
UAE Golden Visa
A ten-year renewable residency, earned through property you own. What qualifies, what it costs, and the three steps between a title deed and a visa.
- Residency, renewable
- 10 yr
- Property threshold
- AED 2M
- Business ownership
- 100%
- Typical processing
- ~30 days
Residency, renewable
Property threshold
Business ownership
Typical processing
The Golden Visa is a long-term UAE residency permit granted on the strength of what you own rather than who employs you. For property investors that means a ten-year permit, renewable for as long as you hold the asset, with no local sponsor and no employer tied to your status.
Property is the most direct route to it. One home worth AED 2,000,000 or several that add up to it will qualify, and the rules below cover the cases people actually arrive with — an off-plan unit part-paid, a mortgage still running, a property held jointly with a spouse.
Three routes to residency
Which one applies depends on what you own and how old you are, not on what you would prefer.
- Most chosen10 years
Golden Visa
Property value AED 2,000,000 or more
- Renewable indefinitely while you remain invested
- Full family sponsorship included
- No local sponsor required
- Unlimited domestic worker visas
- Extended absence from the UAE permitted
- Age 55+5 years
Retirement Visa
Qualifying assets, on any one of three tests
- Property worth AED 2,000,000, or
- Savings of AED 1,000,000, or
- Monthly income of AED 20,000
- Family sponsorship options
- No employment required
- Entry level2 years
Investor Visa
Property value AED 750,000 or more
- The entry-level investment route
- Renewable with continued ownership
- Family sponsorship available
- A path to upgrading to the Golden Visa
- Full UAE residency benefits
What it changes
Long-term security
Ten years of residency rather than a renewal every two or three, for you and your family. The investment behind it is protected under UAE law.
Business advantages
100% business ownership, easier banking access, and the ability to open multiple companies without a local sponsor.
Family sponsorship
Sponsor a spouse, children of any age, and unlimited domestic workers — without a local sponsor.
Travel freedom
Stay outside the UAE for extended periods without losing residency, which an ordinary residence visa does not allow.
No local sponsor
No UAE national sponsor or service agent stands between you and your own residency.
Tax position
No personal income tax, no capital gains tax and no wealth tax in the UAE.
Three steps
- 1
Check the value
Confirm your property’s market value clears AED 2,000,000. We look at recent sales in the building and what the market is doing, so you know before you pay for anything.
- 2
Get it valued officially
fäm Conveyancing connects you with a DLD-accredited valuation company for the official report the application requires.
- 3
Apply
We handle the legal documentation, DLD compliance and submission. A Golden Visa is typically processed within 30 days.
The rules that decide it
Most applications turn on one of these five rather than on the headline figure.
- The threshold
- A minimum property value of AED 2,000,000, in one unit or several combined. The value has to be the one recorded at the Dubai Land Department — there is no "net value" or "after mortgage" calculation.
- Off-plan property
- Eligible where the value is AED 2M or more, you have paid AED 2M or more, the developer is DLD-approved, and you hold a Golden Visa Eligibility Certificate from the DLD. A deposit or part-payment below that does not qualify.
- Mortgaged property
- Eligible where the equity you have paid the bank is AED 2M or more. The financed amount is not what counts — your paid equity is. The bank issues an NOC showing the amount paid and the balance outstanding.
- Joint ownership
- Spouses: either can apply where the value is AED 2M or more, with a marriage certificate. Other partners: each must own AED 2M individually for both to qualify.
- Property status
- The property must be registered with the DLD with no court dispute or seizure order against it. A disputed property is rejected until the dispute is resolved.
Frequently asked
Figures are the current published requirements and can change with UAE policy — we confirm them against the Land Department before you spend anything. See also our conveyancing service, or everything else we do.
Not sure whether you qualify?
We will look at what you own and tell you the shortest route to the threshold — or that you already clear it. No obligation.