Facts checked on 22–23 October 2026 against the sources linked below. Rules change often — check the official page before you act. This is shared experience, not legal or financial advice.

Your residence visa and Emirates ID

There is no points-tested residence visa: an employer sponsors you, a resident family member does, or you qualify for a self-sponsored visa.

  • The employer's visa. You sign a MOHRE offer letter; the employer applies for the work permit, entry permit, medical test and Emirates ID, pays every cost and may not recover it from you (u.ae). You get a two-year residence visa, recorded on the Emirates ID since 11 April 2022.
  • The first month. The entry permit is valid for two months; from entry you have one month to finish the formalities. Already here on a visit or job-seeker visa? The employer files a status change (AED 500 plus small add-ons in Dubai).
  • Your passport. A residence visa cannot be issued or renewed on a passport with fewer than six months left, so renew with a year to run. Confiscation of workers' passports is prohibited (u.ae).
  • When the job ends. A grace period of up to six months, depending on the category, lets you find a new sponsor or leave; more than 180 days outside the country voids the visa (u.ae).

Golden and Green visas

  • Green visa, five years: a UAE employment contract, a bachelor's degree, MOHRE skill level 1 to 3 and AED 15,000 a month; or a MOHRE freelance permit and AED 360,000 of freelance income in the two years before applying (ICP).
  • Golden visa, ten years: a work permit, a bachelor's degree, MOHRE level 1 or 2, AED 30,000 a month and comprehensive health insurance; or property worth at least AED 2,000,000 (ICP). It sponsors a spouse, children of any age and parents.

ICP says "monthly salary", but consultancies report that since January 2026 officers read it as the basic salary on the MOHRE contract, so ask ICP how it reads yours. ICP rejected the July 2025 claims of an AED 100,000 "nomination-based" Golden visa: pay nobody to nominate you.

Family and parents

A resident can sponsor a spouse and children on a salary of AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation (u.ae, 28 September 2026), including unmarried daughters and sons under 25. You need a registered tenancy contract and attested marriage and birth certificates. Budget roughly AED 3,500–6,500 per dependant for a first two-year visa in Dubai, and ask in writing whether your employer pays. A spouse on a family visa needs only a MOHRE work permit to take a job.

For parents, u.ae gives no salary. Wego's April 2026 guide puts it at AED 20,000 a month in Dubai and says Golden visa holders need not meet it; confirm with GDRFA or ICP. Most families use visit visas instead.

Renewing your Indian passport

The Embassy in Abu Dhabi covers Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra; the Consulate in Dubai covers Dubai and the five northern emirates. Since 22 July 2026 applications go to the 16 centres run by Alhind Tours and Travels.

  • Appointments are free on consularsevainuae.com, released at 9am and 9pm, Monday to Saturday. Tatkal, newborn and Emergency Certificate applicants and anyone aged 60 or over walk in.
  • Since 1 July 2026 a 36-page adult passport is AED 450 and tatkal AED 900: AED 477 and AED 927 all in, with the AED 8 welfare-fund charge and Alhind's AED 19.
  • The arrangement is interim, so check the Embassy or Consulate website for the current centres before you go.
  • Never buy an appointment: the Embassy and Consulate said on 11 July 2026 that such offers are fake and unauthorised.

What to ask here

  • How long did your family visa take?
  • Was anyone's Golden visa approved on a basic below AED 30,000?
  • What did the passport centre ask for beyond the checklist?

Read the full guides: Indians in the UAE and Indian passport renewal in the UAE.