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A spouse visa in Dubai is a family residence visa you get for your wife on your own residence. You need a salary of AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation, a suitable home and an attested marriage certificate. If she comes from abroad, government fees total about AED 1,020 for two years, and GDRFA processes each stage in 48 hours.
The same rules apply when a wife sponsors her husband. That case has a page of its own: husband visa in Dubai.
Can you sponsor your wife?
Check three things before you start.
- Salary. AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 when the employer provides housing. If part of your pay is a housing allowance, ask HR to show it on the salary certificate.
- Home. ICP wants housing that fits the family, owned or rented.
- Proof of marriage. GDRFA asks for a certified marriage contract. A certificate from abroad must carry the UAE embassy and MOFA attestation.
Your own residence also has to be valid. Her visa will end on the same day as yours, so a sponsor with only a few weeks left should renew first.
Spouse visa cost
| Item | Wife abroad | Wife in Dubai on a visit visa |
|---|---|---|
| Entry permit | AED 200 plus 5% VAT | AED 200 plus 5% VAT |
| In-country fees | none | AED 500, AED 10, AED 10 |
| Residence permit, 2 years | AED 200 plus AED 10, AED 10, AED 20 | same, plus the fee inside the country where charged |
| Medical, standard | AED 270 | AED 270 |
| Emirates ID, 2 years | AED 300 | AED 300 |
Source: GDRFA family entry permit and residence pages, ICP Emirates ID page, Dubai medical fitness charges, checked .
From abroad, that comes to about AED 1,020. If you married outside the UAE, add MOFA's AED 150 for the marriage certificate plus whatever the home country charges. Health insurance is required and priced by the insurer. The line-by-line breakdown is on family visa cost.
What Dubai agencies charge
Dubai visa agencies and setup firms publish about AED 2,000 to AED 6,500 for a spouse's first two-year visa, including medical, Emirates ID and insurance (published cost guides of 4 Dubai firms, checked ). The low end usually leaves out typing. The high end includes premium insurance and attestation.
Documents checklist
From you
- Passport and residence copy
- Employment contract
- Salary certificate showing the full monthly figure
- Tenancy contract and a recent water or electricity bill
From your wife
- Passport copy, valid at least 6 months
- Photo with a white background
- Attested marriage certificate
- Medical fitness result, after she arrives
- Health insurance
When she is already in Dubai
Many couples start with the wife on a visit visa. You can file her family entry permit from inside the country, so she does not need to fly out. The cost is the extra AED 500 plus the two AED 10 charges. If her visit visa runs out during processing, she risks overstay fines of AED 50 a day, so start early. Our guide to changing visa status in the UAE compares staying in and flying out.
Processing time
- Entry permit: 48 hours at GDRFA, 2 days at ICP.
- Medical result: 24 hours on the standard service, faster on paid options.
- Residence: another 48 hours at GDRFA.
- Window: she must finish the residence within 60 days of entering.
Wife visa in Abu Dhabi or another emirate
If your residence was issued in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or the northern emirates, the file goes to ICP rather than GDRFA. ICP charges AED 100 to apply, AED 100 per year of issuance and AED 100 for smart services. The Abu Dhabi family visa page covers the details.
After the visa is issued
- Her residence ends when yours ends.
- More than 180 days in a row outside the UAE cancels her residence.
- If you cancel your own visa, hers is cancelled first.
- Children can then join on your file. See children visa in Dubai.
Common reasons a spouse visa stalls
- Marriage certificate attested abroad but not by MOFA in the UAE.
- Her name spelt one way on the passport and another on the certificate.
- Salary certificate with a basic under AED 4,000 and no housing line.
- Her visit visa or old residence not cancelled when it should be.
- No health insurance at stamping.
How it works with us
Message us on WhatsApp or use the form on this page with your residence copy, salary certificate and your wife's passport. A visa adviser checks your salary against the rule, looks at the marriage certificate's stamps, and tells you whether she should apply from abroad or from inside Dubai. You get one total price before you pay. The team files the entry permit, books her medical and biometrics, and sends you the residence once it is issued. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service. GDRFA or ICP approves or refuses the visa.
If the permit is refused, the government does not return its fees. Before you pay, the adviser tells you in writing which part of our total, if any, you would get back.
Official sources
- GDRFA family entry permit: salary, marriage contract, fees, 60-day window.
- GDRFA family residence issuance: residence fees, medical over 18.
- ICP issuing residency: housing, validity, ICP fees.
- u.ae general provisions for residence: 180 days outside, cancellation order.
- MOFA FAQs: attestation fee.
Checked . Look at the GDRFA page again before you file.
