Published 9 November 2026 · 6 min read
One of the main reasons people apply for the UAE Golden Visa is to bring their family with them on a long-term basis. The visa itself may be the hard part to qualify for, but family files are where delays most often happen, usually because a marriage or birth certificate was not attested or translated in the right way.
Who you can sponsor
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) lists among the Golden Residency benefits:
- Residence permits for spouses and for children, regardless of their age.
- Residence permits for parents.
- The ability to sponsor domestic workers, in line with the regulations in force.
ICP also states that if the Golden Residency holder dies, the sponsored family members may stay in the UAE for the remaining validity of their own residence permits.
Health insurance for the family
For several categories, ICP requires comprehensive and valid health insurance for the applicant and the family members. For real estate investors and specialised professionals, ICP says this cover must be maintained throughout the validity of the residency, so budget for it from the start.
The family documents authorities ask for
ICP's residency service asks for proof of kinship. In practice, that means:
- An attested marriage contract, or a marriage continuity certificate, when sponsoring a spouse.
- Birth certificates to prove the relationship and the children's ages, or documents proving special needs.
- Passports for every family member.
GDRFA Dubai's general sponsor-file service goes into more detail for Dubai residents: it asks for a marriage contract certified by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs when a husband sponsors his wife, an attested birth certificate for children, and proof of housing in the form of an Ejari-registered lease or a Dubai Land Department ownership document.
How attestation works for documents issued abroad
A marriage or birth certificate issued outside the UAE has to pass through a legalisation chain before it is accepted:
- The document is certified by the competent authorities in the issuing country, where applicable.
- It is then attested by the UAE mission in that country. Many missions take requests online first; otherwise you visit in person.
- The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs completes the attestation in the UAE.
Laminated documents are not accepted, so never laminate an original you will need for attestation.
When a legal translation is needed
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks for documents in Arabic or English, or accompanied by a legally certified translation. Federal Decree-Law No. 22 of 2022 adds that UAE authorities may not authenticate a translated document unless the translation was produced by a translator or translation house on the Ministry of Justice list. A certificate issued in French, Russian or Urdu, for example, will need a legal translation as part of the file.
Common reasons a family file is delayed
- Names spelled differently on the passport, the certificate and the translation.
- A step missing from the attestation chain, usually in the issuing country.
- Translations done by a translator who is not on the Ministry of Justice list.
- Expired passports or health insurance for one family member.
For Egyptian documents, Champollion's team in Egypt can coordinate the steps on that side while our Dubai team prepares the translation and the UAE file.
