Most of the expats wished to have their family with them wherever they go.  But due to employment packages and financial concerns, they fail to bring them along.  It is really a sacrifice to work far away from your love ones.  For a dream of giving them a better life, we will do everything within our control to provide it to them.  I will share what were the procedures I followed when I brought my wife and two kids in UAE to live with me.

Similar with other immigration procedures, bringing a family in another country entails a set of procedures to follow.  It is not hard but also not easy.  You just simply do it and undergo the process if you really want to pursue it.  There are various steps to successfully sponsor your family in UAE.

Before Arrival

My company is kind enough to assist me in bringing my family.  In effect, the hassle of going to the Immigration Department was avoided. Our PRO did all the leg work and I just submitted the required documents.

1.  Secure the residence entry permits.  The following are the requirements needed for the residence visa of your family.

• Wife and children passport copies
• Two (2) pcs. white background photos
• Sponsor passport copy and visa page copy
• Original Marriage Certificate, must be attested by the UAE Embassy in the Philippines and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in UAE
• Children’s birth certificates (the original ones are preferable, if not available, submit the attested copies

An application form for the Immigration Department will be given to you and you need to affix your signature to proceed on the processing.  The documents will come out 2 weeks from the date of application.  The application should be done 1 month before the date you plan them to arrive.  In my case I filed it 2 weeks before my vacation to maximize the validity of the residence entry permit of 3 months.

2.  Bring the residence entry permits to the Philippines.  Since I set my vacation parallel to their relocation here in UAE, I brought the residence visa with me.  You can opt to send it through the courier of your choice or let a friend bring it to the Philippines for you and give it to your family.

After Arrival

1.  Take the medical test for your wife.  Once your family comes to the UAE with residence entry permits, the medical exam for your wife should be conducted in the Municipal Hospital.  Medical test is not required for children if they are under 17 years old.

Note:  Make sure that you have the UID number reflected on the residence entry permit so that your wife will be allowed to take the test.  If the UID number is not yet indicated in the permit, secure the number at the Immigration Department.  In Abu Dhabi, it is located at 19th St.  Airport Rd. near the St. Joseph Cathedral.

The medical test can be completed in a day and you will be asked to come back after three (3) days for the result.

2.  Stamp the residence visa on their passports.  When the medical report of your wife comes out, you need to stamp the residence visa on your wife and children’s passport.  The following are the requirements needed.

• Original passport of your wife and children
• Your passport copy (sponsor / husband)
• Two (2) pcs. passport size photos with white background for each person
• Residence entry permits (pink visa) of each person
• Wife’s medical report

The passports with residence visa stamped will be available after 1-2 weeks if normal processing or 2-3 days for urgent basis. It will be valid for 2 years.

3.  Apply for Emirates Identification (EID).  This is an essential document for all residence in UAE since the government are planning to link all transaction with this single card.  Your identification when the random inspection in the streets and houses will also be proved using this document.  The Emirates ID is valid for 2 years and coincides with the expiry date of the residence visa.  To find more on how to avail it, you can see the details at the Emirates Identity Authority website.

Cost Consideration

What are the expenses you will entail for the whole process?

• Residence Entry Permit:  222 AED each
• Medical Test for the wife:  280 AED
• Residence Visa Stamp:  Urgent basis – 372 AED each , Normal basis – 272 AED each

Consider all these expenses on top of the other logistic requirements like airplane tickets, red ribbon expenses in Foreign Affairs Department in the Philippines, UAE Embassy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs stamps, food allowance and accommodation allowance.

Bringing your family in the UAE is just a first step, the harder part is surviving the high cost of living in this part of the world.  I will share my experiences regarding this in my coming blogs.  We will discuss some money-saving tips that you can apply while adjusting and adapting with the environment of UAE.

It was a blessing for me to bring my family in UAE in such a short period of time.  It is a fulfillment of one of my goals since I firmly believe that we need to invest in our relationship for it to grow fruits of love.

I know some people who all the years of their stay, they wanted to bring their family that it did not materialize; may be because of lack of planning or constraints in employment or simply lack of financial capability.  At the end of the day, all the sacrifices that we are experiencing as an expat are for our family to give them a brighter future someday.

What will you do to give your family a brighter future?  Share your thoughts and meet us in the comments.

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Photo credit:  dozafar