Dubai Golden Visa: 10-Year Residency Through Property Investment

The minimum qualifying investment is AED 2,000,000 in freehold real estate registered with the Dubai Land Department. This threshold is assessed against the purchase price recorded on the title deed or a DLD-certified market valuation for properties that have appreciated since purchase. A single property may meet the threshold, or multiple properties under the same applicant’s name may be combined to reach it. The investment must be in a designated freehold zone. Ras Al Khaimah freehold zones, including Al Marjan Island and Al Mairid, qualify under the same federal framework as Dubai freehold zones.

Yes. Off-plan properties qualify for the Golden Visa if the total purchase value reaches AED 2,000,000 and the developer is registered with RERA. An Oqood registration with the DLD is required in place of a title deed. The DLD assesses off-plan cases individually, with stronger consideration given to projects with visible construction progress. Mira Developments is RERA-registered, and all off-plan sales are processed through the Oqood system.

Yes. Mortgaged properties qualify for the Golden Visa provided the total property value reaches AED 2,000,000. A regulatory change issued in February 2026 removed the previous minimum down-payment requirement of AED 1,000,000 or 50% of the property value. Eligibility is now assessed solely against the total value as confirmed by the DLD. A No Objection Certificate from the financing bank is still required, confirming the property value and the outstanding loan balance. The bank NOC must be addressed to the relevant authorities and current at the time of submission.

Government fees for the main applicant through the DLD total approximately AED 9,885. This covers the medical examination (AED 700), Emirates ID for 10 years (AED 1,153), confirmation of residency permit (AED 2,856.75), DLD processing fees (AED 4,020), and administrative charges (AED 1,155). Each sponsored family member on a 10-year permit incurs a fee of AED 5,774.50, plus a one-time family file opening fee of AED 318.75. Health insurance is mandatory for all residents and is not included in these figures. The AED 2,000,000 property investment is an asset, not a fee, and retains full resale and rental value throughout the visa term.

Yes. The Golden Visa allows sponsorship of a spouse, children, parents, and domestic staff. Unmarried daughters may be sponsored without any age restriction. Sons may be sponsored up to age 25 if enrolled in an accredited institution. Parents may be sponsored under the Golden Visa without the income thresholds that apply to standard parent visa routes. Domestic staff may be sponsored in unlimited numbers, subject to MOHRE labour regulations. Each sponsored dependant receives a residence permit matching the duration of the main applicant’s Golden Visa — 10 years for a property investor holding a 10-year permit.

No. The Golden Visa carries no minimum UAE residency requirement and no mandatory re-entry rule. Holders may remain outside the UAE for extended or indefinite periods without the visa being cancelled. This distinguishes the Golden Visa from the 2-year investor visa, which requires the holder not to remain outside the UAE for more than 6 consecutive months. The Golden Visa is designed for international investors who maintain a UAE base without residing full-time, making it particularly suited to buyers from Europe and the CIS region.

Standard processing time is 7 to 10 business days from the date of full document submission through the DLD service centre or online portal. Applications with complete, correctly attested documentation process at the shorter end of this range. Applications submitted with missing or expired documents will be returned for correction, resetting the processing timeline. A unified digital platform connecting the GDRFA and DLD was introduced in April 2026, streamlining inter-agency document sharing and targeting approvals in under 5 business days for straightforward cases.

Yes. The DLD accepts multiple properties combined under the same applicant’s name to reach the AED 2,000,000 threshold. All properties must be freehold and registered with the DLD. A mix of ready and off-plan properties may be combined. In cases of joint ownership between spouses, the value of each spouse’s share is assessed separately — each share must independently meet the AED 2,000,000 threshold for that individual to qualify. Titles held jointly with non-spouse partners are similarly assessed on the basis of the applicant’s proportional share value.

The Golden Visa remains valid until its expiry date if the qualifying property is sold during the visa term. However, the visa cannot be renewed unless the investor holds a qualifying property — or acquires replacement freehold real estate meeting the AED 2,000,000 threshold — at the time of renewal. The DLD places a notation on the qualifying property at the time of visa issuance. Investors who sell the qualifying asset and do not replace it before renewal should notify the DLD and initiate the appropriate administrative process.

The 2-year investor visa requires a completed property valued at AED 750,000 or more and is processed through DLD Taskeen. It is renewed every 2 years and requires the holder not to remain outside the UAE for more than 6 consecutive months. The Golden Visa requires AED 2,000,000 in property, accepts ready, off-plan, and mortgaged units, carries no minimum stay requirement, and is valid for 10 years. The Golden Visa extends family sponsorship to include parents and domestic staff — categories not available under the 2-year visa.

Mira Developments provides buyer support through the full property acquisition and DLD registration process. This includes coordination with the Dubai Land Department, assistance with documentation preparation, and guidance on the visa application workflow. Mira Developments is not a licensed visa agency or immigration adviser and does not act in that capacity. The company supports the property purchase and registration stage that forms the basis of the visa application. Buyers who require professional visa filing support should engage a licensed immigration or PRO services provider.

The most significant change is the removal of the minimum down-payment requirement for mortgaged properties. Since February 2026, Golden Visa eligibility depends solely on the total property value reaching AED 2,000,000, as confirmed by the DLD — regardless of the outstanding mortgage balance. In April 2026, the UAE launched a unified digital platform connecting the GDRFA and DLD, enabling shared real-time property and ownership data. This reduced application processing from several weeks to under 10 business days for standard cases. The down-payment removal and digital integration are the most substantive reforms to the property-route Golden Visa since the 2022 programme expansion.