With year-end travel surging, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) has issued a consolidated factsheet detailing 11 major immigration reforms introduced during 2025. The document, circulated on 12 December, spans five-year multiple-entry visit visas that require no local sponsor, widened Golden-Visa eligibility, and new salary-band thresholds for sponsoring family members.
Also highlighted are four niche visit-visa sub-categories for AI experts, cruise-line crew, entertainers and luxury-yacht staff, plus a rule allowing several visit visas to be converted to work or residence permits without leaving the country. The ICP notes a US $4,000 minimum bank-balance for unsponsored five-year visas and reminds residents that health insurance is now mandatory when switching status in-country.
![Federal Authority publishes one-stop guide to 11 key UAE visa changes before 2026]()
For companies and individuals needing hands-on help navigating the new UAE visa matrix, VisaHQ’s Dubai-focused portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers real-time eligibility checks, document checklists and end-to-end application support, allowing employers to outsource complex filings and travellers to track approval milestones from any device.
For HR and global-mobility teams, the checklist is a welcome antidote to months of piecemeal announcements. Experts advise auditing expatriate payrolls against the new Dh 4,000, Dh 8,000 and Dh 15,000 salary tiers, updating dependant-visa budgets and retraining travel agents on expanded e-visa options.
Failure to align contracts with the new thresholds could see dependant visas rejected at renewal, while mis-categorised visit-to-work conversions risk fines of up to Dh 5 million introduced earlier this year. Companies are therefore embedding the ICP factsheet into pre-departure briefings and onboarding packs to cut application errors and queuing times at service centres.
Also highlighted are four niche visit-visa sub-categories for AI experts, cruise-line crew, entertainers and luxury-yacht staff, plus a rule allowing several visit visas to be converted to work or residence permits without leaving the country. The ICP notes a US $4,000 minimum bank-balance for unsponsored five-year visas and reminds residents that health insurance is now mandatory when switching status in-country.
For companies and individuals needing hands-on help navigating the new UAE visa matrix, VisaHQ’s Dubai-focused portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers real-time eligibility checks, document checklists and end-to-end application support, allowing employers to outsource complex filings and travellers to track approval milestones from any device.
For HR and global-mobility teams, the checklist is a welcome antidote to months of piecemeal announcements. Experts advise auditing expatriate payrolls against the new Dh 4,000, Dh 8,000 and Dh 15,000 salary tiers, updating dependant-visa budgets and retraining travel agents on expanded e-visa options.
Failure to align contracts with the new thresholds could see dependant visas rejected at renewal, while mis-categorised visit-to-work conversions risk fines of up to Dh 5 million introduced earlier this year. Companies are therefore embedding the ICP factsheet into pre-departure briefings and onboarding packs to cut application errors and queuing times at service centres.
