Yes. A UAE Golden Visa holder can sponsor a visit visa for relatives and for friends too. You apply like any other UAE resident, through ICP or through GDRFA Dubai, if you hold a Dubai Golden Visa. The thing that decides your application is income. The visit visa has its own salary bands, based on how closely the visitor is related to you, and they apply to Golden Visa holders as well.
Below you’ll find who you can invite, how much you need to earn, what it costs, the papers and steps, and when a long-term family visa makes more sense than repeated visits.
Who can you invite on a visit visa?
You can invite relatives up to the third degree, plus friends. The UAE sorts visitors into four groups:
- First-degree relatives: father, mother, spouse, son, daughter
- Second-degree relatives: brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren
- Third-degree relatives: uncles, aunts, cousins
- Friends: anyone who isn’t related to you
Your Golden Visa route doesn’t change this. Whether you qualified through property, a bank deposit, a high salary, a business or a talent category, the visit visa looks at two basics: a valid UAE residence visa and a valid Emirates ID. Your golden visa covers the first, so you’re an eligible sponsor from day one.
One quick check before you start. Many nationalities can enter the UAE visa-free or get a visa on arrival. If your relative holds one of those passports, they don’t need a sponsored visit visa at all.
How much do you need to earn?
The income you need depends on who is visiting, not on your visa type. These monthly bands have applied to the relatives and friends visit visa since September 2025:
| Visitor | Examples | Minimum monthly income |
|---|---|---|
| First-degree relative | Parents, spouse, children | AED 4,000 |
| Second-degree relative | Siblings, grandparents, grandchildren | AED 8,000 |
| Third-degree relative | Uncles, aunts, cousins | AED 8,000 |
| Friend | Anyone not related to you | AED 15,000 |
This is where many Golden Visa holders get caught out. The Golden Visa removes the salary test when you sponsor your spouse, children and parents for residence. A visit visa is a separate service with its own rules, and it has no special Golden Visa track. So plan on meeting the same band as any other resident.
For salaried holders, that’s rarely a problem. The skilled professional route for a Dubai Golden Visa already needs a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000, which clears every band in the table.
The harder part is proving income when you don’t draw a salary. Income is normally shown with a salary certificate, an attested employment contract, or partnership papers and a trade licence if you own a business. If your golden visa is based on property or a bank deposit and you have none of these, ask an Amer centre or ICP which papers they’ll accept from you before you pay any fees.
Tip: Your Golden Visa proves you can live in the UAE. Your income papers prove you can host a visitor. Have both ready.
What does the visit visa cost?
The visa fee depends on how long your relative stays and whether they need to leave and come back. These are the GDRFA Dubai fees:
| Visa length | Single entry | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days | AED 200 | AED 300 |
| 60 days | AED 300 | AED 500 |
| 90 days | AED 400 | AED 700 |
On top of the visa fee, you pay:
- A refundable security deposit: AED 1,000 for a single-entry visa, AED 2,000 for multiple entry. You get it back after the visitor leaves on time.
- Health insurance for the visitor: AED 40 for 30 days, AED 60 for 60 days, AED 90 for 90 days.
- 5 percent VAT plus small service charges.
ICP fees for the other emirates are split into slightly different line items, so check the final total on the payment screen before you confirm.
Is multiple entry worth the extra cost? It is if your relative plans a side trip to Oman or wants to fly home for a family event in the middle of the stay. A single-entry visa ends the moment they leave. In Dubai, visitors on this visa can spend up to 120 days a year in the country in total.
What documents do you need?
Most delays come from one missing or unattested paper, so gather everything before you open the application:
- Your Emirates ID and passport copy
- Proof of your monthly income
- The visitor’s passport copy, valid for at least six months from the application date
- A recent colour photo of the visitor
- Proof of the relationship, such as a birth or marriage certificate
- Proof of where the visitor will stay, such as your tenancy contract or a hotel booking
- A copy of the visitor’s return ticket (ICP often asks for this)
Relationship certificates must be attested. A certificate issued outside the UAE usually needs attestation in the country that issued it and by the UAE embassy there, so start early if your papers aren’t attested yet. Friends don’t need a relationship document, but you do need to give a reason for the visit.
How do you apply it step by step?
Where you apply depends on which emirate issued your Golden Visa. If you hold a Dubai Golden Visa, you go through GDRFA Dubai. Golden Visa holders from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain go through ICP.
- Log in. Dubai residents use the GDRFA smart services website or app. Residents of other emirates use the ICP Smart Services portal or the UAEICP app. You can log in with UAE Pass on both.
- Pick the service. Choose the visit visa for a relative or friend, then pick single or multiple entry and 30, 60 or 90 days. GDRFA lists the conditions on its relative or friend visit visa service page.
- Enter the visitor’s details and upload the documents from the list above.
- Pay the visa fee, deposit, insurance and VAT by card.
- Wait for approval. In Dubai, most applications are processed within 48 hours. The e-visa arrives by email, and you forward it to your relative.
- Book the trip. Your relative must enter the UAE within 60 days of the visa being issued.
Prefer not to do it online? Any Amer centre in Dubai, or an ICP-approved typing centre in the other emirates, can file it for you. They charge an extra service fee, but they’ll also catch paperwork problems before you submit.
Tip: Keep the security deposit receipt. You need it to claim your refund, and it’s usually asked for if you extend the visa.
Can you sponsor while you’re outside the UAE?
Yes. A Golden Visa stays valid even if you spend more than six months abroad, which ordinary residence visas don’t allow. ICP also lets residents apply for a relative or friend visit visa from abroad through the UAEICP app.
The practical issue is accommodation. If you won’t be in the UAE yourself, you still need to show where your relative will stay, either your own home under your tenancy contract or a hotel booking.
Can the visit be extended?
Yes, from inside the UAE, as long as the authority approves it. You apply through the same channel you used to issue the visa before the current one runs out. Extensions still count toward the yearly limit, so in Dubai the total stay can’t go past 120 days in a year.
Visit visa or family residence: which is better?
For your spouse, children and parents, check residence before you book a third or fourth visit visa. This is where the golden visa really pays off. You can sponsor them for residence with no minimum salary, for the same length as your own visa. Your parents could hold a 10-year residence permit instead of you renewing visit visas every few months.
| Visit visa | Golden Visa family residence | |
|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Relatives up to third degree, and friends | Spouse, children of any age, parents |
| Salary test for you | AED 4,000 to AED 15,000 a month | None |
| How long | 30, 60 or 90 days per visa | Same length as your Golden Visa |
| Can they live in the UAE? | No, short stays only | Yes |
For siblings, grandparents, cousins and friends, your Golden Visa doesn’t offer residence, so the visit visa is the route. If one of them comes often, the five-year multiple-entry tourist visa may suit them better. They apply for it themselves, with no sponsor, and can stay up to 180 days a year. They’ll need to show a bank balance of at least USD 4,000 (or the same in another currency) over the six months before applying.
Frequently asked questions
Do Golden Visa holders need a minimum salary to sponsor a visit visa?
Plan on yes. The Golden Visa salary waiver covers residence for your spouse, children and parents, not visit visas. For visit visas, you need AED 4,000 a month for first-degree relatives, AED 8,000 for other relatives and AED 15,000 for friends.
Can I sponsor my brother or sister on a visit visa with a Golden Visa?
Yes. Siblings are second-degree relatives, so you need a monthly income of at least AED 8,000. You’ll also need an attested document that proves the relationship, such as both of your birth certificates showing the same parents.
Can a Dubai Golden Visa holder sponsor a friend?
Yes, through GDRFA Dubai, as long as you earn at least AED 15,000 a month. You’ll pay the visa fee plus a refundable deposit of AED 1,000 for a single entry or AED 2,000 for multiple entries.
Can I bring my parents on a residence instead of a visit visa?
Yes. A Golden Visa lets you sponsor your parents for residence with no minimum salary, usually for the same length as your own visa. It costs more upfront than one visit visa, but it saves repeated applications if they visit often.
How long does a visit visa for relatives take to approve?
In Dubai, most GDRFA applications are processed within 48 hours. ICP applications in the other emirates usually take a few working days once approved. Missing or unattested documents are the most common cause of delays.
Conclusion
A Golden Visa holder can sponsor relatives and friends on a UAE visit visa through GDRFA Dubai for a Dubai Golden Visa and through ICP for the other emirates. The Golden Visa’s no-salary rule doesn’t carry over, so you still need AED 4,000 a month for close family, AED 8,000 for other relatives and AED 15,000 for friends. Get your income proof and attested certificates ready, apply online, and for parents or a spouse, consider long-term residence instead.
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