In the interest of the UAE in maintaining family ties and achieving integration, the conditions for bringing a wife to be with her husband and children have been facilitated. In this article, dear reader, we will shed light clearly on everything related to the conditions for bringing a wife, from the conditions for entry permits to the residence visa and their requirements and fees and everything related to that. In the interest of the state in maintaining human rights and achieving order and security within the state, the state has therefore launched the rules for granting visas to expatriates and their families, where a resident who holds a valid residence permit may submit a request to bring his wife, provided that:

• The worker must have a monthly salary of no less than 4 or 3 thousand dirhams, with housing.

A resident, whether an employee, employer or investor, who holds a valid residency permit may sponsor his family members, including his wife, sons under 18 years of age, and unmarried daughters. When submitting a request to sponsor a resident’s family, the employee must meet certain conditions, most notably a minimum salary of AED 4,000 per month or a salary of AED 3,000 and housing. However, in March 2019, the condition that the sponsor be an employee was cancelled, and it is sufficient for him to be able to secure a monthly income of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 and housing.

Procedures for bringing a wife to the Emirates

The first stage in the procedures for bringing the wife to the Emirates along with the children is to obtain an entry permit or what is known as an entry visa. To obtain an entry visa, there are some documents that must be provided, such as:

• Entry permit application with a coloured personal photo with a white background.
• A copy of the sponsor’s passport and residence permit.
• A copy of the sponsor’s passport, valid for at least 6 months.
• Teachers, mosque imams, school bus drivers, colleges, universities and scientific institutes are exempted from this condition.
• Notarized lease contract.
• Last electricity bill.
• Marriage contract.
• Children’s birth certificate.
• A written pledge not to marry females over 18 years of age.
• Salary certificate and employment contract. The salary must not be less than 3,000 dirhams, with housing provided by the employer, or a value of no less than 4,000 dirhams if the contract does not specify housing.
• Receiving mail in case of regular order or receipt in case of urgent order.

After completing all these documents, the required documents and the form must be submitted to the Nationality and Passports Department. After that, the fees stipulated by the relevant authorities in the country must be paid, which are: 

• 110 AED for entry permit.
• Additional 100 AED in case of urgent request.

After obtaining the UAE visa and the entry of family members into the country, the resident sponsor who wishes to obtain residency for the family must complete all conditions for bringing the wife to the UAE and the procedures within a maximum period of 60 days from the entry of the wife and children into the United Arab Emirates.

The sponsor can sponsor residents in the UAE and their families and provide a residence visa for his wife and children, depending on the duration of the residence visa he enjoys, which may be for a period of one or two years for employees, according to their contracts with employers, or for a period of three years for employers and investors.

Conditions for bringing a wife to Dubai and obtaining residency

• Presenting the marriage contract, duly certified.
• Notarized lease contract.
• Latest water and electricity bill.
• Apply for a residence visa either online or through licensed printing offices.
• Passport copy of the sponsor and sponsored persons (wife and children).
• White background photos of wife and children.
• Husband’s salary certificate.
• A salary certificate from the employer showing the minimum monthly salary required in the relevant emirate.
• Original medical fitness certificate for wife and children after reaching the age of 18.
• A copy of the husband’s employment contract or the company contract if he is an employer.
• Valid work permit for the sponsor.

As of October 21, 2018, the sponsored person will be granted a one-year residence permit, renewable for an additional year, starting from the date of graduation from university, obtaining a high school diploma, or reaching the age of 18. The one-year residence permit fee is AED 100, and the same amount is paid upon renewal for another year. No financial guarantees are required from the sponsor for this visa. To benefit from this decision, the applicant must present educational certificates certified by the universities or schools in which the student is studying, whether inside or outside the country.

In order to complete the conditions for bringing a wife to the Emirates and completing the procedures for obtaining a residence permit for the family for the first time or renewing it, it is required that all family members over the age of 18 undergo a medical fitness examination determined by the state, which is conducted in one of the preventive medicine centers affiliated with the Ministry of Health to ensure that they are free from the following infectious diseases:

• HIV acquired by blood test.
• Pulmonary tuberculosis by chest x-ray.

If it is found that a family member is suffering from any of the diseases mentioned, he will be deported by the authorities, and the renewal of any residence visa will be refused.

As for the pulmonary tuberculosis test, if the residence renewal tests show that there is old or inactive pulmonary tuberculosis, the person is considered medically fit, provided that he is followed up by the Preventive Medicine Department or its equivalent government health authority, and the person is granted a health fitness certificate for residence stating the phrase “under treatment”. He then enjoys a one-year residence visa to monitor his condition.

Just as the husband has the right to bring his wife, the wife also has the right to sponsor her husband in the Emirates if she works in a profession that qualifies her for that, including: 

Teacher/Doctor/Engineer or equivalent positions, while the minimum salary of the eligible wife should be AED 5,000.

The profession of an employee or worker in the Emirates is no longer a condition for the possibility of bringing his family, as this condition has been replaced by the monthly income. The resident, whether an employee, investor or business owner and holding a valid residency, may bring his family members and request a residency visa for them in the UAE, if his monthly income meets one of the following conditions:

1. Minimum salary of AED 4,000.
2. Salary of 3,000 AED and accommodation.

The forms for requesting to bring in a resident’s family vary and diversify according to the sponsor’s work location, whether it is a “private sector” or “public sector”, a free zone, and many others.