UAE Mainland Visa Costs 2026: AED 3,000-5,000 Per Person (Every Fee Listed)

You’ve budgeted for the trade license and office rent. Then someone mentions visas and the total jumps AED 3,000-5,000 per person. For 5 employees, that’s AED 15,000-25,000 you didn’t plan for. Here’s every visa fee across UAE mainland licenses.

The Per-Person Visa Cost

Every mainland visa follows the same process: entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID, visa stamping, and health insurance. The fees are set by federal agencies (GDRFA, ICP, DHA) and vary slightly by emirate.

Fee Component	Dubai	Abu Dhabi	Ajman	Sharjah
Entry permit	AED 1,500	AED 1,300	AED 1,100	AED 1,200
Medical fitness test	AED 500	AED 400	AED 320	AED 350
Emirates ID (2-year)	AED 370	AED 370	AED 370	AED 370
Visa stamping	AED 700	AED 600	AED 650	AED 600
Health insurance (annual)	AED 800-1,500	AED 700-1,200	AED 600-1,000	AED 650-1,100
Total per person	AED 3,870-4,570	AED 3,370-3,870	AED 3,040-3,440	AED 3,170-3,620

Dubai is the most expensive — roughly AED 800-1,000 more per visa than Ajman. For a single visa, the difference is manageable. For 10 employees, it’s AED 8,000-10,000.

Investor Visa vs Employee Visa

Both go through the same process — medical, Emirates ID, stamping. The investor visa (AED 3,500-5,000) is tied to your ownership stake; the employee visa (AED 3,000-4,500) is company-sponsored. Dependent visas for family members cost similarly. All visa types are separate from your trade license cost — no emirate includes them in the license price.

The Visa Quota Rule: 1 Per 9 sqm

This is the number that controls your entire staffing plan. Most emirates allocate visa quotas based on office size:

Office Size	Approximate Visa Quota	Emirate Variations
Flexi desk	1-3 visas	Dubai: 1; Ajman: up to 3
50 sqm	5-6 visas	Standard calculation
100 sqm	11 visas	Standard calculation
200 sqm	22 visas	Standard calculation
500 sqm	55 visas	May require approval

The formula: office area in sqm / 9 = visa quota (rounded down in most emirates).

This creates a hidden cost. If you need 10 employee visas, you need at least 90 sqm of office space. In Dubai, that’s AED 35,000-70,000/year in rent. In Ajman, it’s AED 12,000-20,000. The visa quota requirement forces a minimum office size — and therefore a minimum rent.

Some emirates offer exceptions:

• Dubai Instant License: Comes with a virtual office and limited visa allocation (typically 1-3)
• Ajman: Some license types include 3 automatic visas regardless of office size
• Professional licenses: May have different quota calculations based on partner count rather than office size

The Medical Fitness Test

Every visa applicant over 18 must pass a medical fitness test (TB chest X-ray, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C screening). Cost: AED 300-500 depending on the emirate. Results take 2-5 business days. Express same-day processing is available for AED 200-300 extra.

Emirates ID and Health Insurance

The Emirates ID is issued by ICP at a standardized fee of AED 370 (2-year validity) or AED 470 (3-year). Processing takes 5-10 business days after biometric capture.

Health insurance is mandatory for all visa holders:

Coverage Level	Annual Premium	Notes
Basic (Essential Benefits)	AED 600-800	Meets minimum legal requirement
Standard	AED 1,000-1,500	Better hospital network
Enhanced	AED 2,000-4,000	Private hospitals included

Dubai mandates a minimum plan through DHA. Abu Dhabi requires Daman-compatible plans. The cheapest compliant plan is roughly AED 600/year per person — adequate for healthy, young employees but limited to government hospitals. Most businesses opt for the AED 1,000-1,500 range.

Visa Renewal Costs

Visas renew every 2-3 years. Renewal costs AED 1,770-3,070 — roughly 40-50% cheaper than initial issuance because you skip the entry permit. You still pay for medical (AED 300-500), Emirates ID (AED 370), stamping (AED 500-700), and insurance (AED 600-1,500). Factor this into Year 2+ budgeting.

Visa Costs by Emirate: Total for 5 Employees

Here’s the real budget impact. A company licensing in each emirate and sponsoring 5 employee visas:

Emirate	License + Office (Year 1)	5 Employee Visas	Total Year 1
Dubai	AED 15,000-25,000	AED 19,350-22,850	AED 34,350-47,850
Abu Dhabi	AED 8,000-15,000	AED 16,850-19,350	AED 24,850-34,350
Sharjah	AED 8,000-18,000	AED 15,850-18,100	AED 23,850-36,100
Ajman	AED 4,500-10,000	AED 15,200-17,200	AED 19,700-27,200

The visa cost gap between emirates is smaller than the license/rent gap. Ajman’s total advantage comes primarily from cheaper licensing and rent, not cheaper visas.

For free zone visa costs (which often include visas in package pricing), compare options at FreeZoneCompare.com’s visa cost guide.

Bottom Line

Budget AED 3,000-5,000 per person for mainland visas in any emirate. The biggest cost driver isn’t the visa fees — it’s the office space you need to qualify for enough visas. A 10-person team requires ~90 sqm minimum, which costs AED 12,000-70,000/year depending on the emirate.

Use our cost calculator to model your total setup cost including license, office, and visas for your specific team size.

All visa fee data from GDRFA, ICP, DHA, and emirate-level immigration portals, verified May 2026.