by serviced
A visit visa for parents lets a UAE resident bring their mother and father to the UAE for 30, 60 or 90 days, as long as the resident earns at least AED 4,000 a month and can prove the relationship. In Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, the visa is issued by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), which also asks for UAE-valid health insurance, entry within 60 days of issue and a refundable financial guarantee of AED 1,000 for a single-entry visa or AED 2,000 for a multiple-entry one.
If you live in Dubai, you apply through the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFA Dubai), which publishes its own visit visa for a relative or friend with its own fees. This guide follows ICP's published terms, checked on 29 October 2026. It is general information, not immigration advice: the application shows the conditions and fees that apply to you, so confirm them there before anyone books a flight.
Any UAE resident with an active sponsor file, the file that lets you apply for visa and residence services, can sponsor a father or mother on a visit visa if their monthly salary is at least AED 4,000. ICP counts parents as first-degree relatives, together with a spouse, son or daughter. Wider family and friends need a higher salary, and every relative needs proof of kinship.
| Who you are sponsoring | ICP's category | Sponsor's minimum monthly salary | Proof of kinship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Father, mother, spouse, son or daughter | First-degree relative | AED 4,000 | Yes |
| Brother, sister, grandparent or grandchild | Second-degree relative | AED 8,000 | Yes |
| Uncle, aunt or cousin | Third-degree relative | AED 8,000 | Yes |
| A friend | Non-relative | AED 15,000 | Not applicable |
Source: ICP, Issuance of a Visa, category "Visitor – For visiting relatives, friends", checked 29 October 2026. ICP's list of degrees doesn't mention parents-in-law. If you want to sponsor your spouse's mother or father, check how the application classifies them before you apply, because the salary threshold depends on it.
Parents can stay for 30, 60 or 90 days, depending on the visa you choose, and ICP can extend it once or more. ICP's issuance page caps the total stay at 120 days, while its extension page says a relative's permit can be extended up to 180 days in total. Until the two pages agree, plan on 120 days and confirm anything longer on the application.
Two other limits matter. Your parents must enter within 60 days of the permit being issued; if their trip slips, ICP's extension page lists a once-only extension of that window, for the same period, before they arrive, for an AED 50 fee. To extend the stay itself, you apply through the same ICP channels with the passport, a photo and the documents used for the original visa. ICP lists an AED 100 application fee and an AED 500 extension fee for visitor permits. Apply before the permitted stay runs out: overstaying costs AED 50 a day.
ICP's fee list for relatives' visit visas starts with an AED 100 application fee, an issuance fee of AED 100 a month for a single-entry visa or AED 200 a month for multiple entry, and an AED 100 smart service fee. On top of that you lodge a financial guarantee of AED 1,000 or AED 2,000, which is refundable, plus an AED 20 deposit fee.
| Fee line on ICP's list | Single-entry visa | Multiple-entry visa |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | AED 100 | AED 100 |
| Visit visa issuance fee | AED 100 a month | AED 200 a month |
| Smart service fee | AED 100 | AED 100 |
| Financial guarantee (refundable) | AED 1,000 | AED 2,000 |
| Financial guarantee deposit fee | AED 20 | AED 20 |
| Extending the stay (each request) | AED 100 application + AED 500 extension fee | AED 100 application + AED 500 extension fee |
| Overstay fine | AED 50 a day | AED 50 a day |
As arithmetic on those lines, reading the issuance fee as charged for each month of the visa: a 30-day single-entry visa comes to AED 300 in fees plus AED 1,020 for the guarantee and its deposit fee, AED 1,320 in all, of which AED 1,000 is refundable. A 90-day multiple-entry visa comes to AED 800 in fees plus AED 2,020, or AED 2,820. The total on your application is the one that counts.
To get the guarantee back, submit a refund request after the visa has been cancelled or your parent has left the UAE. ICP refunds it only if no residency violations were committed, so an overstay can cost you the guarantee as well as the fine.
ICP asks for your parent's passport, valid for at least six months, a personal photo, a health insurance policy valid in the UAE and a return ticket, along with proof of kinship and a justification for the visit. Its document list for this category also includes a medical report, so have one ready in case the application asks for it.
You apply through ICP's smart services website or the ICP app, signing in with UAE Pass. The steps are short: submit the application, check the details retrieved from government records, attach any documents that couldn't be retrieved, pay, and receive the permit. ICP gives a completion time of two days, and its call centre is on 600 522222.
No. A visit visa is a short-stay entry permit for 30, 60 or 90 days, with the extensions described above. Sponsoring parents to live in the UAE on a residence visa is a different application with its own conditions, and this guide doesn't cover it. If that is the plan, ask ICP, or GDRFA Dubai if you live in Dubai, before your parents travel.
Apply once your parents' travel dates are firm, but no more than 60 days before they fly, because the permit has to be used within 60 days of being issued. A permit issued in the first week of November, for example, has to be used by the first week of January. These are the dates to plan around this winter:
A 90-day visa that starts with a mid-December arrival runs to around mid-March. That is the point to book the flight home, or to apply for an extension in good time if they want to stay longer.
For a visit of two or three months, a furnished apartment near your home gives your parents their own bedroom, kitchen and front door, a short drive from the family.
| Staying with you | A serviced apartment nearby | |
|---|---|---|
| Space and privacy | Shared with your household | Their own bedroom, living area and bathroom |
| Kitchen | Yours | Their own, where the listing shows one |
| Housekeeping | Yours to arrange | At the frequency each listing states |
| Length of stay | Matches the visa | Most listings have a 30-night minimum, so book in whole months |
| Money up front | None | The security deposit listed on each apartment, and any city fee the listing shows |
| Access | Depends on your building | Ask about lifts, step-free entrances and walk-in showers before you book |
Most listings on servicedapartments.ae have a 30-night minimum, which lines up with a 30-, 60- or 90-day visa. Browse apartments in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, or the family collection. If your parents need step-free access, our guide to accessible serviced apartments for senior travellers lists what to ask for. At check-in they will show their passports and visas, as our guide to the documents needed to rent a hotel apartment explains, and for days out between emirates, see our guide to the Etihad Rail passenger train.
Yes, if you are a UAE resident with an active sponsor file and earn at least AED 4,000 a month, the minimum ICP sets for first-degree relatives. You also need proof that they are your parents.
For 30, 60 or 90 days, and ICP can extend the visa once or more. ICP's issuance page caps the total at 120 days and its extension page at 180 days, so confirm the limit on the application before planning beyond 90 days.
ICP lists an AED 100 application fee, AED 100 a month for a single-entry visa or AED 200 a month for multiple entry, and an AED 100 smart service fee. You also lodge a refundable guarantee of AED 1,000 or AED 2,000, plus an AED 20 deposit fee.
The financial guarantee is. You request the refund after the visa has been cancelled or your parent has left the UAE, and ICP refunds it only if no residency violations were committed.
Yes. ICP lists a health insurance policy valid within the UAE as a condition, along with a passport valid for at least six months and a return ticket.
Yes. ICP offers single-entry and multiple-entry visas for relatives. The multiple-entry issuance fee is AED 200 a month instead of AED 100, and the guarantee is AED 2,000 instead of AED 1,000.
ICP's list of relatives doesn't mention parents-in-law, so check how the application classifies them before you apply. The salary threshold is AED 4,000 for first-degree relatives, AED 8,000 for second- and third-degree relatives and AED 15,000 for friends.
Once the visa is issued, send your parents' dates through a listing's Request to Book, or WhatsApp the team, and we will check availability near you. Rules and fees checked on 29 October 2026.
Which Etihad Rail stations are open, what the train costs on each route, how Saver, Value and Flex tickets work, what luggage... Read More
