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A 90-day Dubai visa, the 3 month UAE visit visa, mostly comes from a UAE resident sponsoring a relative or friend. GDRFA charges AED 400 plus VAT for 90 days single entry, plus AED 90 for insurance and a refundable AED 1,000 guarantee, and states 48 hours. The other main route is the free 90-day visa on arrival for passports such as the UK, the US and most of Europe.
Which routes really give 90 days
Plenty of sites sell a "90 days tourist visa" without saying what it is. Here is what the official pages actually offer:
| Route | 90 days possible? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist visa from a tourism company | No | GDRFA sells 30 and 60 days; an extension can take the total to 120 days |
| Relative or friend visit visa | Yes | Resident sponsor, salary tier, guarantee deposit |
| Visa on arrival, 90-day list | Yes | 74 passports, 90 days in total within 6 months |
| Job seeker or business exploration visa | Yes | 60, 90 or 120 days, no sponsor, conditions apply |
| 5-year tourist visa | Yes, per stay | Up to 90 days each visit |
For grandparents, parents and in-laws coming to see family, the sponsored visit visa is the normal answer. The rest of this page is mostly about that route and the visa on arrival.
Fees for the sponsored 90-day visit visa
| Item | Single entry | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|
| GDRFA visa fee, 90 days | AED 400 plus VAT | AED 700 plus VAT |
| Health insurance | AED 90 | AED 90 |
| Guarantee deposit (refundable) | AED 1,000 | AED 2,000 |
| Deposit service fee | AED 20 | AED 20 |
| Deposit collection and refund fee | AED 40 | AED 40 |
Source: GDRFA relative or friend visit visa pages, single and multiple entry, checked .
Outside Dubai, ICP builds the fee differently: AED 100 application, AED 100 issuance per month of stay for single entry or AED 200 per month for multiple entry, AED 100 smart services, the same AED 1,000 or AED 2,000 guarantee and an AED 20 deposit fee. Dubai residents use GDRFA. Residents of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the other emirates use ICP.
What Dubai agencies charge for 90 days
We found no published agency range we could compare for a 90-day visit visa: only one Dubai agency shows a price in AED, and it does not say which visa it is. For a new 90-day visa issued while the visitor is already inside the UAE, with the status change, 2 Dubai agencies publish about AED 2,850 to AED 5,500 (checked ).
Who can sponsor, and the salary they need
ICP groups visitors by how close they are to the host:
- First degree: father, mother, spouse, son, daughter. Host salary AED 4,000 a month.
- Second degree: brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren. AED 8,000.
- Third degree: uncles, aunts, cousins. AED 8,000.
- Friend: anyone not related. AED 15,000.
The host must hold a valid UAE residence with an active sponsor file. Emirates, which also arranges sponsored visas for its passengers, uses its own table: AED 4,000 for a spouse, children and parents, AED 5,500 for siblings, AED 7,000 for siblings-in-law and AED 10,000 for friends and other relatives. The two tables do not match. If you apply through ICP or GDRFA, the ICP tiers are the ones to meet.
Documents for a family 90-day visa
- Visitor's passport, valid 6 months from entry, and a white-background photo.
- Host's passport copy, residence visa and Emirates ID.
- Host's salary certificate or employment contract showing the monthly salary.
- Proof of relationship, such as a birth or marriage certificate, and the reason for the visit. GDRFA asks for both. For a friend, the reason for the visit carries the weight.
- Health insurance valid in the UAE (GDRFA issues it with the visa for AED 90).
- A birth certificate copy for any child visitor.
The 90-day visa on arrival
If the visitor holds one of 74 passports on the Emirates list, there is nothing to apply for. The stamp at the airport is multiple entry, valid 6 months from issue, with 90 days in total. The list includes the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Brazil, Argentina and almost all of the EU. Once a European visitor has used the full 90 days, Emirates says they can apply for a pre-arranged visit visa. Mexican citizens get a 180-day version. MOFA marks Moldova and North Macedonia as visa required even though Emirates lists them, so those passports should check with ICP first. Our UAE visa on arrival page has the full list.
Processing time
GDRFA quotes 48 hours for relative and friend visit visas. ICP quotes 2 days. The visitor then has 60 days from the issue date to enter the UAE.
Why sponsored 90-day visas get refused or held
- Host salary below the ICP tier for that relationship, or salary proof that does not match the contract.
- Relationship papers with names spelled differently from the passport.
- A visitor with a past overstay or violation in the UAE.
- Missing documents not sent within 30 days, after which GDRFA cancels the request.
Planning a stay past 90 days
ICP's visa issuance page caps a visit visa at 120 days in total, but the ICP and GDRFA extension pages allow relative visits up to 180 days. Until the authority settles the conflict, plan on 120 days and treat anything longer as a case to confirm. Each GDRFA extension is AED 600 plus VAT. See Dubai visa extension. Overstay costs AED 50 a day and the guarantee can be held back. For parents who will spend most of the year in Dubai, a 5-year Dubai visa may cost less over time.
How it works with us
The UAE resident, or the visitor, sends the passport copy, the host's Emirates ID and a note on the relationship by WhatsApp or the form on this page. A visa adviser checks the salary tier, the right authority (GDRFA or ICP) and whether a visa on arrival already covers the visitor. You get one total price, confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay, with the refundable guarantee shown on its own line. The team files the application, handles queries and sends the e-visa. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service. GDRFA or ICP alone approves or refuses it.
Government fees are not returned by the authorities after a refusal. The guarantee follows the official refund rules. Before payment, your adviser tells you in writing what part of our total, if any, would come back.
Official sources
- ICP visa issuance: ICP fees, salary tiers, relationship degrees, guarantee refund, 120-day cap, entry window.
- GDRFA relative or friend visit visa, single entry: 90-day fee, insurance, deposit.
- GDRFA relative or friend visit visa, multiple entry: multiple entry fee and AED 2,000 guarantee.
- ICP visa extension: 180-day limit for relative visits.
- ICP guarantee refund: AED 25 refund service.
- Emirates UAE visa information: 90-day visa on arrival list, airline sponsor salary table.
- MOFA visa exemptions: visa free or visa required by country.
All checked .
