Services · Visas and residency

UAE residence visas for UK movers and their families

The residence route that fits how you will live and work, for you and your family, through to the Emirates ID.

In short

British citizens visit the UAE without arranging a visa, but living there needs a residence visa. Most UK movers get one through their own company, a job, a freelance permit, the five-year Green visa or the Golden visa. Once your route is set, the process runs through an entry permit, a medical, biometrics and your Emirates ID, typically three to four weeks. You can then sponsor your spouse and children. We match you to the route, prepare the documents and carry the application through to the Emirates ID for the whole family.

Your residence visa unlocks the rest: a bank account, a tenancy, a school place, health insurance, a UAE driving licence. The route also decides how long you can spend away, whether a job change ends it, and who can sponsor whom. Pick it for how you plan to live over the next five years.

Who it's for

Founders who need their own visa through their UAE company
Freelancers and consultants who want residency without a full company
Employees who will keep working for a company outside the UAE
Property owners and senior professionals who may qualify for the Golden visa
Families who need visas for a spouse and children

What's included

Advice on the route: company, employment, freelance, Green, Golden or virtual work visa
Company-sponsored residence visas for founders and partners
Entry permit, medical fitness test, biometrics and Emirates ID
Sponsoring your spouse and children, including attested marriage and birth certificates
Golden visa applications (our Golden visa service)
Renewals, and planning long absences so the visa stays valid

The routes, side by side

Every route below gives you a residence visa and an Emirates ID. They differ on who sponsors you and on what happens if your work changes. Details from the UAE government portal, as at October 2026.

Route	Who sponsors you	Suits
Your own company	Your free zone or mainland company	Founders, consultants, online businesses (self-sponsorship)
Employment	A UAE employer	People moving for a UAE job
Freelance permit	A free zone authority	Solo professionals on its permitted activity list (how it works)
Green visa	Yourself, five years, renewable	Skilled workers, freelancers and self-employed, investors (u.ae)
Virtual work visa	Yourself, working for an employer outside the UAE	Employees staying on a non-UAE payroll (u.ae)
Golden visa	Yourself, five or ten years	Qualifying investors, property owners and talent (u.ae)

Your spouse and children

Once you hold a residence visa you can sponsor your family. As at October 2026 the UAE government portal says an expatriate resident may sponsor a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs, and that the sponsor needs a minimum salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. Family members aged 18 and over take the medical fitness test (u.ae, family visas).

The paperwork is where families lose time: UK marriage and birth certificates need attesting before the UAE accepts them, and that runs through UK and UAE offices in a set order. We start it early, while your own visa is in progress (sponsoring your family).

Keeping the visa valid

A standard residence visa can lapse if you stay outside the UAE for more than six months at a stretch (the six-month rule). Golden visa holders can stay outside longer, according to the government portal. If you plan to split your time with the UK, choose the route with that in mind.

A UAE visa does not settle your UK tax position. That turns on the Statutory Residence Test, and time back in the UK to protect a visa can count against you there. We plan the two together (UK tax advice).

How it works

Choose the route

We look at your work, income, family and travel plans and recommend the route that fits.

Typical timing: Week 1
Prepare documents

Passport copies, photos, attested certificates for the family, and the sponsor's documents.

Typical timing: Certificate attestation sets the pace, so we start it first
Entry permit

The sponsor applies for your entry permit, or a change of status if you are already in the UAE.

Typical timing: Part of the 3 to 4 weeks below
Medical and biometrics

You attend the medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics in the UAE.

Typical timing: One short trip
Visa and Emirates ID

The residence visa is issued and the Emirates ID follows. Family visas follow yours.

Typical timing: Typically 3 to 4 weeks from entry permit to visa

What it costs

One all-in fee per visa, quoted before we start, covering the government charges, the medical, the Emirates ID and our work. Family visas are priced per person. We do not publish authority fee tables: they change, and they differ by route and emirate (what drives the cost).

Get your all-in quote on a call

Recent work like this

Real engagements, with names and details changed.

The founders of a UK technology business A multi-shareholder holding company with visas for the founding team They went ahead within two weeks of receiving the proposal. The operating company was licensed about five weeks later, over a holiday period, and the visa applications began straight after. A UK founder planning the move with business partners A founder’s free zone company, set up from the UK The incorporation documents arrived less than four weeks after payment, and the mortgage introduction went ahead. Two business partners already spending time in the UAE Two co-founders, a 50-50 company and a visa each Both partners signed the company’s memorandum of association within a week of paying.

All case studies

Common questions

Do British citizens need a visa for Dubai?

Not for a visit: British citizens get a visit visa on arrival. To live, work, rent long-term or put children in school, you need a residence visa (visiting vs moving).

Can I move to Dubai without a job?

Yes. Your own company, a freelance permit, the Green visa or the Golden visa can all sponsor your residence (the routes without a job).

How long does a UAE residence visa take?

Typically three to four weeks from the entry permit to the visa, once the sponsor is in place. Family visas follow yours, and certificate attestation can add time before you start.

Can I sponsor my wife and children?

Yes, once you hold a residence visa and meet the salary condition. As at October 2026 the government portal sets it at AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation.

What is the Emirates ID?

The identity card for UAE residents. You get it as part of the visa process and need it for banking, tenancies, healthcare and phone contracts (Emirates ID explained).

Can I keep my UAE visa if I live in the UK part of the year?

A standard visa needs you back in the UAE before six months away. The Golden visa allows longer absences. Your UK tax residence is a separate test.

Guides and tools

Official sources, as at October 2026: u.ae: residence visa for family members; u.ae: Green visa; u.ae: Golden visa; u.ae: virtual work visa; UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs: visa exemptions by nationality; ICP; GDRFA Dubai. Rules and thresholds change; we confirm the current position for your case before you act. This page is general guidance, not personal tax or legal advice.