{
  "id": "residence-and-family-sponsorship",
  "type": "guide",
  "title": "Residence and family sponsorship",
  "url": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship",
  "updatedOn": "2026-10-09",
  "links": {
    "html": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship",
    "markdown": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/md/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship",
    "json": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship.json"
  },
  "data": {
    "slug": "residence-and-family-sponsorship",
    "title": "Residence and family sponsorship",
    "category": "Running your company",
    "checkedOn": "2026-10-09",
    "summary": "Plan the residence and family-sponsorship route without mistaking a service-card target for a complete relocation timeline.",
    "sections": [
      {
        "title": "Requirements and scope",
        "paragraphs": [
          "Plan separately for the entry/status route, required medical fitness, residence application and Emirates ID requirements. ICP's residence service lists two days; Dubai's GDRFA family-residence service lists 48 hours. These are service-card durations, not a complete relocation schedule. Appointment waits, corrections, security checks and ID delivery cannot be inferred from them.",
          "Dubai Health offers medical-fitness result packages with published targets of 24, six or two working hours, while the Salem VIP offering states 30 working minutes. Choose the actual service/centre before budgeting time. These clocks do not establish when a residence visa or ID will be issued.",
          "For ICP family sponsorship, the published conditions include a valid sponsor residence, suitable housing and income of at least AED 4,000 monthly, or AED 3,000 with employer-provided housing. The listed family categories include a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs. Prepare relationship evidence and the applicable housing/income documents; the family residence cannot outlast the sponsor's. Use Dubai's GDRFA route for a Dubai-sponsored case."
        ]
      },
      {
        "title": "Confirm for your case",
        "paragraphs": [
          "Match these requirements to your entity, activity and authority. This guide does not establish an applicant-specific approval, complete cost or end-to-end timeline."
        ]
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "label": "ICP residence service",
        "url": "https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e64"
      },
      {
        "label": "GDRFA family residence service",
        "url": "https://gdrfad.gov.ae/en/services/d551ce7b-52e8-11ea-0320-0050569629e8"
      },
      {
        "label": "Dubai Health medical-fitness service",
        "url": "https://dubaihealth.ae/service/medical-fitness-exam"
      },
      {
        "label": "official package sheet",
        "url": "https://services.dubaihealth.ae/portalservices/documents/d/dubai-health/medical-fitness-packages"
      }
    ]
  },
  "attribution": {
    "required": true,
    "publisher": "Dubai Setup Index",
    "url": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship",
    "license": "https://dubaisetupindex.com/docs/citation",
    "citation": "Dubai Setup Index. “Residence and family sponsorship.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship",
    "citationMarkdown": "[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship). “Residence and family sponsorship.” Updated 2026-10-09.",
    "note": "Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown."
  }
}