Services · Visas and residency

UAE residence visas for founders and their families

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

In short

Living in the UAE needs a residence visa, and the route decides who sponsors you and what happens if your work changes. Founders usually get one through their own company; other routes are a job, a freelance permit, the five-year Green visa, the virtual work visa for people employed abroad, and the Golden visa for qualifying investors and talent. Once the route is set, the process runs through an entry permit, a medical, biometrics and your Emirates ID, typically two 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 personal bank account, a tenancy, a school place, health cover and a UAE driving licence. The route also decides how long you can spend away, whether a change of job ends it, and who can sponsor whom. Pick it for how you expect to live over the next five years, not just the next month.

Who it's for

Founders who need their own visa through their UAE company
Freelancers and consultants who want residence without a full company
People employed by a company outside the UAE who want to live here
Property owners, investors and senior professionals who may qualify for the Golden visa
Families who need visas for a spouse and children
Residents who split their year between the UAE and somewhere else

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 or in-country change of status, medical fitness test, biometrics and Emirates ID
Sponsoring your spouse and children, including attested marriage and birth certificates
Golden visa eligibility checks and applications
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 (employment or investor visa)
Employment	A UAE employer	People moving for a UAE job
Freelance permit	A free zone authority	Solo professionals within its permitted activities (how permits work)
Green visa	Yourself; five years, renewable	Skilled workers, freelancers and the self-employed, investors and business partners (the Green visa)
Virtual work visa	Yourself; one year	People employed outside the UAE on a salary of at least USD 3,500 a month
Golden visa	Yourself; five or ten years	Qualifying investors, property owners, entrepreneurs and talent (the Golden visa)

Sources: u.ae, Green visa; u.ae, virtual work visa; u.ae, Golden visa.

The Golden visa

As at October 2026 the government portal lists five Golden visa categories: investors in public investment or real estate, entrepreneurs, people with exceptional talent or rare specialisations, outstanding students, and humanitarian pioneers and frontline heroes. Terms are five or ten years depending on the category. Holders can sponsor a spouse and children, and can stay outside the UAE for longer than the six months that normally keeps a residence visa valid (u.ae).

For most founders who ask, the route is property. In Dubai, GDRFA issues a 10-year Golden residence to owners of one or more properties worth at least AED 2 million in total; mortgaged property is accepted, and for joint ownership your own share must reach AED 2 million (GDRFA Dubai). We check your case against the current rules before you spend anything.

Your spouse and children

Once you hold a residence visa you can sponsor your family. As at October 2026 the government portal says a 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 a month, 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. Marriage and birth certificates issued abroad usually need attesting in the country that issued them and then in the UAE, in a set order. We start that early, while your own visa is in progress (sponsoring your family).

Keeping the visa valid if you travel

A standard residence visa can lapse if you stay outside the UAE for more than six months at a stretch; the Golden visa allows longer absences (u.ae). If you plan to spend much of the year elsewhere, choose the route with that in mind (residency if you are abroad most of the year).

A UAE visa is a residence permit, not a tax status. Whether your home country still taxes you turns on its own rules, and time spent there to keep ties alive can count against you. We plan the two together.

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 2 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 2 to 4 weeks from entry permit to visa; Golden visa applications usually take longer

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

Can I move to the UAE without a job?

Yes. Your own company, a freelance permit, the Green visa, the virtual work visa or the Golden visa can all give you residence without a UAE employer.

How long does a UAE residence visa take?

Typically two to four weeks from the entry permit to the visa, once the sponsor is in place. Family visas follow yours, and attesting certificates from abroad can add time before you start.

Can I sponsor my spouse 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.

Who qualifies for the Golden visa?

Investors in public investment or real estate, entrepreneurs, people with exceptional talent or rare specialisations, outstanding students, and humanitarian pioneers. In Dubai the property route asks for property worth at least AED 2 million in total, and mortgaged property is accepted.

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

A standard visa needs you back in the UAE within six months of leaving. The Golden visa allows longer absences.

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).

Does a UAE visa make me tax-free?

The UAE has no personal income tax, but the visa does not end tax in your home country. That depends on your home country's residence rules.

Guides and tools

Official sources, as at October 2026: u.ae: residence visa for family members (updated 28 September 2026); u.ae: Green visa; u.ae: Golden visa; u.ae: virtual work visa; GDRFA Dubai: Golden residence for real estate investors. 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.