The cheapest UAE residence visa you can sponsor yourself is the virtual work residence. In Dubai it costs AED 910 in government fees for one year if you apply from abroad, plus health insurance, and it needs a monthly income of at least US$3,500 from an employer outside the UAE. Without that income, the cheapest routes you can run on your own are a freelance permit, about AED 14,120 in the first year through GoFreelance in Dubai, or a free zone company package with one visa, from AED 12,999 a year at Ajman Media City.
If someone else sponsors you, the visa can cost you nothing. A UAE employer pays for its employees' visas, and a resident earning AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 with housing, can sponsor a spouse or children for AED 1,010 in government fees on a two-year residence.
Every Route and Its First-Year Cost
| Route | Who can use it | First-year cost | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment visa | Anyone hired by a UAE company | Nothing to you: the employer pays | Tied to the job |
| Family residence | Spouses and children of a resident earning AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 with housing | AED 1,010 in government fees, paid by the sponsor | Up to two years at that fee |
| Virtual work residence | Remote employees of an organisation outside the UAE earning at least US$3,500 a month | AED 910 from abroad, AED 1,430 from inside the UAE, plus health insurance | One year, renewable |
| Freelance permit with a visa | Freelancers in the activities the permit covers | AED 14,120 with a one-year visa, AED 14,562 with a two-year visa | One or two years |
| Your own company with one visa | Anyone who licenses a company | From AED 12,999 a year, the visa included in the package | Renewed with the license |
Virtual Work: the Cheapest Visa You Sponsor Yourself
GDRFA's virtual work visa and virtual work residence are for people who work remotely for an organisation outside the country. The conditions fit in one line: proof of that remote job, a monthly income of no less than US$3,500 or the equivalent, a passport valid for six months and valid health insurance. The residence lasts a year, can be renewed, and lets you sponsor your family for the same period.
| Fee | Charged by | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual work visa, applying from abroad | GDRFA | AED 200 plus 5% VAT |
| Residence permit, one year | GDRFA | AED 200 |
| Knowledge Dirham and Innovation Dirham | GDRFA | AED 10 each |
| Delivery of the residence | GDRFA | AED 20 |
| Emirates ID for one year | ICP | AED 100, plus an AED 100 smart service fee |
| Medical fitness test, result in 24 working hours | Dubai Health | AED 270 |
| Total, applying from abroad | AED 910 |
Apply from inside the UAE, on a visit visa for example, and GDRFA adds its AED 500 inside-country fee and the two Dirhams again, for AED 1,430 in all. Health insurance is the one cost no authority prices: it has to cover the whole residence, and the insurer sets the premium. Even with it, nothing you can arrange for yourself costs less, so for most people the question is whether they meet the income condition, not the fee.
When Someone Else Pays: Employer or Family
A job is the cheapest residence of all. When a UAE company hires you, the employer pays for the work permit, the visa, the medical test and the Emirates ID; our employment visa cost guide lists every fee on the employer's side.
Family sponsorship comes next. GDRFA's family entry visa sets the condition: the resident's salary must be AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 when housing is provided as well. The family residence then costs the same as any other residence of up to two years:
| Fee | Charged by | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Entry visa for a family member, applying from abroad | GDRFA | AED 200 plus 5% VAT |
| Residence permit, up to two years | GDRFA | AED 200 |
| Knowledge Dirham, Innovation Dirham and delivery | GDRFA | AED 10, AED 10 and AED 20 |
| Emirates ID for two years | ICP | AED 100 a year, plus an AED 100 smart service fee |
| Medical fitness test | Dubai Health | AED 270 |
| Total, two-year residence | AED 1,010 |
The sponsor pays these, plus health insurance for each family member and the attestation of the marriage and birth certificates, which depends on the country that issued them. Our family sponsorship guide covers the documents, and what a company owner's salary has to show before GDRFA accepts it.
Freelance Permit
A freelance permit lets you work for yourself without a company, and the free zone that issues it sponsors your residence. In Dubai, GoFreelance, run by the Dubai Development Authority's communities, charges AED 7,500 a year for the permit, plus the two Dirhams. Its own FAQ is plain that this doesn't include a visa: the visa costs AED 4,600 for one year or AED 5,042 for two, after an establishment card at AED 2,000.
- First year with a one-year visa: AED 14,120.
- First year with a two-year visa: AED 14,562.
- Not stated: whether the visa price covers the medical test and the Emirates ID. GoFreelance does require valid medical insurance, so ask for the full invoice before you pay.
The catch is the activity list. GoFreelance covers tech, media, education and design; if your work sits outside the activities a permit allows, it isn't open to you, and the company route below is. Our freelance visa guide compares the permits in other free zones.
A Company of Your Own, With One Visa
If none of the routes above fits, or you want to trade, you license a company in a free zone and it sponsors your residence as its owner. Packages with a visa built in are the cheapest way to do that. Ajman Media City publishes the lowest we have verified: its Visionary package costs AED 12,999 a year with one UAE residency visa included, and renews at AED 8,999. Its package with no visa costs AED 4,999, which shows what the visa adds.
Package prices and per-visa prices aren't like for like: zones that charge per visa add the visa on top of the license. Our free zone visa cost comparison sets the zones side by side. A company costs more than a permit, but it isn't tied to a short activity list, and it can sponsor the staff you hire later within its visa allocation.
No Sponsor Needed, but Not Cheap
Three more GDRFA routes skip the sponsor altogether, and each sets a bar most people looking for the cheapest visa won't clear: a residence for owners of a finished, fully owned property who also meet a monthly income, a green residence for self-employed graduates with a high annual income, and a green residence for investors with a large paid share in a company. The own visa guide sets out each threshold, and the golden visa guide covers the long-term residence.
Which Route Is Cheapest for You
- You have a job offer from a UAE company: the employment visa, paid by your employer.
- Your spouse or parent lives in the UAE and earns enough to sponsor you: family residence.
- You work remotely for an organisation abroad and earn US$3,500 a month or more: virtual work, at AED 910 plus insurance.
- You freelance in tech, media, education or design: a freelance permit, about AED 14,120 in the first year in Dubai.
- None of these, or you want to trade and hire: a company with one visa, from AED 12,999 a year.
Getting the Visa
For the company route, we license the company, open its establishment card and visas, and take your medical test, Emirates ID and stamping through our PRO services. Tell us your nationality, where you are now and what you plan to do in the UAE, and we'll quote the license and the visa as one first-year figure, with our own fee shown on its own line. Compare it with our business packages if you already know the zone.
Cheapest residence visa questions
One someone else pays for: an employment visa, which your employer covers, or a family residence, paid by the relative who sponsors you. The cheapest you can sponsor yourself is the virtual work residence, AED 910 in Dubai government fees for a year plus health insurance, if you earn at least US$3,500 a month from an organisation outside the UAE.
GDRFA's residence permit fee covers up to two years, and the Emirates ID adds AED 100 a year plus an AED 100 smart service fee. With the entry visa, the two Dirhams, delivery and the medical test, a two-year family residence comes to AED 1,010 in government fees. On a freelance permit or a company, the permit or license costs far more than the visa itself.
AED 300. ICP charges AED 100 for each year of residence and an AED 100 smart service fee. Its urgent service costs AED 150 more, at service centres only.
It's GDRFA's lower salary threshold for sponsoring family. A resident can sponsor a spouse and children on a salary of AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 when housing is provided as well.
Not one you can sponsor yourself. An employment visa is free to you because the employer pays, and a family residence is paid by your sponsor. Every other route carries at least the government fees on this page.
Sources
- Visa Issuance (Virtual Work) and Issuance of the virtual work residence permit, GDRFA Dubai: conditions, fees, validity. Read 2 November 2026.
- Issuing an entry visa for residence without work (family) and Issuance of a residence permit for foreigner family, GDRFA Dubai: salary condition and fees. Read 2 November 2026.
- New Identity Card Issuance, ICP: fees for residents. Read 2 November 2026.
- Medical fitness packages, Dubai Health: examination fees. Read 2 November 2026.
- GoFreelance: permit, visa and establishment card prices, and its FAQ on what the permit fee includes. Read 2 November 2026.
- Business setup packages, Ajman Media City: package prices, visas included, renewal fees. Read 2 November 2026.
