# Residence and family sponsorship

Running your company · Dubai Setup Index

> Plan the residence and family-sponsorship route without mistaking a service-card target for a complete relocation timeline.

- Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship
- Updated: 2026-10-09
- Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology

## Requirements and scope

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.

## Confirm for your case

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

- [ICP residence service](https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details/?serviceid=64afe3c1035448005bd52e64)
- [GDRFA family residence service](https://gdrfad.gov.ae/en/services/d551ce7b-52e8-11ea-0320-0050569629e8)
- [Dubai Health medical-fitness service](https://dubaihealth.ae/service/medical-fitness-exam)
- [official package sheet](https://services.dubaihealth.ae/portalservices/documents/d/dubai-health/medical-fitness-packages)

## Machine-readable

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## Citation

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Dubai Setup Index. “Residence and family sponsorship.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship

[Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/guides/residence-and-family-sponsorship). “Residence and family sponsorship.” Updated 2026-10-09.

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.