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A spouse visa in Dubai for a business owner works the same way as for anyone else: you sponsor your family on your own residence visa. As a free zone owner, that means your investor or partner visa through your company. The federal rule on u.ae asks for a salary of at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. Then the zone adds its own dependant fee and, sometimes, a deposit.
Who you can sponsor
The u.ae family residence page names four groups: your spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25, and children with special needs. Each one gets their own residence visa and Emirates ID, linked to yours. If your visa is cancelled, theirs is affected too, which matters when you sell or close the company.
Dependant visa fees by free zone
| Free zone | Dependant visa | Deposit or extra |
|---|---|---|
| Meydan Free Zone | AED 6,000 service | AED 3,000 per dependant for investor or partner visa holders |
| SPC Free Zone | AED 5,000 | Health insurance not included |
| ADGM | AED 2,607.39 above 18, AED 2,094.89 below 18 | New visa, applying from outside the UAE |
| Ajman Free Zone | Not published | Higher salary and guarantee rules, see below |
Source: Meydan family visa guide and cost calculator, SPC calculator, ADGM fee schedule and the Ajman Free Zone FAQ, checked .
Meydan's figure is a service price that runs 10 to 15 business days. ADGM's figures are government service fees, so medical and Emirates ID may sit on top. Only one private agency publishes a full family visa price, so we do not print an agency range here.
Ajman Free Zone sets a higher bar
Ajman Free Zone is the clearest example of a zone going past the federal rule. For employees it asks for a minimum salary of AED 4,500. For an investor, the salary written on the entry permit must be more than AED 10,000. A female investor on a smart office or business centre lease pays an AED 20,000 guarantee to the zone, plus AED 3,000 per person to ICP. Its Pioneers package and freelancer members do keep the right to family sponsorship.
The lesson for any zone: the salary on your own visa file is what the family application is checked against. Set it with the family visa in mind when you file your investor visa, not after.
Insurance and renewals
Budget for health cover per person. SPC says insurance is not part of its packages and starts from AED 450 a month on its own figures. Other zones price it separately or leave it to you.
Family visas then follow your own. Before each renewal, check the company licence and the establishment card dates, because a lapsed card stops all visa work on the company, yours and your family's included.
What we do for you
Send us the zone, your visa status and who you want to sponsor. We pass it to a licensed partner who handles dependant visas in that zone. They come back with one total covering every family member, deposits and medicals included, before they start. We are an independent directory, not ICP or the free zone, and the decision on each visa is theirs.
Documents to prepare
- Your passport, residence visa and Emirates ID
- Proof of your salary as stated on your visa file
- Tenancy contract, if you rely on the AED 3,000 plus accommodation route
- Passport copies and photos for each family member
- Marriage certificate for a spouse and birth certificates for children
Papers issued outside the UAE often need attestation before a zone accepts them. Ask the zone what it wants, and see company document attestation for how the chain works.
The process, start to finish
- Get your own investor visa and Emirates ID issued.
- Check your salary against the federal rule and your zone's rule.
- Pay any deposit and file an entry permit for each family member.
- Family members enter the UAE, or change status if already here.
- Medical test for those the rules require, then Emirates ID fingerprints.
- Residence visas issued and ID cards delivered.
Common mistakes
- Filing your investor visa with a salary that is too low to sponsor anyone.
- Forgetting a deposit that is charged per person, not per family.
- Assuming a son over 25 can stay on your visa.
- Sending unattested foreign certificates and waiting for a rejection.
- Planning the family's flights before the entry permits are out.
Owner visas are covered on investor visa UAE, and zone by zone costs sit on free zone visa cost. If you would rather hand the whole file over, read about PRO services in Dubai, or use the form on this page and we route it to a partner for a price.
Sources
- https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/Types-of-visas/Residence-visa/residence-visa-for-family-members : salary rule and who can be sponsored
- https://www.meydanfz.ae/blog/navigating-family-visa-uae : Meydan dependant visa service, deposit and timing
- https://www.spcfz.ae/cost-calculator/ : SPC dependant visa fee
- https://www.spcfz.ae/blogs/why-spc-free-zone/ : SPC health insurance note
- ADGM government services fee schedule: ADGM dependant visa fees
- https://afz.gov.ae/en/help-and-support/faqs.html : Ajman Free Zone salary, guarantee and family sponsorship rules
