Divorced mother and child. How to get UAE residence?

You are divorced

In this case in addition to the above-listed documents you will need to provide the following:

• A no objection letter from the father of your child
  Such a letter is written in a free form and contains the consent of the father that you become a child’s sponsor in the UAE. A letter can be made in UAE at public notary if both parents are here, or abroad. In this case, it will have to be legalized by the UAE Embassy in your country in Dubai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• A court ruling that you are a single guardian of a child
  In case after a divorce, you were appointed as a single custodian of a child, you need to present that document from the court.

You are a single parent from the start

In such case, UAE immigration will still have questions about the father of the child. 

An ideal option in such a situation would be to have a birth certificate where the name of the father is not mentioned at all. It would mean by default that you are a single guardian of the child. 

In case the father’s name is written in the birth certificate, you will be asked to get a no-objection letter from him. 

If you are unable to get such a letter, you will need to file a case to the court in order to be appointed as a single custodian of your child. 

You are not divorced, but the location of the father is unknown

Unfortunately, UAE government will not be able to approve your sponsorship of your child without any proof that the father is missing or a no objection letter from husband. 

You need to get documentary evidence that the father is not there and the best place to do it would be the court. 

Only official court documents will be accepted by the UAE authorities. 

Once the guardianship documents are in order, just follow a standard visa procedure, keeping in mind the following: you may be asked to provide extra documents proving your financial well-being and educational degree. 

You are not divorced, but relations with the father are fine

It is the easiest scenario, because all you have to do is to ask for a no-objection letter from husband

What’s next?

Once the guardianship documents are in order, just follow a standard visa procedure, keeping in mind the following: you may be asked to provide extra documents proving your financial well-being and educational degree. 

There is also a possibility that the immigration authorities will ask you to pay a higher refundable deposit for the child’s visa. In some Emirates, it reaches 20,000 AED for a female sponsor. 

UAE family visa minimum salary is about 4,000 AED, but for a single woman, this threshold is usually higher. 

If you are a business owner, we recommend making a salary certificate from your business place of registration with the amount of at least 20,000 AED. Note that some free zones will require the evidence from you that you have that money in your account. You can provide proof of transfer or bank statements to them.

If you are considering starting a business in UAE do some research first and check what would be the immigration requirements for a single mom in different Emirates. You may contact a business setup company in Dubai to get a piece of qualified advice on that and assistance with the paperwork.