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Who a Golden Visa property investor can sponsor
As the principal holder of a property investor's Golden Visa, you are generally able to sponsor:
- Your spouse, for the same 10-year period as your own visa.
- Your children, including adult children who would no longer qualify under an ordinary residence visa.
- Your parents, under a separate track with its own conditions (see below) rather than as an automatic extension of your own visa.
Domestic staff (a nanny, driver, housekeeper) can also be sponsored, but under standard domestic-worker rules rather than the Golden Visa family provisions, so we have not covered them here. Each dependant's file is assessed individually by ICP/GDRFA; being related to a Golden Visa holder is a condition, not an automatic entitlement, and case officers can request further documents.
Spouse
A spouse is sponsored for the same period as the principal's Golden Visa. The core requirement beyond the standard passport, photograph and medical test is proof of the marriage: an attested marriage certificate, translated into Arabic if it was not issued in Arabic (see the attestation section below). Where a couple bought the qualifying property jointly, that joint ownership does not by itself change who sponsors whom on the residence side — one spouse holds the investor visa and sponsors the other as a dependant, or, where each spouse's share independently meets the AED 2 million threshold, each may qualify as an investor in their own right. Confirm the option that applies to your title with the DLD and ICP.
Children
Golden Visa holders can sponsor their children, and the family provisions are noticeably more flexible than under an ordinary residence visa, where sponsorship of sons in particular has historically stopped at a fixed age unless the son was still in education. Under current published guidance:
- Sons who are unmarried can be sponsored with no fixed upper age limit and no requirement to be enrolled in education, unlike the position under standard family sponsorship.
- Unmarried daughters can be sponsored with no age restriction, as under standard family sponsorship.
- A child holding a determination (disability) certificate can be sponsored for the full visa term with no age, education or marital-status condition attached.
These age and marital-status conditions have changed before and can change again, so verify the current rule with ICP or GDRFA at the time you apply, particularly for a son or daughter close to or past the age thresholds that applied under earlier rules. Each child's application needs an attested birth certificate showing the relationship to the sponsoring parent, translated into Arabic where necessary, plus the standard passport, photograph, medical test (where applicable by age) and Emirates ID enrolment.
Parents
Golden Visa holders can also sponsor their own parents, on a track separate from the spouse/children sponsorship and, in the published guidance, for the same 10-year period as the principal's own visa. Compared with standard parent sponsorship — which typically requires the sponsor to meet a set minimum monthly income — the Golden Visa route generally does not apply that income bar, but case officers still look for evidence that the sponsor can support the parent, commonly including:
- Proof of the parent-child relationship (birth certificate or equivalent civil record, attested and translated as needed).
- Health insurance valid in the UAE covering the parent for the residence period.
- Evidence of suitable accommodation, such as an Ejari tenancy registration for a property of adequate size, or the title deed to the qualifying property itself.
Parent sponsorship rules are among the more frequently adjusted parts of the UAE's residency framework, so confirm the current documentary and accommodation requirements with ICP/GDRFA before assuming a particular parent qualifies.
Documents and attestation, family member by family member
| Family member | Typical documents |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Passport, photograph, attested marriage certificate (with certified Arabic translation if not issued in Arabic), medical fitness test, Emirates ID application. |
| Child | Passport, photograph, attested birth certificate (with certified Arabic translation if not issued in Arabic), medical fitness test where applicable, Emirates ID application; a no-objection letter from the other parent can be requested in some circumstances. |
| Parent | Passport, photograph, proof of relationship (attested and translated as needed), UAE health insurance, evidence of accommodation, medical fitness test, Emirates ID application. |
Attestation for a certificate issued outside the UAE generally runs through that country's own authorities, then the UAE embassy or consulate there (or the equivalent chain via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, MOFAIC), before the document is recognised inside the UAE. Where the certificate is not already in Arabic, the Arabic translation itself needs to be done by a UAE Ministry of Justice-licensed legal translator and is separately certified. This chain takes real time when the certificate is still overseas, so start attestation for spouse and children's documents as early as possible — ideally in parallel with the property purchase, rather than after the principal's visa is issued.
Sequencing: principal first, then dependants
In practice, family sponsorship follows the principal applicant's own Golden Visa rather than running alongside it: the investor's ownership is verified by the DLD and the investor's own residence is approved by ICP/GDRFA first, and dependant applications are then filed against that approved file. Filing a spouse, child or parent application before the principal's own Golden Visa status is confirmed is generally not accepted, so plan the family applications as a second stage rather than a single simultaneous batch — confirm the exact sequencing and any exceptions with ICP/GDRFA or your PRO before submitting.
Practical sequencing for a Bonum Realty purchase, in outline:
- Complete the purchase and title registration (see How to buy property in Dubai as a foreigner).
- File and obtain the principal investor's Golden Visa (see UAE Golden Visa through property).
- File spouse, then children, then parent applications, with attestation for each already in hand.
- Medical tests, biometrics and Emirates ID issuance for each family member follow the same steps as for the principal.
Do family members need to be on the title deed?
No. The property only needs to be registered in the name of the principal investor (or jointly between spouses, where relevant to how the AED 2 million threshold is met). A sponsored spouse, child or parent does not need to hold any share of the property, and adding a dependant's name to the title deed is not part of the sponsorship process. Ownership and residence are handled as two separate questions: the DLD verifies the property and its value for the investor's own eligibility, and ICP/GDRFA separately verifies each family member's relationship to the investor for their own residence application.
Fees for each dependant's application (entry permit, status change, residence stamping, medical test, Emirates ID) are set by ICP and GDRFA and quoted at the point of application; because they are revised periodically we do not publish figures here. For the purchase costs that come before any of this, see Dubai property purchase costs. Bonum Realty coordinates the DLD side of a purchase so the principal's Golden Visa application can start as soon as the title deed is issued; for the family sponsorship steps themselves, we point clients to ICP/GDRFA's own channels or an accredited PRO, since that part sits outside a broker's licence. Contact the office through the enquiry form or by email at info@bonumrealty.com.