How Can a Single Mother Sponsor Her Child in Dubai?

Moving to the UAE and bringing your children along will require you to clear a certain set of prerequisites related to UAE sponsorship laws. In light of the family-oriented lifestyle of the country, the UAE allows both ex-pat fathers and mothers to sponsor their children and bring them to the UAE as residents. 

This article will cover all the important details that mothers be aware of regarding child sponsorship in the UAE. 

Let’s start with the most central question here before moving on to technicalities afterwards. 

Can Single Mothers Sponsor Their Child in Dubai?

Yes, single mothers can easily sponsor their children in the UAE and live as residents after obtaining a visa. Moreover, divorced mothers can also sponsor their children while married mothers living with their children alone have the same sponsorship rights. 

The process of application, however, will differ as per your marital status – single, divorced, or married – and your citizenship. This difference may also reflect in the documents to be provided as per your marital status and citizenship. 

Will I Need a Certain Profession to Sponsor My Child?

Earlier, it was required for ex-pat women to have a certain type of profession to be able to sponsor their children in the UAE. These professions included teachers, engineers, nurses, doctors, or other medical sector-related professions. Moreover, the minimum required income for women sponsors was also higher compared to male sponsors.

However, ex-pat women of any profession can sponsor their children in the UAE as of March 2019. Additionally, the income criteria for all sponsors are also the same i.e., AED 4,000 or AED 3,500 with an additional accommodation allowance. 

What Requirements Should Be Met for Mothers to Sponsor Their Children?

Given below is the complete set of requirements to be fulfilled by ex-pat women to submit a sponsorship request for their children:

• Applicant mothers shall be permanently employed in the UAE with a minimum of AED 3,500 monthly + accommodation expenses or AED 4,000 without accommodation expenses 
• Unmarried daughters and sons under the age of 25 years can be sponsored by ex-pat mothers in the UAE. Sons who are in the process of completing their studies can be sponsored by the age of 25. On the other hand, those who have completed their studies and are now working cannot be included in parental sponsorship. 
• Divorced mothers can sponsor their children if they have been granted custody by a court 
• Single mothers are also required to submit proof of custody or an affidavit to sponsor their children in the UAE 
• Married women will require an NOC (no objection certificate) from the father to sponsor their children 
• Ex-pats women involved in any profession can sponsor their children 
• A security deposit of AED 2,500 shall be made for each child to be sponsored – the deposit amount will be refunded if the visa gets cancelled or expired 

Mandatory Documents for Sponsorship

Given below is a list of mandatory documents required for mothers to submit along with the sponsorship application for their children:

For the Sponsor

• Emirates ID of the sponsor – original document
• Passport of the sponsor (must be valid for at least the next 6 months) 
• Salary certificate for salaried employees issued by the employer if the sponsor is a government or a free zone employee
• Labour contract issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) is required for private sector
• If you are an investor visa holder, the trade licence of your company and Memorandum of Association (MoA) will be required
• A tenancy contract attested by RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) Ejari Online System 
• Bank statement of the sponsor
• Divorce deed/certificate that has been attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE 
• Custody orders for the child to be sponsored if the mother is divorced, attested either by the UAE embassy (if obtained abroad) or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation 
• Custody verdict issued from a local authority or court in your home country 
• NOC from the father if the mother is married – to be attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation if the father lives in the UAE OR attested by a UAE Embassy if he lives abroad. 

This is a highly important document and must be in proper order in order to get the sponsorship

• All certificates issued in the sponsor’s home country must be attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and translated into Arabic
• International Bank Account Number (IBAN) of the mother

Documents of the Children to be Sponsored

• Passport of the child
• Passport-sized photos against a white background
• Birth certificate of the child to be sponsored (attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and translated in the UAE)

What are the Costs Associated with Child Sponsorship?

Given below is the list of different fees associated with sponsoring a child in the UAE:

• Sponsor mothers have to apply for an entry permit to bring their children to the UAE if they are currently residing outside the emirates. The entry permit fee for children is AED 490. 
• If the children are already in the UAE, sponsor mothers would need to apply for an entry permit that costs AED 1,150. The children must exit the UAE and enter again on the permit. 
• Mothers can also apply for an in-country status change that costs AED 650 
• Once the children are in the UAE, the sponsor mothers must open their file which comes with an additional cost of AED 255 
• Children older than 18 years must get a fitness test that costs AED 320 
• Emirates ID application for the children will cost AED 100 (each) for one-year validity 
• The final cost is the visa stamping cost which will fall at AED 465

How Can Mothers Apply for Child’s Visa?

Here are the steps you need to follow to apply for a visa for your child – 

• Visit a nearby typing centre and get a sponsorship form
• Fill it out and attach it with all required documents. Submit the stack at a nearby branch of the General Department of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA). 
• The department will provide you with a temporary residence visa for the child. You can use it to get the required medical tests done for them. 
• You can apply for the medical test at the typing centre and visit a DHA clinic afterwards to get the test done. The results will be available within 2 days. 
• Take the medical test results with you and visit the typing centre to submit them 
• Apply for an Emirates ID for the children 
• Visit the GDRFA to get the visa stamped and complete the process

The following are a few frequently asked questions about sponsorship of children by mothers in the UAE:

FAQs