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UAE Handbook

Visas and residency

With a UAE job offer, you enter on a work entry visa that lets you stay 60 days while your residence permit is issued. Without a job, skilled workers and recent top-500 graduates can apply for a job-seeker visa. Green and Golden residence permits are longer-term options for people who meet salary, income or investment tests. Residents can sponsor family.

Verified against Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022, Executive Regulation of Decree-Law 29/2021 on Entry and Residence of Foreigners, Art. 33; Art. 37, UAE Cabinet (uaelegislation.gov.ae) ; Residence visa for families of employees, section 'Sponsorship requirements', UAE Government portal (u.ae), citing ICP , on .

General information, not legal advice. ICP (or GDRFA in Dubai) decides your eligibility. This page shows which routes exist, not which one you will get.

Which route fits?

Read the questions in order. A yes points to a route to check on the official page.

  1. 1Do you have a job offer from a UAE employer?

    Yes: Work residence

    • A work entry visa lets you stay 60 days from entry while the residence permit is completed.[source]

    Official conditions (u.ae: residence visa)

  2. 2No job yet, but a skilled worker or a recent graduate of a top-500 university?

    Yes: Job-seeker visit visa

    • MoHRE skill level 1 to 3, or a top-500 graduate within two years, plus at least a bachelor's degree.[source]

    Official conditions (u.ae: job-seeker visit visa) Our guide

  3. 3Employed at MoHRE skill level 1 to 3, with a degree and a salary of AED 15,000 or more a month?

    Yes: Green Residence (skilled employee)

    • Skill level 1, 2 or 3, at least a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 15,000.[source]

    Official conditions (ICP: Green Residency)

  4. 4Self-employed or freelancing?

    Yes: Green Residence (freelancer)

    • Self-employment income of at least AED 360,000 a year over the previous two years, or proof of financial solvency.[source]

    Official conditions (ICP: Green Residency)

  5. 5A salary of AED 30,000 or more at skill level 1 or 2, or AED 2 million to invest?

    Yes: Golden Residence (10 years)

    • Professionals: skill level 1 or 2, a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000.[source]
    • Investors: a deposit of at least AED 2,000,000 in an investment fund or national bank.[source]
    • Or real estate with a total value of at least AED 2,000,000.[source]

    Official conditions (ICP: Golden Residency)

  6. 6Is your spouse or parent already a UAE resident?

    Yes: Family sponsorship

    • The sponsor needs a salary of at least AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation (u.ae, citing ICP).[source]

    Official conditions (u.ae: family residence visa) Our guide

None of these? Remote work, retirement, property-owner and student routes are not covered here yet.

When a visa ends

  • Grace period after visa cancellation: How long you may stay in the UAE after your residence permit is cancelled or expires: the four ICP tiers, with sources.
  • Overstay fines: The daily fine for staying in the UAE after your grace period, the legal maximum per day and where to check fines.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi

The visa routes above come from a federal regulation, Cabinet Resolution 65 of 2022, and apply in both emirates. Some details differ. Dubai's GDRFA states a 60-day grace period where ICP publishes four tiers (see grace period), and health insurance for sponsored family is split differently between employer and sponsor (see family sponsorship).

What changed on this page

  • Published: visa routes as a decision flow (work, job-seeker, Green, Golden, freelance, family), checked against Cabinet Resolution 65 of 2022 and u.ae.