UAE spouse visa for Filipino nationals
What this visa is
If you are married to someone who holds a UAE residence permit, you can join them on a family residence visa. Your spouse sponsors you once they meet the income rule below, and your permit stays linked to theirs for as long as it remains valid. The attestation step for Philippine documents takes a different route from most other nationalities, covered below. Figures in this guide are as at September 2026.
Who can apply
You can apply if you are legally married to someone who holds a valid UAE residence permit. Your PSA marriage certificate then needs to pass through the attestation chain covered below.
Who can sponsor
Your spouse needs a valid UAE residence permit and must earn at least AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 a month plus housing provided by their employer. The accommodation also needs to be adequate for your family size.
Both husbands and wives can sponsor a spouse. GDRFA Dubai states directly that residents of Dubai can bring in a husband or a wife on the same terms. An older rule, requiring a higher salary and a listed profession from a woman sponsoring her husband, still appears on an archived government page. If you live outside Dubai, confirm the current position with ICP before you rely on the lower figure.
Your residence permit is linked to your spouse’s. You must apply for it within 60 days of entering the UAE, and everyone aged 18 or over needs a medical test at an approved centre. If your spouse’s permit is later cancelled or expires, you keep a six month grace period to sort out your own status.
Attestation of your Philippine marriage certificate
Before UAE authorities will accept your PSA marriage certificate, it has to pass through a chain of attestation. The UAE has not signed the Hague Apostille Convention, so a Philippine apostille does not, on its own, satisfy UAE authorities. It is still a required first step in the chain.
Your PSA certificate needs a DFA apostille before the UAE Embassy in Manila will attest it. The Embassy states plainly that documents submitted for its attestation must already carry the DFA apostille.
Unlike several other nationalities covered on this site, the UAE Embassy in Manila does not offer the combined digital service that lets one application cover both the Embassy and UAE MOFA in a single step. Instead, you submit your DFA apostilled document to the Embassy online through the MOFA service, by courier, or in person, at a fee of PHP 2,350 per standard certificate. Processing takes at least 3 to 5 working days. Once the Embassy has attested your document, it still needs UAE MOFA attestation, at AED 150 per document, before it is complete.
Documents you need
Confirm the current checklist with ICP or GDRFA Dubai before you apply, since the exact list depends on which authority handles your case. In general you need your attested PSA marriage certificate, your passport valid for at least 6 months, a recent passport photo, a utility bill in your spouse’s name, your spouse’s employment certificate showing income and housing, and valid health insurance. If either of you was married before, you also need documents showing how that marriage ended: under Philippine law, there is no divorce between two Filipino citizens except under Muslim personal law, so this is usually an annulment or nullity order annotated on your PSA record.
How to apply
GDRFA Dubai handles residents of Dubai, through Amer centres, customer happiness centres, and its own digital channels. ICP handles the other six emirates, through its smart services website and app. Your spouse applies as the sponsor once your marriage certificate is fully attested.
Costs and processing times
GDRFA Dubai lists AED 200 for the residence permit, AED 10 Knowledge Dirham, AED 10 Innovation Dirham, and AED 20 for delivery, plus AED 500 more if you apply from inside the UAE. The issuance fee rises by AED 100 a year for permits covering more than two years. Processing takes about 48 hours.
ICP lists AED 100 for the application, AED 100 a year for issuance, AED 100 for the smart service, and AED 20 for financial security. Processing takes about 2 days.
Budget separately for the PHP 2,350 Embassy attestation fee, the AED 150 UAE MOFA fee, and your medical test, Emirates ID and health insurance, since the last three are not yet confirmed figures at time of writing.
After you arrive
Apply for your residence permit within 60 days of entering the UAE. Book your medical test at an approved centre in good time, since it is required for everyone aged 18 or over before the permit is issued.
If your spouse is a UAE citizen
Sponsorship by a UAE citizen spouse follows a separate route: a 5 year residence visa with no employment requirement attached. That route is not covered in this guide.
FAQs
Can I use my DFA apostille on its own for the UAE visa?
No. The apostille is a required first step, but the UAE has not signed the Apostille Convention, so your document still needs attestation by the UAE Embassy in Manila and then UAE MOFA.
Why does my application take longer than some other nationalities?
Manila does not have the combined digital attestation service some other UAE embassies offer, so your document goes through the Embassy and UAE MOFA as two separate steps rather than one application.
Can my wife sponsor me on the UAE visa?
Yes. GDRFA Dubai confirms that both male and female residents can sponsor a spouse. If you live outside Dubai, confirm the current income rule with ICP.
What happens to my status if my spouse’s job in the UAE ends?
Your residence permit is linked to your spouse’s. If their permit is cancelled or expires, you have a six month grace period to arrange your own status.
I was married before and it ended. What do I need?
Documents showing how your previous marriage ended. For two Filipino citizens this is usually an annulment or nullity order, annotated on your PSA record, since divorce between two Filipinos is not available except under Muslim personal law.
Official sources
UAE Embassy in Manila, FAQs
UAE MOFA, FAQs on attestation of documents issued outside the UAE
Philippines DFA, Authentication Division FAQs
u.ae, Residence visa for family members (updated 7 August 2026)
u.ae, archived: Sponsoring family residency visa by expatriates
ICP, Issuing residency permit for family members
GDRFA Dubai, Issuance of a residence permit for foreigner family members