Dependants
For the family of a visa holder. The portal lists a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs.
Business setup · Visas
Get residence visas for owners and staff without the delays
Visa types through a company, how quotas work and what slows applications down.
Who this guide is for
A company licence does not give anyone residence by itself. Each person needs a visa, and each visa needs the company to be in order.
- Founders who want to live in the UAE through their own company.
- Partners and shareholders who will hold a visa through the licence.
- Employers who will sponsor staff, and who need to know how many visas their facility allows.
- Owners who want their family with them, and need to know who can be sponsored.
This page gives the overview. The investor and partner visa, the employee visa and the Golden Visa each have their own guide, linked below.
The visa types through a company
Investor and partner
For people who own or hold a share in a company. The UAE Government portal describes a green residence that covers investors and business partners, skilled workers and freelancers, with no sponsor.
Read moreEmployee
For staff sponsored by the company. The employer applies and pays, and the route differs for mainland and free zone employers.
Read moreGolden Visa
A long-term residence for qualifying investors, entrepreneurs and specialists, with thresholds set by the authorities.
Read moreOn validity, the UAE Government portal says sponsored residence visas run for 1 year to 3 years and unsponsored visas for 5 years to 10 years, and that a dependant's visa cannot outlast the sponsor's. Free zones state their own validity, and their pages do not always agree with each other, so confirm the validity for your zone before you plan renewal dates.
The process, step by step
The stages are the same in most cases. Who handles each stage depends on whether the company is on the mainland or in a free zone.
Entry permit
For a person outside the UAE, an entry permit is issued for a specific period or to complete work or family residence procedures. ICP says the holder must enter within 60 days.
Status change
For a person already in the UAE, the status inside the country is amended. GDRFA Dubai requires a new visa and the cancellation of the previous residence permit.
Medical fitness test
Applicants aged 18 and over need a medical fitness test, according to the UAE Government portal.
Emirates ID
ICP issues the Emirates ID together with the residence permit, and the application runs through the ICP Smart Services site or app.
Residence visa
The residence is issued and recorded. The visa is stamped or issued electronically.
Renew or cancel
Keep the visa in force with the company, and cancel it when the person leaves, using the authority's process.
A free zone often runs these stages for you through its own portal, and a mainland company uses the federal and Dubai channels. The stages are the same, and the contact points differ.
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Visa quotas and the office
The number of visas a company can hold is set by the licensing authority and follows the facility more than the activity.
On the Dubai mainland, a company asks GDRFA Dubai to open or increase its work visa quota with its commercial licence, establishment card, lease contract, the owner's passport, the Department of Economy and Tourism classification certificate and a letter of commitment to provide housing allowance where housing is not provided. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation awards work permit quotas for establishments without an application, if the company has a valid trade licence and a valid classification report.
Free zones set their own rules. IFZA requires registered office space with 4 or more visa allocations. Meydan says its licences can include up to 6 visa allocations. SHAMS says up to 50 per licence, depending on activity and office space, with requests above 10 reviewed against a business plan and bank statements. The DWTC Free Zone's on-demand licensing runs from no visas up to 6. DMCC links visas to the type and size of the facility.
Plan the office and the visas together. A company that buys the cheapest facility and then hires may find the allocation is too small, and upgrading changes the package.
Sponsoring family
The UAE Government portal says a visa holder can sponsor a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs. The sponsor needs a monthly salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. Family members aged 18 and over need a medical test. Green visa holders can also sponsor first-degree relatives, according to the same portal. Sponsorship of parents is not described on the official pages we could open, so confirm it with the authority.
Costs by category
Authority fees are published by ICP, GDRFA Dubai, MOHRE and each free zone. We quote the full cost, authority fees and ours, for your case.
Investor or partner visa
Get a quote
Authority fees and our fee, quoted per case.
Employee visa
Get a quote
Authority fees and our fee, quoted per case.
Dependant visa
Get a quote
Authority fees and our fee, quoted per case.
Establishment card
Get a quote
Authority fee and our fee, quoted per case.
Mistakes that delay visas
Letting the entry permit lapse
The permit must be used within 60 days, and the remaining steps finished in that window to avoid overstay fines.
Overstaying
ICP applies a fine of AED 50 for each day in the UAE after a visa expires or is cancelled.
Forgetting the establishment card
GDRFA Dubai notes a fine of AED 100 a month for not renewing the establishment card.
Buying too few visas
The allocation follows the facility. Changing it later costs time and money, so buy for the headcount you expect.
Grace periods after a visa expires or is cancelled depend on the visa category, and ICP lists different periods for different holders. Ask us for the period that applies to the person concerned.
Who handles what
Most delays come from sending a document to the wrong body, so know the split before you start.
For a mainland company, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation handles the establishment card, the work permit quota and the work permit. The immigration side, meaning the entry permit, the residence and the Emirates ID, runs through ICP, and in Dubai through GDRFA Dubai. For a free zone company, the UAE Government portal says the free zone authority, not the Ministry, handles the work permit and the residence visa for its employees.
No official page we opened sets out each step by body for both routes, so we do not draw that map for you here. We confirm the contact point for every stage before the first application, and we tell you which documents the next body will ask for so the file does not bounce. Keep one owner for the file inside your business as well, so that every body is dealing with the same person and the same set of documents from start to finish.
Validity, renewal and time outside the UAE
A visa is not a one-off task. It expires, and the Emirates ID expires with it, according to the UAE Government portal. Renewal runs through the same bodies as the first issue, and a company that holds several visas has several renewal dates. Put every date in one calendar and renew before the expiry, not after it, because a fine runs for each day after expiry.
The portal also says a residence visa can become invalid when its holder spends more than the permitted period outside the UAE, with exceptions for some categories, including Golden Visa holders, who can stay outside for longer than the usual six months. Owners who travel for work should check the rule for their own category before a long trip.
When someone leaves or the company closes
A visa is cancelled through the same route that issued it. For a private sector employee in Dubai, GDRFA Dubai asks for the Ministry's work permit cancellation extract before it cancels the residence. For an investor or partner, ICP asks for a commercial licence cancellation certificate. Cancelling the visa does not cancel the licence, and the reverse is also true, so plan both together.
After cancellation the person has a grace period to leave or change status. The periods differ by category and the official pages do not give one figure, so ask us for the period that applies to the person concerned before you tell them a date.
An illustrative example
Illustrative example, not a client
Two founders and one early hire
Two founders form a company in a free zone. They plan to hire one employee in the first year and bring their families later. One founder is already in the UAE, and the other is abroad.
We choose a facility whose allocation covers three people, plus room for one more. The founder abroad receives an entry permit and completes the stages inside the 60-day window. The founder already in the UAE follows the status change route, with the previous residence cancelled.
We then plan the employee's visa through the zone's employment route, and check the salary level each founder needs for sponsoring family. Calendar reminders go in for card and visa renewals, so no fine accrues.
Frequently asked questions
Does a company licence give me a visa automatically?
No. Each person needs a visa, and each visa needs the company to hold an establishment card and a visa quota or allocation.
What are the steps to get a residence visa?
An entry permit for someone outside the UAE, or a status change for someone already inside, then a medical fitness test, the Emirates ID and the residence visa itself.
How long is an entry permit valid?
ICP says the holder must enter within 60 days. The rest of the steps should finish inside that window to avoid overstay fines.
How many visas can my company have?
The licensing authority decides, and it usually follows the facility. IFZA requires registered office space with 4 or more allocations, SHAMS allows up to 50 depending on activity and office, and each zone sets its own rules.
How long is a residence visa valid?
The UAE Government portal says sponsored visas run for 1 year to 3 years and unsponsored visas for 5 years to 10 years. Free zones state their own periods.
Who can I sponsor?
A spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs, with a monthly salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation.
What is the fine for overstaying?
ICP applies AED 50 for each day in the UAE after a visa expires or is cancelled. Grace periods depend on the visa category.
What happens if I do not renew the establishment card?
GDRFA Dubai notes a fine of AED 100 a month for not renewing it.
Is a medical test required?
Yes for applicants aged 18 and over, according to the UAE Government portal. It is one of the stages before the residence visa is issued.
General information based on UAE rules at the time of writing. It is not tax or legal advice for your situation. Speak to us before you decide.
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