When applying for a residence visa Dubai a common struggle is needing a sponsor; but can you get a residency visa without one? To live long-term in the UAE, you must hold a residence visa. Regular residence visas need a sponsor. However, visas with different criteria are available.
To answer the question of whether you need a sponsor to get a UAE residence visa, you first need to know how these visas work, and what your options are.
UAE Residence Visas:
Other than the basic residence visa (which requires a sponsor), there are 4 other types of UAE Visa Residence options that you can apply for, without a sponsor. With a UAE Residence visa, you can enjoy “visa-on-arrival” at many great tourist locations across the globe.
Below is a list of some countries that offer visa on arrival for UAE Residents:
- Azerbaijan (All Residents)
- Malaysia (For Egyptians, Syrians, Jordanians, and Filipinos residing in the UAE)
- Armenia (For Indians and Filipinos residing in the UAE)
- Maldives (All Residents)
- Hong Kong (For Egyptians, Jordanians, and Filipinos residing in the UAE)
- Indonesia (For Indians, Srilankans, Jordanians, and Filipinos residing in the UAE)
- Mauritius (For Indians, Nigerians, Srilankans Jordanians, and Filipinos residing in the UAE)
- Seychelles (All Residents)
- Singapore (For Srilankans and Filipinos residing in the UAE)
5 Year Residency Visa via Investment without a Sponsor
If you’ve invested in a property in the UAE, you’re eligible for a 5-year residence visa without the need of any sponsor. However, you must also meet the below requirements:
- The property you invested in must have a gross value of at least 5 million AED
- The property shouldn’t be bought on a mortgage
- You should have also retained the property for a minimum of 3 years
10-Year Residency Visa via Investment without a Sponsor
If you’ve invested a minimum of AED 10 million in the UAE, you’re eligible for a 10-year UAE residence visa without the need for any sponsor. However, you must meet the below requirements:
- You can make the investment in the form of an investment fund
- Set up a company in the UAE with a start-up capital of at least AED 10 million
- Enter a partnership with a share value of at least AED 10 million
- The investment should have been retained for a minimum of 3 years.
Things to note:
- Out of your total investment, 60% of your investment should be in sectors other than real estate.
- The capital should be a loan from a recognized local bank.
- Must have private assets of up to AED 10 million.
Green Residence Visa
This is a five-year visa designed for freelancers, skilled professionals, and investors.
Golden Residence Visa
The other option is the Golden Visa: a ten-year residency visa given to entrepreneurs, scientists, highly-skilled professionals, exceptional students, investors, marvellous talents, and extraordinary people in advancing humanitarian causes and/or dealing with crises. This long-term residency visa requires no sponsor and also allows you to sponsor as many family members or domestic workers as you want with a visa validity of 10 years.
UAE Residence Visa Renewals:
The process for UAE Residence Visa Renewals is actually almost identical to applying for one. When a visa expires you may be given a certain amount of time you can stay in the country before you have to start paying for each day you remain after your visa expires. This is why it’s crucial that you renew your visa if you intend to stay in the UAE after its original end date.
As long as you still meet the criteria you did when you first applied, the renewal should go easily.
You Don’t Need a Sponsor to Get a Residence Visa to the UAE
When looking to gain residency in the UAE, a sponsor isn’t necessary if you qualify for UAE Investor Visa, UAE Green, or Golden Visa. All the visas offer a self-sponsored stay in the UAE for five and ten years respectively. All are great options for many people. Furthermore, your visa’s end date doesn’t have to be the end of your residency, as you can renew your self-sponsored visa through the same process as applying for one.
If you prefer not to do all the paperwork for this on your own, there are many available residence visa services Dubai like Docman which you can team up with.
