UAE Golden Visa
The UAE Golden Visa offers long-term, self-sponsored residency for investors, entrepreneurs, exceptional talents, and outstanding graduates. A 10-year renewable visa with no minimum stay requirement — live in the UAE or simply maintain the option.
The UAE Golden Visa grants 10-year, self-sponsored, renewable residency to investors, entrepreneurs, exceptional talents, and outstanding graduates. Real estate investors need property valued at AED 2,000,000+ (about USD $545K), with mortgages allowed. The visa carries no minimum stay requirement, and the UAE levies no personal income tax.
- Investment From
- AED 2,000,000 (~USD $545K)
- Residency Type
- 10-Year Renewable Visa
- Processing Time
- 2–4 weeks
- Stay Requirement
- None
- Permanent Residence Track
- None — the Golden Visa itself is the ceiling
- Citizenship
- Only via discretionary Cabinet nomination
Compare Other Programs
Other routes in this category that may fit your situation
Investment Options
Real Estate Investment
AED 2,000,000 (~USD $545K)Purchase one or more properties with a combined value of AED 2M. Most popular route for the 10-year Golden Visa.
- Freehold zones only
- Off-plan allowed with 50% paid
- Family included (spouse + all children)
- 0% property tax
Public Investment
AED 2,000,000Investment in an investment fund accredited by the UAE government.
- Government-accredited funds
- No real estate required
- 10-year visa validity
Business Ownership
VariesOwn a business paying at least AED 250,000 in annual taxes, or establish a startup endorsed by an official accelerator.
- Startup Golden Visa via endorsement
- Tax-paying business route
- Entrepreneur visa: 5 years
Who Is This For?
- Real estate investors with property valued at AED 2,000,000+ (mortgage allowed)
- Entrepreneurs with an established, approved startup or successful project
- Specialized talents in science, medicine, art, culture — with proven achievements
- Outstanding graduates from UAE or top 100 global universities
- Senior executives with salary of AED 30,000+ per month
- Can include spouse, all children (any age), and one personal assistant
How It Works
- 1
Eligibility Assessment
ITC iLand identifies the most appropriate UAE Golden Visa category for your investment, career, or talent profile.
- 2
Investment or Qualification
For investors: purchase qualifying UAE real estate or make eligible financial investment. For talents: gather evidence of achievements and qualifications.
- 3
Application Submission
Submit through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) or GDRFA in Dubai.
- 4
Medical Examination
Complete mandatory UAE medical test at an approved centre. Blood test and x-ray required for Emirates ID.
- 5
Emirates ID & Visa Stamping
Emirates ID issued. Golden Visa stamp placed in passport — valid 10 years from issuance date, renewable indefinitely.
Reviewed by Ramin Asadi · RCIC · CICC #R407111 Verify
UAE immigration and citizenship law sits outside the RCIC licence, which covers Canadian immigration. This page is maintained by ITC iLand and checked against official UAE sources; the visa application and any property purchase are handled by UAE counsel and licensed local agents, with whom ITC iLand coordinates. Nothing on this page is UAE legal advice.
Figures on this page were last verified against their official sources in July 2026.
What the Golden Visa gives you
A ten-year renewable UAE residence visa, granted on the strength of a qualifying investment or status rather than an employer sponsor. That last point is the substantive one: ordinary UAE residence is tied to an employer or a sponsor and ends when that relationship does. A Golden Visa holder sponsors themselves.
It carries the right to live, work and study in the UAE, to sponsor family members including domestic staff, and — unusually — to keep the visa alive while spending most of the year elsewhere.
There is no personal income tax in the UAE, and no requirement to relinquish any existing citizenship or residence to hold it.
How to qualify
The investor route most clients use is property: AED 2,000,000 or more in UAE real estate, roughly US$545,000 at long-run exchange rates. Ownership can be across more than one property, and off-plan purchases from approved developers may count subject to conditions.
| Route | Minimum investment | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate or Business | AED 2,000,000 | ~US$545K; or a business paying AED 250K+ annual tax |
Beyond the investor routes
The Golden Visa is broader than an investment programme. Substantial categories exist for specialised talent — doctors, scientists, engineers, senior professionals above defined salary thresholds — and for entrepreneurs, exceptional students, and holders of certain professional qualifications.
It is worth checking those before defaulting to the property route. A qualifying professional with the right credentials can obtain the same ten-year visa without committing AED 2 million to an apartment, and applicants routinely buy property they did not need because nobody checked the talent categories first.
The property must generally be completed and handed over, held in the applicant's own name, and retained for the life of the visa. A mortgaged property can qualify in defined circumstances, but the rules on that are specific and have changed — confirm the current position for your exact purchase before relying on it.
The absence exemption — the genuinely distinctive part
A standard UAE residence visa lapses automatically after six continuous months outside the country. This catches a great many people, and it is the reason ordinary UAE residence is a poor fit for anyone who does not actually relocate.
The Golden Visa is exempt from that rule. It remains valid regardless of how long the holder spends abroad, for its full ten-year term.
That exemption is what makes it a mobility instrument rather than merely a residence permit. It lets someone maintain a genuine, self-sponsored base in the Gulf — bank accounts, Emirates ID, company ownership, a place to land — without moving there, and without the status quietly expiring while they are away.
Note the contrast with the Dubai property investor visa, which is a shorter, cheaper permit and is not exempt: more than 180 consecutive days outside the UAE cancels it. If you are comparing the two on price alone, that difference is likely to matter more than the price does.
What it does not lead to
This is where the UAE differs fundamentally from every European programme on this site, and it is rarely stated plainly.
| Timeline | What it actually requires | |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping the permit | Ongoing | Uniquely exempt from the standard UAE rule that lapses residence visas after 6 months of continuous absence. |
| Permanent residence | No distinct PR tier | The UAE has no separate "permanent residency" category above the Golden Visa — the 10-year renewable visa is the ceiling of the long-term residency system. Renewal isn't unconditional, though: it depends on the qualifying investment or basis still holding. |
| Citizenship | No predictable route | UAE citizenship is granted only via discretionary Cabinet/Rulers' Court nomination (introduced 2021) for select investors and other exceptional categories — not a predictable, application-driven route tied to years of residence. Dual nationality is permitted for those nominated. |
Renewable is not permanent
There is no permanent-residence status above the Golden Visa. The ten-year renewable visa is the ceiling of the UAE long-term residency system, and renewal is not unconditional — it depends on the qualifying basis still holding. Sell the property and the basis for the visa goes with it.
UAE citizenship was opened to select foreign nationals in 2021, but only by discretionary nomination through the Cabinet or a Ruler's Court. It is not an application anyone can make, there is no qualifying period of residence that produces it, and no adviser can put you on a path toward it. Treat it as outside your planning.
If your objective is a second passport, or a status that cannot be withdrawn, the UAE does not offer either and no length of residence there will produce them. It is an outstanding renewable residence. It is a permanent temporary status, and that is the trade.
Tax — what is and is not true
The UAE levies no personal income tax, and that remains the case. It is the main reason many people look at this at all.
Two qualifications matter. First, the UAE introduced a federal corporate tax of 9% on business profits above a defined threshold, effective for financial years beginning on or after 1 June 2023. Anyone planning to run a business from the UAE is planning within a corporate tax regime now, which was not true a few years ago and is not reflected in a lot of older material.
Second, and more important: holding the visa does not make you a UAE tax resident, and it certainly does not end tax residence anywhere else. Tax residence is determined by the rules of each country involved — generally driven by physical presence and personal ties — and your home country decides when you have ceased to be resident there, by its own tests. Several impose an exit tax when you do.
The absence exemption and the tax position pull in opposite directions. The visa lets you keep UAE residence without living there; ceasing to be tax resident at home generally requires actually leaving. Someone who obtains a Golden Visa, stays in Canada, and believes they have changed their tax position has not. Model this with a cross-border tax specialist before making any decision that depends on it.
What it costs beyond the investment
- Dubai Land Department transfer fee and registration charges on the property purchase.
- Golden Visa application, medical testing, Emirates ID and visa issuance fees, per person.
- Sponsored family members — each carries its own fee set, and the sponsorship is your responsibility.
- Mandatory UAE health insurance for each visa holder, renewed annually.
- Property service charges, maintenance and management — recurring for as long as the asset is held, which is for the life of the visa.
- Where a company is used as the qualifying basis, licence renewal, registered office and, since 2023, corporate tax registration and compliance.
Government fees are revised periodically and vary by emirate, so this page does not quote them. The costs most often left out of a comparison are the recurring ones — insurance, service charges and, where a company is involved, annual compliance.
Bringing your family
A Golden Visa holder can sponsor a spouse and children, with sons sponsorable beyond the usual age limits that apply on ordinary residence visas, and can sponsor parents and domestic staff. Family members' visas are generally issued for the same term as the principal's.
Dependants' status is derived from yours. If the qualifying basis fails — the property is sold, the company licence lapses — the whole family's residence is affected, not just the principal's. That is the practical argument for treating the qualifying asset as untouchable for the duration rather than as an investment to be traded.
Who this suits — and who should look elsewhere
The UAE Golden Visa suits someone who wants a stable, self-sponsored base in a well-connected jurisdiction, values the absence exemption, and either intends to spend real time there or wants the optionality of being able to. For entrepreneurs operating across the Gulf, Africa and South Asia it is often the single most practical status available.
It is the wrong route if
- You want a second passport. There is no route from this visa to citizenship.
- You want permanence. Renewal depends on the qualifying basis continuing to hold.
- You want EU access. This is not a Schengen route, and UAE residence does not confer European rights.
- You are doing it for tax without moving. Ceasing tax residence at home is about where you actually live, and your home country decides.
- Your budget is the constraint — check the talent and professional categories before committing AED 2 million to property you do not otherwise want.
Country Location
Why ITC iLand for This Program?
ITC iLand has guided over 100 families through global citizenship and residency by investment programs — from Caribbean second passports to European Golden Visas. We work with government-authorized agents in each jurisdiction and bring 25+ years of international immigration expertise to ensure your application is compliant, complete, and processed without delays.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Unlike regular UAE residency visas (which cancel after 180 days outside UAE), the Golden Visa has no minimum stay requirement. You can live outside the UAE and maintain your Golden Visa indefinitely.
Yes. The UAE Golden Visa uniquely allows inclusion of children of any age — including married daughters and their children — unlike most standard UAE visas.
The UAE has no personal income tax. A 9% corporate tax applies on business profits over AED 375,000, but individuals pay no income tax on salary or investment returns.
Yes. The equity portion you have paid toward a mortgaged property counts. The paid equity must equal AED 2,000,000+.
No. The UAE has no distinct "permanent residency" category above the 10-year Golden Visa — it's the ceiling of the long-term residency system. Renewal isn't unconditional either: if the qualifying basis (e.g. the property) is sold or no longer held, renewal may not follow.
The UAE Golden Visa is long-term residency, not a predictable pathway to citizenship. Since 2021, UAE citizenship is granted only via discretionary Cabinet/Rulers' Court nomination for select categories of investors, scientists, doctors, and other exceptional talents — not a standard, application-driven program tied to years of residence. Dual nationality is permitted for those nominated. The Golden Visa provides long-term stability without requiring citizenship.
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