UAE residence visa cost: the Dubai residence visa cost, line by line
Not sure which route you would even be paying for? Our free UAE visa route checker asks seven short questions and shows the routes that match, with the official source for each.
What is in the Dubai residence visa cost?
A UAE residence visa is the end of a short chain of separate charges, each paid to a different body. Here is the anatomy of a standard two-year visa, in the order you meet the charges.
| Component | What it is | Repeats at renewal? | What moves the cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry permit or status change | Permission to enter, or to switch from a visit visa while already in the UAE | No (status change only at first issue) | Inside or outside the UAE, speed of processing |
| Medical fitness test | Blood screen and chest X-ray at an approved centre | Yes | Centre, age, standard or express service |
| Residence permit and Emirates ID | One combined application since 2022; the ID card is your proof of residence | Yes | Visa duration, emirate |
| Health insurance | Mandatory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with the plan chosen by you or your sponsor | Yes, annually | Age, plan level, network |
| Typing and service centre charges | Fees for preparing and submitting applications | Usually | Provider, online versus in person |
| Sponsor package | Employer cost or free zone licence and visa allocation | Yes | By far the biggest variable |
The first five are the “visa”. The sixth decides whether the whole thing is modest or substantial. The residence permit and ID are issued together, and the card replaces the old passport sticker, as the ICP explains. Our Emirates ID guide covers that step.
What does a 2 years residence visa in Dubai cost?
The honest answer is that the visa processing is the smaller part. Federal charges are fixed and published. The package around them is where quotes diverge by multiples.
An employee is usually sponsored, and the employer should cover the visa. Ask at offer stage exactly which items they pay, because insurance for dependants and the family’s visas are often left out. A company owner pays for the licence, the visa allocation and the processing together, then pays again each year to keep the licence alive.
Two years is the common validity for free zone and investor visas, but the cost is not a two-year cost. Budget it as an annual running expense.
Dubai free zone visa cost: the line items
If you are self-sponsored through a free zone company, this is where the money goes.
| Line item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Licence and establishment card | Gives the company the right to sponsor anyone. Renewed yearly. |
| Visa allocation | Often tied to your office, desk or flexi-desk package. Extra visas may need a larger package. |
| Entry permit or status change | Depends on whether you apply from inside or outside the UAE. |
| Medical, Emirates ID, insurance | Same as any residence visa. |
| Typing and agent charges | Varies by provider; ask whether it is bundled. |
| Deposit | Some zones hold a refundable amount. Check the conditions. |
| Cancellation | Leaving or changing visa carries its own charge. |
The cheapest headline package is rarely the cheapest outcome. A zone that makes banking difficult or needs a physical office you did not budget for ends up costing more. Our guides to the cheapest free zone with a visa and the full cost of setting up a company in Dubai go deeper on the company side, and the self-sponsored visa routes explain the alternatives.
What do family add-ons cost?
Every dependant is a separate application, so the family bill scales with headcount.
| Add-on | Why it costs extra |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Own entry permit or status change, medical, Emirates ID, insurance |
| Each child | Same set, with insurance priced by age |
| Newborn born in the UAE | Needs a visa and ID within a set window after birth |
| Accommodation proof | A tenancy contract is required, so housing affects eligibility |
| Domestic helper | A separate permit with its own conditions |
For a family of four, expect roughly four times the per-person items, plus a sponsor who must meet the conditions for bringing dependants. The cost that surprises UK families most is insurance, which recurs every year for everyone. The healthcare guide explains how plans differ.
Where quotes go wrong
Three mistakes account for most of the surprises we see.
- Incomplete quotes. A “visa package” that leaves out status change, medical, insurance or the ID looks cheap and isn’t.
- Ignoring the renewal. The licence and the visa both renew. A cheap year one with an expensive year two is common.
- Paying for a visa you cannot use. Residency generally lapses if you spend too long abroad. Our UAE 6-month rule guide explains how long you can stay outside the UAE.
Does the visa change your UK tax position?
No. A residence visa gives you the right to live in the UAE. It does not by itself end your UK tax residence, which is decided by the Statutory Residence Test and your days and ties. Check where you stand with the UK tax residency checker before you treat the visa as the finish line. For the route from the UK, see how to get a UAE residence visa from the UK.
Where this gets personal
The right visa depends on whether you are employed, self-employed, investing or bringing family, and the same person can face quite different totals under each. We work out the cheapest sensible route and quote one all-in price covering the visas, the sponsor and the family. See our UAE visa and residency service, or get in touch for a clear read on what your own bill would look like.
Questions people ask
What is included in the UAE residence visa cost?
Five government and service items make up the visa itself: the entry permit or in-country status change, the medical fitness test, the Emirates ID and residence application, health insurance, and typing or service centre charges. If you are sponsored through a company or free zone, that sponsor's package is a sixth layer and is often the largest. Always ask a provider whether a quote covers all six.
How much does a 2 years residence visa in Dubai cost?
There is no single figure, because the two-year visa is a bundle and the sponsor's package varies far more than the government charges do. For an employee, the employer usually carries most of it. For a company owner, the free zone licence and visa allocation normally outweigh the visa processing charges. We don't publish fees here as they change, so ask for an itemised quote and check it against the official channels.
What is the Dubai free zone visa cost made up of?
Typically: the licence and establishment card that give the company the right to sponsor, a visa allocation tied to your office or desk package, the entry permit or status change, medical, Emirates ID, insurance and typing. Some free zones also ask for a refundable deposit, and cancelling a visa carries its own charge. The licence renewal is what keeps the visa alive, so it belongs in your annual budget.
How much does it cost to add a spouse and children to my visa?
Each dependant needs their own entry permit or status change, medical, Emirates ID and insurance, so the family cost is roughly your own per-person cost multiplied by the number of people. You also need to meet the sponsor's eligibility conditions and show suitable accommodation. Our guide to [sponsoring your spouse and children](/posts/sponsoring-your-spouse-and-children-for-uae-visas/) covers the rules.
Is the UAE Golden Visa more expensive than a standard residence visa?
Usually the up-front outlay is higher, and each qualifying route brings its own paperwork costs such as property valuations, investment certificates or company documents. But it runs for five or ten years, against one to three for a sponsored visa, so the cost per year of residency often compares well once you count renewal cycles. The [Golden Visa requirements guide](/posts/how-do-i-qualify-for-the-dubai-golden-visa/) sets out who qualifies.
Does a UAE residence visa cost differ between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and RAK?
Federal and emirate-level government charges follow the same pattern, but free zones set their own licence and visa packages, and these vary a lot. RAKEZ and some northern emirate zones are generally cheaper entry points than DMCC or DIFC, while Abu Dhabi has its own structures. Cheapest is not automatically best, because banking and activity permissions differ too.
How often do I renew, and does renewal cost the same?
As at October 2026, [u.ae](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/Visa-information/general-provisions-for-the-residence-visa) says a sponsored residence visa runs for one, two or three years, and an unsponsored one for up to five or ten. Golden Visas run for five or ten. Renewal repeats most of the original components, usually with no entry permit, and it also renews the sponsoring licence if you own a company.