Sponsoring your family on a UAE property visa: Golden Visa and 2-year investor visa rules
Who a property investor can sponsor on the Golden Visa and Dubai's 2-year visa: spouse, children over 18, parents, domestic workers, documents, fees, and what happens on sale or death.
In this guide
A property investor in the UAE can sponsor a spouse and children on both property-linked visas, the 10-year Golden Visa and Dubai's 2-year property investor visa, and on the Golden Visa can also sponsor parents. The family's permits run for the same term as the investor's and end with it. The rules differ between the two visas on sons over 18, parents and how long each permit lasts, and Dubai's two official fee pages do not quite agree. This guide covers only the family side: who qualifies, documents, costs, and what happens if the property is sold or the investor dies. For eligibility as an investor, read the Golden Visa guide and the Dubai 2-year investor visa guide. It is general information as of 12 November 2026, not immigration advice.
Who can a property investor sponsor?
Spouse and children on both visas; parents and older sons more easily on the Golden Visa. The published rules, side by side:
| Family member | 10-year Golden Visa | Dubai 2-year property investor visa |
|---|---|---|
| Wife or husband | Yes, 10 years (DLD Cube) | Yes, two years (DLD Cube; DLD fee list) |
| Daughters | Any age if unmarried (DLD Cube) | Any age if unmarried (DLD Cube family page) |
| Sons | "Regardless of their age" (ICP); unmarried, with an undertaking letter over 18 (DLD Cube) | Until 25, not renewable after (DLD Cube family page); a son over 18 gets one year at a time (DLD fee list) |
| Stepchildren | Yes (DLD Cube family page FAQ) | Not stated |
| Parents | Yes; 10-year visa (ICP; DLD Cube) | One year at a time (DLD fee list) |
| Domestic workers | Up to three (DLD Cube); "in accordance with the applicable regulations" (ICP) | Not stated on the investor pages |
| Permit length | Same as the sponsor's, 10 years | Same as the sponsor's, two years |
Sources: ICP's Golden Residency guide; the DLD Cube's Golden Visa and family visa pages; the Dubai Land Department's investor residence service page; all checked 12 November 2026.
For comparison, the general federal rule for residents, on u.ae (updated 28 September 2026), allows a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs. The Golden Visa's wider reach to adult sons and parents is one of its practical advantages for families. Test your own purchase in the Golden Visa checker.
Can a property investor sponsor his wife, or her husband?
Yes, whichever spouse holds the visa. The DLD Cube's family page lists a husband or wife, with a marriage certificate, and GDRFA's family residence page names the husband among those a woman resident may sponsor.
Where the couple own the property together, the rules on who applies matter:
- Golden Visa, joint property under AED 4 million. The DLD Cube says only one spouse applies as the main holder and then sponsors the other. Shares should be equal; if not, the spouse with the larger share applies.
- 2-year visa, joint property. Each owner needs a share worth at least AED 400,000 to apply in their own right. A couple with a smaller property can register it in one name, and that spouse applies and sponsors the other, as our investor visa guide explains.
When a mother sponsors, the DLD Cube asks for a notarised no-objection letter from the father for sons under 18 and daughters under 21. When a father sponsors, it asks for evidence of the mother's status, such as her residence visa or Emirates ID.
Can you sponsor children over 18?
On the Golden Visa, yes. ICP's Golden Residency guide states that holders can obtain residence permits "for spouses and children, regardless of their age". The DLD Cube adds two conditions for Dubai: the children must be unmarried, and a son over 18 needs an unmarried undertaking letter.
On Dubai's 2-year investor visa the position is narrower and less clearly published:
- The DLD Cube's family page says sons qualify until 25 and cannot be renewed after that.
- The Dubai Land Department's fee list gives a daughter over 18 a two-year permit, but a son over 18 a one-year permit only.
- Unmarried daughters can be sponsored at any age.
A son over 25 whose parent holds only the 2-year visa would need another route. GDRFA's humanitarian residence category lists children aged 25 and over among those who can be sponsored, as a one-year renewable permit. We did not find a statement on whether property investors use that category in practice, so ask GDRFA before relying on it. Children with special needs can be sponsored regardless of age under the general rules.
Can you sponsor your parents?
On the Golden Visa, yes, for 10 years. ICP lists parents among the relatives a Golden Residency holder can sponsor, and the DLD Cube says parents can receive a 10-year visa through its parents' investor visa service. We could not find the conditions for that service published.
On Dubai's 2-year investor visa, the Dubai Land Department's fee list includes a one-year parent permit at AED 8,882.25, so parents can be sponsored one year at a time. Its page does not set out separate conditions.
Dubai's general route for parents, GDRFA's humanitarian residence category, asks a sponsor to earn at least AED 10,000 a month, provide an attested tenancy contract large enough for the household and three months of bank statements, and lodge a financial guarantee of AED 5,000 per request, capped at AED 15,000 (GDRFA service page, updated 12 November 2026). The permit is for one year, renewable. Whether these conditions apply to an investor who sponsors parents on the property visa is not stated; on the published pages, the Golden Visa route is the simpler one.
Can a Golden Visa holder sponsor domestic workers?
Yes, but the published limits differ:
- ICP's Golden Residency guide says holders can sponsor domestic workers "in accordance with the applicable regulations and procedures in the UAE" and sets no number.
- The DLD Cube's Golden Visa page says you can sponsor up to three housemaids and drivers.
For a Dubai application, plan on the Cube's limit of three unless GDRFA confirms otherwise in writing.
On cost, ICP's federal residency service states that a fee of AED 5,000 is collected from the sponsor for each year of a domestic worker's permit. We did not find the Dubai figure for Golden Visa holders published. The 2-year investor visa pages do not mention domestic workers at all, so ask the DLD Cube before you assume you can sponsor one on that visa.
What documents does the family need?
The DLD Cube's family visa page sets out the chain for marriage and birth certificates issued abroad:
- Legalised by the foreign ministry of the country that issued them.
- Attested by the UAE embassy in that country.
- Attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Legally translated into Arabic.
If a certificate does not exist, a consulate letter proving the relationship, naming both parents for a child, can be used instead, again attested and translated. The UAE foreign ministry's attestation service handles the steps through UAE missions abroad. Allow time: attestation is usually the slowest part of a family application.
Each family member also needs:
- A passport valid for more than six months and a photo to ICP specification.
- A medical fitness test in the UAE if aged 18 or over (u.ae; GDRFA).
- Health insurance from a UAE insurer. ICP states that the investor and family must hold valid cover throughout the residency.
- An Emirates ID, applied for with the residence permit; ICP issues the permit and the ID together.
- A national ID card for nationals of Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan (DLD Cube).
How much does family sponsorship cost?
Dubai publishes two sets of figures, and they differ. All amounts are in AED and were checked on 12 November 2026.
| Family permit | DLD service pages | DLD Cube family page |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Visa, each family member | 5,774.50 | 6,154.25 aged 18 or over; 5,118.50 under 18 |
| Golden Visa, sponsorship file and per-person charge | 318.75 once, plus 100 each | Not listed |
| 2-year visa, spouse | 7,382.25 | 7,132.25 |
| 2-year visa, child under 18 | 6,482.25 | 6,432.25 |
| 2-year visa, daughter over 18 | 7,182.25 (two years) | 7,132.25 |
| 2-year visa, son over 18 | 7,182.25 (one year only) | 7,132.25 |
| 2-year visa, parent | 8,882.25 (one year) | Not listed |
| 2-year visa renewal | Not listed | 5,453.25 aged 18 or over; 4,753.25 under 18 |
| Dependant cancellation | Not listed | 505.75 |
Worked example: a wife and two children under 18.
- Golden Visa: AED 17,942.25 on the DLD page (three permits, the file fee and AED 300 in per-person charges) or AED 16,391.25 on the Cube page, every 10 years.
- 2-year visa: AED 20,665.50 on the DLD page or AED 19,996.75 on the Cube page, then about AED 14,960 at each renewal on the Cube's figures.
Health insurance and attestation are extra. Outside Dubai, ICP's residency service lists its own fees, from AED 100 per year of residence issued, and a family financial guarantee of AED 3,000 per member of an investor's family, capped at AED 15,000; we did not find a published all-in family total for other emirates.
What happens to the family if you sell the property?
The family's permits depend on yours, and yours depends on the property. ICP states that family residence matches the sponsor's permit and cannot exceed it. GDRFA states that a lien is placed on property backing a Golden Visa and that it "may not be disposed of" during the 10-year permit. For the 2-year visa, the basis for renewal ends when you no longer own the property.
If the sponsor's visa is cancelled, the family's visas must be cancelled with it, according to u.ae. The grace period to regularise their status is published inconsistently: u.ae's family residence page (updated 28 September 2026) gives dependants six months from expiry or cancellation, while GDRFA's family service pages give 60 days. Plan on the shorter period.
In practice, if you intend to sell, line up the next step first: buy another qualifying property, move the family to another sponsor such as an employed spouse, or switch category. Talk to the DLD Cube or ICP before the sale completes, not after.
What happens if the sponsor dies?
On the Golden Visa, ICP's guide is explicit: if the sponsor holding Golden Residency dies, the sponsored family members may remain in the UAE for the duration of the validity of their residence permits.
For the 2-year investor visa we found no equivalent published rule, so assume the general position applies: the family's permits depend on a sponsor who no longer exists, and they will need a new basis for residence. Two routes are published:
- A surviving spouse's own visa. If the property passes to the spouse and is registered in their name, they may qualify as an investor in their own right.
- Widows. GDRFA's humanitarian category allows a residence permit for a widowed woman and her children within six months of the death, for one year, renewable.
The property itself does not pass automatically to a co-owner: UAE co-ownership has no right of survivorship, and the share can be frozen until heirs are confirmed. A registered will, such as a DIFC Courts Property Will, keeps that delay short. Our foreign ownership guide explains inheritance in full.
Where do the two visas differ, and what is unpublished?
To summarise the gaps a family should raise before relying on either visa:
- Unpublished: the conditions for the Golden Visa parents' service; whether the Golden Visa's exemption from the six-month rule extends to family members (ICP and u.ae state it for the holder only); domestic workers on the 2-year visa; what happens to a 2-year visa family on the investor's death.
- Conflicting: domestic worker numbers (ICP against the DLD Cube); family fees (DLD service pages against the DLD Cube); the grace period after cancellation (u.ae against GDRFA).
Ask the DLD Cube's online eligibility service, or ICP outside Dubai, for written answers on any of these that affect your family, and keep the reply. If you are buying in another emirate, see our guide to buying property in Sharjah, where residence is handled federally. For help matching a purchase to your family's needs, contact us.
