Inviting family or friends to Dubai is easier when the visa route, documents and likely costs are clear before tickets are booked. Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) provides visit-visa services for relatives and friends, including 30-, 60- and 90-day options. The right route depends on the visitor’s plans and the evidence available to support the application.
This is a practical planning guide, not immigration advice. Requirements and fees can change, so use the official service page for the final check before paying or making non-refundable travel plans. If your guest is eligible for visa on arrival, that may be simpler; otherwise, confirm the suitable GDRFA service first.
Choose the stay length before you apply
The single-entry family-and-friends service is intended for visits of 30, 60 or 90 days. A multi-entry option is also available for visitors who genuinely need to leave and return during the permitted period. Do not pick a longer option simply because it seems flexible: the visitor should still have a clear travel plan, a valid passport and supporting documents that match the application.
| Visit option | Published government fee | Useful for | Key planning point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | AED 200 + VAT | A short family visit or school break | Allow time for approval before booking fixed dates. |
| 60 days | AED 300 + VAT | A longer stay with relatives | Check insurance and security-deposit charges. |
| 90 days | AED 400 + VAT | A substantial family visit | Keep proof of relationship and visit purpose ready. |
Important: add these charges to your budget. The base visa fee is only one part of the total. GDRFA also lists the following charges, subject to the individual application and current service conditions:
- Value Added Tax: 5%.
- Financial security deposit: AED 1,000.
- Security-deposit service fee: AED 20.
- Security-deposit collection and reimbursement fee: AED 40.
- Medical insurance: AED 40 for 30 days, AED 60 for 60 days, or AED 90 for 90 days.
- For an application made while the sponsored person is inside the UAE: Knowledge Dirham AED 10, Innovation Dirham AED 10, and inside-UAE fee AED 500.
Always check the final payment screen before submitting: the total can vary according to the applicant’s circumstances and the service channel.
The listed service fees are not necessarily the final total. GDRFA also publishes a AED 1,000 refundable security deposit, relevant service charges and medical-insurance amounts; an inside-UAE application may attract an additional AED 500. Read the service screen for the total that applies to the individual application.
Prepare the documents as one clear file
Poor scans, different spellings and missing relationship evidence are among the easiest avoidable delays. Make a secure folder for the visitor’s paperwork and compare every name and date with the passport before uploading.
For the GDRFA relative-or-friend service, the official requirements include:
- A recent personal photograph.
- A passport copy with at least six months’ validity.
- Documents supporting the relationship or reason for the visit, such as a marriage certificate or birth certificate where relevant.
- A salary certificate, employment contract or partnership documentation, depending on the sponsor’s employment arrangement.
- A home-country identity card for applicants from certain nationalities where requested.
Keep the visitor’s return or onward plan, accommodation details and any extra documents requested during the application together as well. They may not be identical for every nationality or individual circumstance. Families arranging a new baby’s documents can also use our Dubai birth certificate and residence-visa guide to understand a separate, resident-document process.
Apply through the appropriate channel
GDRFA lists digital channels, Customer Happiness Centres and AMER centres for the service. Online applicants sign in with UAE Pass or an account, select the relevant service, complete the details, upload documents and pay the applicable charges. The published expected completion time is 48 hours, but it is sensible to allow more time for document questions, public holidays or high-demand periods.
Avoid treating 48 hours as a guarantee. Wait for formal approval before presenting the visa as confirmed to your guest. If you are planning a fuller Dubai itinerary after the approval, our Dubai Invite guide explains the resident-and-visitor rewards programme, while 10 practical tips for moving to Dubai can help longer-stay visitors get familiar with the city.
Single entry or multi-entry: make the choice deliberately
Choose single entry for a straightforward holiday or family stay with no planned exit. Consider a multi-entry option only when the visitor has a genuine reason to travel out and return, and always read the issued visa’s own entry, validity and stay conditions. A visa category, a visa’s validity window and the number of days allowed after entry are different things.
Visitors arriving to explore a future move should not confuse a visit visa with residence, work or freelance permission. Our Dubai freelance visa guide and UAE Golden Visa myth guide explain separate routes with their own eligibility rules. For a regional side trip, Saudi Arabia’s Package Visa guide is a useful reminder that UAE residence does not automatically create visa eligibility elsewhere.
A simple pre-application check
Before you submit, pause for five minutes and check the basics:
- Passport validity is at least six months.
- The visitor’s name is identical across the passport, relationship evidence and application.
- The stay length fits the itinerary and visa requested.
- Every upload is readable, current and in the requested format.
- You understand the total fees, including any deposit, insurance and inside-country charge.
- You have saved the official reference page and payment confirmation.
That small checklist is often more useful than rushing through the form. It also means you can answer a request for an extra document without reopening old emails or guessing which version was uploaded.
Use official information for the final decision
For Dubai-issued family-and-friends visit visas, the GDRFA single-entry service is the best source for current requirements, channels, fees and processing expectations. The UAE Government family-residence guidance is useful when the actual plan is a dependent’s residence visa rather than a short visit.
Questions people often ask
Can a Dubai resident apply for a visit visa for a relative or friend?
Yes. GDRFA Dubai provides services for qualifying relative and friend visits; confirm the applicable service and current requirements before applying.
How long can a family or friend visit visa be issued for?
GDRFA lists 30-, 60- and 90-day options for the single-entry service. The issued visa is the final authority for its validity and stay conditions.
How much does a Dubai family visit visa cost?
Published base fees are AED 200, AED 300 and AED 400 for 30, 60 and 90 days respectively, plus VAT. Deposits, insurance and other charges can affect the total.
What passport validity is needed for the application?
The official GDRFA service lists a passport copy with at least six months’ validity.
How long does GDRFA say the application takes?
The service page lists an expected completion time of 48 hours. Allow extra time and wait for approval before finalising fixed travel plans.
