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A partner visa in Dubai is the residence visa a shareholder holds through their own company. Free zones often call it the investor or partner visa, and you may also see it called a Dubai partnership visa. At Meydan Free Zone the visa is AED 4,000, and medical plus Emirates ID add AED 2,250. DMCC publishes only its general employment visa fee, AED 2,972.50 for 2 years from outside the UAE, and sets a share rule you must meet before it will issue a partner visa.
Partner visa cost in Dubai free zones
Dubai zones publish very different levels of detail. Here is what each one shows on its own pages.
| Dubai free zone | Visa fee published | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|
| Meydan Free Zone | AED 4,000 investor visa | Plus AED 2,250 medical and Emirates ID, AED 2,000 establishment card |
| Expo City Dubai | AED 2,700 to AED 4,500 | Residence visa package, 1 year from outside to 2 years from inside; card AED 2,100 |
| Dubai Healthcare City | AED 3,226.73 to AED 4,947.63 | 2 year residence visa package, from outside or inside the UAE |
| DWTC Free Zone | AED 2,000 from outside, AED 3,200 inside, plus AED 250 | The AED 250 is the investor or partner designation; AED 50,000 share capital per partner who applies |
| DMCC | No separate partner fee; employment visa AED 2,972.50 | At least 50 shares worth AED 50,000; valid 3 years |
| IFZA | Not published | Agencies put visa processing at AED 3,550 to AED 4,800 per person (5 agencies) |
Source: Meydan home page and calculator, Expo City services catalogue, DHCC fee pages, the DWTC visa form and FAQ, the DMCC visa types guide and schedule of charges, and IFZA agency pages, checked .
Expo City and DHCC publish one residence visa package for everyone the company sponsors, not a separate partner price. The table only covers the visa. You also pay for the licence, and a zone with a small office may only give you one or two visa slots, so a second partner can mean a bigger office.
Share rules come first
The partner visa is tied to ownership. DMCC is the clearest: no partner or investor visa below 50 shares and AED 50,000 in total. Meydan needs no paid-up capital for the licence itself, but its FAQ asks for share capital of AED 50,000 or more for an investor or partner visa. DWTC's FAQ sets the same AED 50,000 for each shareholder or partner who wants the visa. Check this before you sign the shareholder split, because changing shares later is an amendment with its own fees.
Renewal
Renew the licence and the establishment card before the visa. ICP describes the establishment card as the record that lets a company sponsor visas, so a lapsed card stops the renewal. The federal residence fee is AED 100 per year, plus application and smart service lines, but the zone price you pay includes its own charges. Few Dubai zones publish a renewal figure. RAKEZ, outside Dubai, lists AED 3,535 to renew an investor or partner visa, which is a fair benchmark to compare quotes against.
Cancellation
Partners cancel their visas when they sell their shares, leave the UAE for good, or close the company. The zone files the cancellation, and the visa must be closed before the company can be wound up. RAKEZ puts visa cancellation as step three of its liquidation process. Some zones hold a deposit until the end: Shams asks for AED 2,100 when the last shareholder visa is cancelled. If you are closing the company, read company liquidation first.
How we handle a partner visa request
Tell us the zone, the number of partners, and who is inside or outside the UAE. We pass it to a licensed partner who works in that zone. You get one written total, with government fees split from service fees, before anything is filed. We are an independent directory, not GDRFA or the free zone, so the visa decision stays with immigration.
Documents for each partner
- Passport copy and a white background photo
- Share certificate or shareholder register entry
- Company licence, establishment card and MOA
- Current visa and Emirates ID if already a resident
- Signed visa application from the company
Step by step
- Confirm each partner meets the zone's share rule.
- Check the company has a free visa slot.
- File the entry permit, or a change of status if the partner is in the UAE.
- Medical test and Emirates ID fingerprints in person.
- Residence visa issued, Emirates ID card follows.
Mistakes partners make
- Splitting shares so one partner falls below the zone's minimum.
- Assuming every partner gets a visa on a flexi desk. DMCC allows up to 3 on a flexi desk, and other zones set their own limits.
- Leaving the country without cancelling, which keeps the visa open on the company.
- Paying a renewal before checking the licence and card dates.
Compare the investor side on investor visa UAE and the full fee picture on free zone visa cost. When you are ready, fill in the form here with your zone and partner count and we send it on for a quote.
Sources
- https://www.meydanfz.ae/ : Meydan visa, medical, Emirates ID and establishment card fees
- https://www.meydanfz.ae/faqs : Meydan share capital for an investor or partner visa
- https://dmcc.ae/blog/the-4-types-of-dubai-free-zone-visas-at-dmcc?hsLang=en : DMCC share rule, visa validity and flexi desk quota
- https://dmcc.ae/members/support/schedule-charges : DMCC employment visa fee
- https://media.dwtc.com/visa-application.pdf : DWTC visa fee and partner designation fee
- https://www.dwtc.com/en/free-zone/support-centre/free-zone-faqs/ : DWTC share capital per partner visa
- https://www.businessdubai.ae/blogs/ifza-free-zone-setup and https://emirabiz.com/ifza-license-cost/ : IFZA visa processing, with other agency pages
- https://assets.ctfassets.net/r2cfrvo3y08m/1bWGzdfXIymtBqyTMW1LW1/b61ed77fa9b3d3210f5842c6462574e6/28042025_ECDA_Services_Catalogue_-_Fees.pdf : Expo City visa and establishment card fees
- https://eservices.rakez.com/apex/RAK_Employment_Visa : RAKEZ partner visa new and renewal fees
- https://shamsfz.ae/terms-and-conditions/ : Shams last shareholder visa deposit
- https://rakez.com/en/service-cards/company-services/liquidation : visa cancellation in the liquidation steps
- https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e64 : ICP residence permit fee
