# Family (wife) visa



## Mikevv (Aug 24, 2013)

I'd like my wife to join me here soon in Dubai. I have a full resident visa from my employer.

My employer will pay for her single ticket to come over. I wonder, will she need a full tourist visa before coming, and what is the procedure for getting a tourist visa?

Is it possible to do this, on a single ticket? She has a Dutch passport.

It doesn't seem to be clear to me at all, and I get conflicting information from several sources.

Thanks!


----------



## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

now that you have a full resident visa, you may sponsor your wife immediately. your employer should have someone appointed [a PRO for example] to handle this, likely the person you dealt with for your visas.

she does not need a tourist visa if you acquire her resident visa first. it will be temporary and valid for only a couple months. time enough for her to fly over, have the medical, and get her visa stamp in the passport.

you will need an attested copy of your marriage certificate, i trust you've already done that?


----------



## lightofyourlife (Sep 4, 2013)

Joining means she will stay with you as long as you will be here right? Then you have to sponsor her. You have to apply for her visa which will be under you. So that even if she will be juz having a single ticket there will be no problem. However, if that will be juz for a visit or tourist visa she should have 2 way ticket.


----------



## Mikevv (Aug 24, 2013)

Hi sammylou,

Yes, the certificate is all ready to come over with her.

How long does it take to get a residence visa? We're looking at her coming over short term (13th or 14th of this month).

Thanks again


----------



## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

Mikevv said:


> Hi sammylou,
> 
> Yes, the certificate is all ready to come over with her.
> 
> ...


you need to have the marriage certificate with YOU in order to obtain the visa. so you have a couple of options. if this is her one way permanent coming over then i recommend you have her courier you the certificate so you get it in a couple days then make the application so she can enter on the res visa. i'm sorry i don't remember how long it took for my husband to get mine but i'll hazard to guess a week or so? ask your PRO what is usual.

if in fact she is just coming over temporarily for an initial visit and then returning home to wrap things up, then simply have her come here on the tourist visa and drop off the certificate. once you know when her permanent flight over is taking place, you can apply for the res visa while she is back home to ensure it is still valid [usually only good for two months i believe]. then she can enter with the new res visa.


----------



## imac (Oct 14, 2012)

As sammylou said, its best to talk to your company PRO, but in a nutshell, you first get your family residence entry permits...

RuleDetails

That lets them come into the country, after which you have 30 days to get the residence visa processed. Once they are in the country, you have to do this

Get a Dubai residency visa for your family


----------



## imac (Oct 14, 2012)

Oh, and for the medical.. well see this...

Pages - serviceCatdetail


----------



## Mikevv (Aug 24, 2013)

Thanks sammylou and others, great help so far!

Just wondering this then. She wants to come over next week, but we're going to Holland early Oct for a few days to attend a wedding.

Does it make it easier in any way, knowing that she'll be here for less than a month and will have ticket out of Dubai (to a different destination then where she came from)?

Thanks again


----------



## ACertainRomance (Jun 21, 2013)

dont forget it will need attesting by the ministry of foreign affairs here in dubai as well..... i missed that part.....

got my marriage attested by UAE Embassy in london and thought i was sorted... took it to my employer who told me i have a stamp missing from ministry here in Dubai... how many freaking hoops....


----------



## Mikevv (Aug 24, 2013)

Thanks ACertainRomance,

I did know that already - but as you say, lots of hoops!!


----------



## ACertainRomance (Jun 21, 2013)

Mikevv said:


> Thanks ACertainRomance,
> 
> I did know that already - but as you say, lots of hoops!!


i didnt until the other day when i started processing everything... annoyingly, the office is only open 8am - 2pm Sun - Thurs and guess when i'm at work....

good luck anyway


----------



## zatapa (Jun 21, 2013)

Hi Mikevv, i am Dutch too and moving to Dubai on the 14th. My employer is busy arranging a residence permit for me, work permit is ready and original will be available when I land at the Visa department, before the passport checks. My wife and kids follow about ten days later as my wife needs me as a sponsor for which my residence permit needs to be finalised. Reason why it takes one week or maybe ten days is that I need to do a medical check first. Our situation is slightly more complex as my wife holds an Indonesian passport, but the situation should be quite similar for your wife. I hope your employer supports her in this process as well...


----------



## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

ACertainRomance said:


> dont forget it will need attesting by the ministry of foreign affairs here in dubai as well..... i missed that part.....
> 
> got my marriage attested by UAE Embassy in london and thought i was sorted... took it to my employer who told me i have a stamp missing from ministry here in Dubai... how many freaking hoops....


this is the first i have heard of this. it's either very new regulation or your employer is not aware that it isn't necessary. we had our certificate attested and stamped by the UAE embassy in Ottawa and that was plenty fine to get our visas. that was less than a year ago.

Mikevv, just check with your PRO before you bother. unless others can chime in on more recent experience?


----------



## ACertainRomance (Jun 21, 2013)

sammylou said:


> this is the first i have heard of this. it's either very new regulation or your employer is not aware that it isn't necessary. we had our certificate attested and stamped by the UAE embassy in Ottawa and that was plenty fine to get our visas. that was less than a year ago.
> 
> Mikevv, just check with your PRO before you bother. unless others can chime in on more recent experience?


i was only told this yesterday, my employer is emirates..... frustrated isnt the word...


----------



## vantage (May 10, 2012)

ACertainRomance said:


> i was only told this yesterday, my employer is emirates..... frustrated isnt the word...


Wasn't required a year ago.


----------



## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

We had to get our marriage certificate stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dubai and ours also has a UAE embassy stamp from abroad. Ours got done in September last year. 
It did feel like an extra loop as we had already paid quite a lot to get it attested.


----------



## lightofyourlife (Sep 4, 2013)

Do you know the processing for residence visa is just for one day? Same day you will get the visa as long as you are sure that your documents are totally complete. My housemate made his wife's residence visa application and got it same day just this AUG.


----------



## lightofyourlife (Sep 4, 2013)

It is true you have to have the stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You know UAE rules changes frequently so you must be updated everytime.


----------



## Mikevv (Aug 24, 2013)

lightofyourlife,

As far as I am aware, yes, you need the stamp on your marriage certificate from ministry of foreign affairs.

I/We got it stamped by the ministry of foreign affairs in country where we got married, home country, the ministry of foreign affairs there. Then the UAE embassy in home country and then it is ready to be taken over here to then go to the ministry of foreign affairs here...

Hope you understand that!


----------



## Guest (Sep 12, 2013)

Mikevv said:


> lightofyourlife,
> 
> As far as I am aware, yes, you need the stamp on your marriage certificate from ministry of foreign affairs.
> 
> ...


That is so confusing! 

So let's say a NL citizen get married with a US resident in Australia. And NL citizen resides in UAE and needs to sponsor his wife.

Then he gets a stamp in Australia in UAE embassy and comes to Dubai and gets stamp in Foreign Affairs, and that is it or they need stamps in NL and US as well?


----------



## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

nathanalgren said:


> That is so confusing!
> 
> So let's say a NL citizen get married with a US resident in Australia. And NL citizen resides in UAE and needs to sponsor his wife.
> 
> Then he gets a stamp in Australia in UAE embassy and comes to Dubai and gets stamp in Foreign Affairs, and that is it or they need stamps in NL and US as well?


Most likely (dont take my word for it), this should be enough. 

The relevant department/ministry in Australia would have attested that the certificate is genuine. Then the UAE Embassy in Australia attests that the local attestation is genuine. 
And the the MOFA in UAE attests that the UAE Embassy stamp is genuine Sometimes the last step gets overlooked, but does not mean that it is not required.


----------



## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

nathanalgren said:


> That is so confusing!
> 
> So let's say a NL citizen get married with a US resident in Australia. And NL citizen resides in UAE and needs to sponsor his wife.
> 
> Then he gets a stamp in Australia in UAE embassy and comes to Dubai and gets stamp in Foreign Affairs, and that is it or they need stamps in NL and US as well?


My husband is British and I'm Finnish. We got married in a country where neither of us are citizens. The marriage certificate had to be attested in that country only (county court, state, UAE embassy). In addition we needed the foreign ministry stamp here in Dubai. No attestation of the marriage certificate was required from UK and Finland.


----------



## Guest (Sep 12, 2013)

Thanks rsinner and QOFE. That clarifies it.


----------



## imac (Oct 14, 2012)

Some embassies and missions are authorized to legalize documents issued by that country, so check with them first... saves you the hassle of sending documents over... 

On one of my trips back home recently, I needed to get a Singapore issued document legalized right away, so I got it stamped by the Singapore High Commission in Vancouver which is authorized to legalize documents issued in Singapore, then by Canadian Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, and then the UAE embassy in Ottawa... 

perfectly acceptable...


----------



## uberkoen (Sep 12, 2013)

Yeah, you'll need to get the marriage certificate attested by the local authority in your country or the country where the marriage certificate was produced followed by an authorization by the UAE embassy. Then in the UAE you would need to get this document legally translated to Arabic before getting it attested from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.

You can send a visit visa to your wife and she can enter the country on this visa. After arrival you would need to apply for a residency visa for your wife. This should be done within 60 days or there's a AED 25 for each day of delay.


----------



## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

uberkoen said:


> Yeah, you'll need to get the marriage certificate attested by the local authority in your country or the country where the marriage certificate was produced followed by an authorization by the UAE embassy. Then in the UAE you would need to get this document legally translated to Arabic before getting it attested from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.
> 
> You can send a visit visa to your wife and she can enter the country on this visa. After arrival you would need to apply for a residency visa for your wife. This should be done within 60 days or there's a AED 25 for each day of delay.


Nope. We didn't need it translated to Arabic but ours is in English. Also, it's not a visit visa that you "send". The spouse needs to have his/her own residency visa processed first. Then he/she can apply for the spouse visa. The initial form received once approved is a pink paper call Residence (entry permit). Then the wife/husband has to do medical and apply for Emirates ID. Once approved you get the residency visa sticker in your passport. This is now from a western point of view. I'm not sure if the process is different for others. The company PRO should be able to answer all questions to your specific case...


----------



## vrattana29 (Nov 14, 2013)

Hi Guys,

I am currently a Laotian citizen (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) holder of a UAE resident visa based in Dubai. I recently married a South Korean national (wife) and wish to sponsor her to live with me in Dubai. 

Our marriage registration certificate was issued in South Korea and I would like to confirm if the following steps are correct in getting it legalized/attested for purposes of visa sponsorship in the UAE:

1.	Translate original marriage certificate in Korean to English 
2.	Notarize the above at local notary/authorized law office
3.	Authenticate/notarize above at Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Seoul
4.	Notarize/Attest above (3) at the UAE embassy in Seoul 

Please do let me know if I need anything else to sponsor my wife. I have heard that since my wife is of a different nationality from me, I will also need a non-objection letter to sponsor my wife issued by the Laos Embassy in the UAE, however, there is no Laos Embassy in the UAE and the closest diplomatic mission is based in Kuwait. Is the NOC still required?--if so, I'm not aware if the embassy in Kuwait will even issue it, if not what to do?

I appreciate any assistance/advice provided...


----------

