for your in-laws’ visa, a kinship certificate and other different documentation. However, if the son and the daughter are the sponsors applying for the visa, then as long as they fulfill the basic requirements, there is no need for such an approval.

- Kashif Ali, Business Development Consultant at Emirates Zone PRO

Bring both parents

Another requirement to keep in mind is that you cannot bring only one of your parents under your sponsorship.

According to the UAE government’s official website – u.ae – an expatriate employee needs to sponsor both parents together. They also need to provide proof that they are their sole support and that there is no one to take care of them back home.

If one of the parents has passed away or if the parents are divorced, the sponsor has to show the related official documents as justification to sponsor only one of the parents.

Affidavit or dependency certificate

The affidavit is provided by the embassies or consulates of the respective countries. If the affidavit is in English, it should be legally translated to Arabic and both the father and mother need to prepare a separate affidavit.

- Sirajudeen Ummer, Public Relations Officer at Dubai-based First Gate Business Services

You would also need to provide a dependency certificate, attested from your consulate stating that you will take care of the sponsored parents and be responsible for their well-being.

“The affidavit is provided by the embassies or consulates of the respective countries. If the affidavit is in English, it should be legally translated to Arabic and both the father and mother need to prepare a separate affidavit,” Sirajudeen Ummer, Public Relations Officer at Dubai-based First Gate Business Services, told Gulf News.

Documents required

If you fulfil the criteria listed above, these are the documents you need to submit to apply for your parents’ visa:

From the sponsor

• Passport copy (in colour), where the passport is valid for at least six months

• Original Emirates ID

• House rental contract showing a minimum two bedroom apartment. If you are a Dubai resident, you would need to submit the Ejari. For other emirates, you would need to submit your rental contract along with the electricity bill.

• Labour contract, showing a basic salary above Dh20,000. For government, semi-government and free zone employees, an Arabic salary certificate is required.

• IBAN number

• Mobile number, email ID and P. O. Box number.

• Birth Certificate (Optional - for relationship with dependent)

From the dependent

• Passport copy (in colour), where the passport is valid for at least three months

• Sworn affidavit/dependency certificate

• Passport sized photograph

Fees

• Personal file for sponsor - Dh280 (applicable for the first time)

• Entry permit – out of country Dh530

• Security Deposit (Refundable) - Dh2,600 for Dubai, the deposit amount can vary depending on the emirate you are applying from

• Medical fitness test – Dh345

• Emirates ID - Dh170 for one year

• Visa stamping - Dh400 (normal), Dh480 (urgent)

According to Ummer, if the sponsor’s parents are inside the country, an additional fee of Dh1,330 is applied as ‘Change of status - Inside country’ fee.