New UAE visit visa rule stipulates sponsors to pay Dh1,000

Expatriates can seek UAE visit visas only for their relatives such as spouses, parents and children

The new visit visa rule in UAE that comes into effect from August 1 stipulates that residents sponsoring their immediate family members, are expected to shell out Dh1,000 as deposit, refundable on exit.

Colonel Darwish Eid Ebaid Al Meheri, Director of Visas and Residency Department at the Federal Naturalisation and Residency Department (FNRD) at the Ministry of Interior, said, "The sponsors who want to bring their relatives to the country on visit visa must pay the guarantee of Dh1,000, in addition to providing the health insurance before issuing the visa".

Also, the sponsor applying for the UAE visit visa for his immediate family or first degree relatives (brother, sister, aunt, uncle) should be getting a monthly salary of Dh5,000, the new rule says. The amended rule, according to the by-laws in the UAE, regulates issuance of visit visas and will now oblige the sponsors who want to bring their relatives to pay. Expatriate residents can seek visit visas only for their relatives such as spouses, parents, children, brothers and sisters. However, in case of friends, the sponsor must be a UAE national.