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A Dubai family residence for a wife or children has no guarantee deposit on GDRFA's fee lists. Parents, parents-in-law and other humanitarian cases do: AED 5,000 per request, capped at AED 15,000. Visit visas for relatives carry an AED 1,000 or AED 2,000 guarantee, refunded through ICP for AED 25 in 2 days once the visitor leaves with no violations.
The hard part is the residence guarantee. GDRFA states the amount, not how or when you get it back.
Which family visas carry a guarantee
| Visa | Guarantee | Refund terms on the official page |
|---|---|---|
| Wife, husband, children (GDRFA family residence) | None listed | Not applicable |
| Parents, in-laws, stepchildren, wards (GDRFA humanitarian) | AED 5,000 per request, total up to AED 15,000 | Not stated |
| Humanitarian cases (ICP) | AED 5,000 per person, total up to AED 15,000 | Not stated |
| Cancelling your own ICP residence but keeping the family's | AED 5,000 | Not stated |
| Relative or friend visit visa (ICP) | AED 1,000 single, AED 2,000 multiple | Refunded after cancellation or exit, no violations |
| Relative or friend visit visa (GDRFA) | AED 1,000 single, AED 2,000 multiple | Collection and refund fee AED 40 |
| 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa (ICP) | AED 3,000 | Refunded after cancellation or exit, no violations |
Source: GDRFA family residence, humanitarian cases and relative visit pages; ICP issuing residency, cancellation, visa issuance and 5-year visa pages, checked .
ICP's issuing residency page also lists a guarantee per family member for investor's family residency. If you sponsor family as an investor in another emirate, check that line on the ICP page.
Parents and humanitarian cases
When you sponsor your mother, father or parents-in-law in Dubai, GDRFA's humanitarian page asks for "a financial guarantee of AED 5,000 shall be required for each request, provided that the total guarantee does not exceed AED 15,000". The permit lasts one year and is renewable, and every request goes to a committee case by case. The full file is on the parents visa in Dubai page.
What the page does not say:
- Whether the guarantee is refunded at all.
- When a refund can be asked for: on cancellation, on exit, or both.
- Whether a renewal needs a fresh guarantee or keeps the first one.
- Which service or channel handles the refund.
Ask GDRFA directly before you pay, and keep the receipt with the residence papers. You will need it years later.
The agency figures do not match
Agency blogs quote parent deposits that range far from GDRFA's figure, some lower per parent, some tied to the parent's age and health and much higher. None of those match the GDRFA page we read. Go by the official page for your emirate.
Visit visa guarantees, step by step
This is the refund the official pages explain best. ICP calls the service "Refund of fees for approved applications".
- Make sure the visitor has left the UAE, or the visa has been cancelled. See visit visa cancellation.
- Check there are no fines or violations on the file. Overstay runs at AED 50 a day, and the UAE overstay fine page shows how to check.
- If a circular was ever filed against the visitor, have it lifted first.
- File the refund on ICP smart services and pay the AED 25 fee.
- Wait for the money. ICP states 2 days.
GDRFA's relative visit visas charge an AED 40 collection and refund fee upfront, along with the AED 20 deposit service fee. The family visit visa page covers the full fee list.
What you need for a refund
- The receipt or transaction number from when the guarantee was paid.
- Proof the visa is cancelled, or the visitor's exit.
- A bank certificate with your account number and IBAN, which ICP asks for on its fee refund service.
- Access to ICP smart services as the sponsor who paid.
Fees and charges linked to refunds
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| ICP guarantee refund service | AED 25 |
| ICP guarantee deposit fee, paid with the visa | AED 20 |
| GDRFA deposit collection and refund fee | AED 40 |
| Overstay fine, deducted or charged before release | AED 50 per day |
Source: ICP refund and visa issuance pages, GDRFA relative visit pages, checked .
Fees versus guarantees
People mix these up. The guarantee is money held and returned. Visa fees are spent. ICP's fee refund service returns only issuance fees. Application and smart service fees stay with ICP.
Processing time
ICP states 2 days for the guarantee refund. No official page we read gives a time for GDRFA humanitarian guarantees. A refund deadline of 5 years is reported, but we could not confirm it on an ICP or GDRFA page. Do not wait.
Why refunds get held up
- The visitor overstayed, even by one day.
- A circular or absconding report is still open.
- The visa was never cancelled after the visitor changed status inside the UAE.
- The bank certificate is in a different name from the sponsor.
- The original receipt is lost and the transaction number cannot be found.
Official sources
- GDRFA humanitarian cases: parents guarantee, cap, permit validity.
- ICP issuing residency: humanitarian and investor family guarantees.
- ICP residency cancellation: AED 5,000 guarantee when the sponsor cancels alone.
- ICP visa issuance: visit visa guarantee and refund condition.
- ICP refund of fees for approved applications: AED 25 refund service, 2 days, circular rule.
- ICP refund of fees: issuance fees only, bank certificate.
- GDRFA 5-year multiple-entry visa: guarantee forfeited on violation.
Checked .
