Sponsoring Parents in the UAE: Requirements, Costs and Process (2026)

Sponsoring parents in the UAE means a working resident applies to bring their mother and father onto a renewable UAE residence visa under their own sponsorship. To do it you generally need to meet a minimum monthly salary set by the immigration authority, place a refundable deposit for each parent, hold valid health insurance for them, and prove you are their sole financial supporter. Approval is granted for one year at a time and is renewable. The exact figures are set by the relevant authority and change periodically, so confirm them before you apply.

This guide explains who can sponsor a parent, the conditions you must satisfy, the documents and costs involved, and the practical steps — from the entry permit to the residence-visa stamp and yearly renewal. Federal residence and entry rules in the UAE sit under the framework administered by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), with Dubai applications handled by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).

Who can sponsor their parents in the UAE?

Any expatriate who holds a valid UAE residence visa and earns at or above the salary threshold set for parent sponsorship can apply. The threshold for parents is typically higher than for sponsoring a spouse or children, because the authority treats parents as fully dependent relatives.

A key rule: you usually must sponsor both parents together — you cannot bring only your mother or only your father in the ordinary case. The exception is where one parent has passed away or the parents are divorced; then you can sponsor a single parent by submitting the supporting official documents (a death certificate or divorce papers, attested as required).

You will also be asked to demonstrate that you are your parents' sole supporter and that there is no one else to care for them in their home country. This is a substantive condition, not a formality.

The salary requirement for sponsoring parents in the UAE

Parent sponsorship carries its own minimum-salary condition, which is generally set above the standard family-sponsorship floor. In Dubai, the figure that has long been cited for sponsoring parents is in the region of AED 20,000 per month (or a lower salary plus accommodation in some readings), but this is exactly the kind of number that varies by emirate and is revised periodically.

Do not rely on a salary figure you read online. Confirm the current minimum salary for sponsoring parents in your emirate directly with ICP or, for Dubai, with GDRFA before you build your application around it. If your salary is close to the line, a small structural change in how your contract states basic pay versus allowances can affect eligibility — a point worth checking carefully.

The refundable deposit (bank guarantee)

To sponsor parents, you are generally required to lodge a refundable deposit with the immigration authority for each parent, held as a guarantee for the duration of their stay. It is returned when the visa is cancelled and the parents have left or transferred sponsorship, subject to no outstanding liabilities.

The deposit amount per parent is set by the relevant immigration department and can change, so treat any specific figure you see as indicative only. The exact refundable deposit per parent is set by ICP (or GDRFA for Dubai) and can change, so confirm the current figure with ICP or GDRFA (or a licensed UAE lawyer) at the point of application before relying on it.

Mandatory health insurance for sponsored parents

Health insurance is compulsory. To sponsor a parent you must hold a valid medical-insurance policy for each parent that meets the minimum coverage stipulated, and the policy must be renewed every year alongside the visa. Because parents are older dependants, insurers price these policies according to age and medical history, so the premium is often the largest recurring cost of parent sponsorship.

Coverage rules differ between emirates — Dubai and Abu Dhabi run their own mandatory health-insurance regimes. Confirm the minimum coverage your emirate accepts for a sponsored parent before you purchase a policy, because a non-compliant plan will be rejected at the visa stage.

The medical fitness test

Every sponsored parent who is over 18 — which all parents are — must undergo and pass a medical fitness test at an approved health centre inside the UAE. The test screens for specified communicable conditions. It is a standard step in the residence-visa process and is done after the parent enters on the entry permit, before the residence visa is stamped.

Book the fitness test at a government-approved screening centre; private clinics that are not approved cannot issue the result the authority accepts.

Step-by-step: how to sponsor your parents

The process follows the standard family residence-visa flow, applied to a parent. In broad terms:

1. Confirm eligibility. Check the current salary threshold and that you can show sole-support and (where relevant) both-parents-together compliance.
2. Apply for an entry permit. Submit the parent-sponsorship application through ICP (or GDRFA in Dubai) and pay the relevant entry-permit fees. This permit lets the parent enter the UAE to complete the visa formalities.
3. Parent enters / activates status. If the parent is abroad, they travel in on the entry permit; if already inside the UAE, the status can usually be adjusted without exiting (status-change service).
4. Medical fitness test + [Emirates ID](/dictionary/emirates-id). The parent completes the medical screening and applies for the Emirates ID with the Federal Authority (ICP).
5. Health insurance + deposit. Provide the compliant insurance policy and lodge the refundable deposit for the parent.
6. Residence-[visa stamping](/dictionary/visa-stamping). Once all clearances are in, the residence visa is issued and stamped, valid for one year.

For the full federal procedure and current fees, start at the UAE Government portal's family residence-visa pages at u.ae and the service pages on the ICP site.

Documents you will typically need

Expect to provide:

• Your own valid passport, residence visa and Emirates ID.
• Your parents' passports (with the validity the authority requires).
• Proof of relationship — birth certificate or family record linking you to each parent, attested and legally translated into Arabic where it was issued abroad.
• Salary certificate and a recent tenancy/Ejari or accommodation proof.
• Compliant health-insurance policy for each parent.
• Where sponsoring one parent only: death certificate or divorce documents.

Foreign-issued civil documents almost always need attestation and certified Arabic translation before a UAE authority will accept them. Build time for that into your plan.

Renewing and cancelling a parent's visa

A parent's residence visa is issued for one year and must be renewed annually, with the health insurance renewed at the same time. The visa is tied to your continuing eligibility — if your salary drops below the threshold or your own visa lapses, the parent's status is affected.

When a parent leaves permanently or you no longer wish to sponsor them, you cancel the visa through ICP/GDRFA; the deposit is refunded once the cancellation is complete and there are no outstanding fines. If your parents have overstayed or there are residence fines, settle those first — our guide to the residence fine waiver and grace period explains how that works.

How parent sponsorship compares to other routes

Family sponsorship is one route. If your parents qualify on their own merits, the [Golden Visa](/dictionary/golden-visa) can grant a longer, more stable residence — and a Golden Visa holder can often sponsor their own family members, including parents, more flexibly. See our explainer on Golden Visa eligibility, process and cost. For mid-skilled professionals, the Green Visa offers self-sponsored residence that can extend to first-degree relatives. Compare the routes before defaulting to standard parent sponsorship, especially if your salary sits close to the threshold.

If you or your parents travel in and out frequently while the visa is being processed, read up on the return permit rules so a residence visa is not cancelled by a long absence.

When to get a lawyer

Most parent-sponsorship applications are administrative and can be completed without a lawyer. Consider professional help when the case is not straightforward: a borderline salary, sponsoring a single surviving parent, contested or missing civil documents, a prior overstay or residence fine to clear, or a refusal you want to appeal. A UAE immigration lawyer can confirm the current thresholds for your emirate, prepare attested documents correctly, and represent you if the file is rejected. You can browse UAE immigration lawyers on LEXAI for free, or ask the free LEXAI AI assistant to map out your situation before you decide.

This is general legal information, not legal advice; confirm current procedure with ICP, GDRFA or a licensed UAE lawyer before you act.