UAE golden visa: categories and requirements for investors and professionals

The UAE golden visa is a residence permit that ICP grants for 10 years, renewable and without a sponsor. Investors qualify with at least AED 2,000,000 in a deposit, company or property, or a company paying AED 250,000 of federal tax a year; skilled professionals with a degree and a monthly salary of AED 30,000. Entrepreneurs, top students, specialists, talents and humanitarian pioneers have their own routes.

Key takeaways

• ICP issues the golden visa for 10 years, renewable and with no sponsor, in every category it lists.
• Investors need AED 2,000,000 in a deposit, company capital or property, or AED 250,000 of federal tax a year.
• Skilled professionals need a UAE work permit, a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000.
• Holders can sponsor a spouse, children of any age and parents, and can stay outside the UAE for more than six months.
• Students, doctors and other specialists, talents and humanitarian pioneers qualify through grades, a record of achievement or service, or an official recommendation.

On this page 14 sections

What the UAE golden visa is

The golden visa is a long-term UAE residence permit that does not depend on an employer or a relative acting as sponsor. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) issues it, and the term is 10 years according to ICP.

Golden residence term, according to ICP

10 years, renewable

The UAE Golden Residency is a 10-year, renewable residence without a sponsor, issued by ICP to eligible investors, entrepreneurs, exceptional talents, skilled professionals, outstanding students and graduates, humanitarian pioneers and frontline heroes.

ICP says holders can live, work, study and invest in the UAE with the benefits available to other residents.

Official pages do not agree on every term. The u.ae summary table (updated 28 July 2026) still shows 5 years for real estate investors, entrepreneurs and high school achievers, while ICP’s Golden Residency Guide, published by the authority that issues the residence, gives 10 years. This guide follows ICP. The golden visa is one of several residence routes covered in the Investing and residency guides.

Golden visa categories at a glance

Each category has its own test: money invested, salary, grades, or a recommendation from a named authority. ICP, or GDRFA (the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs) in Dubai, issues the residence in every case; the last column shows who else recommends or certifies an application.

Investors: deposits, company capital and tax paid

A public investment investor qualifies with AED 2,000,000 placed in a deposit, a company or a partner share, or through a company that pays at least AED 250,000 a year in federal taxes. The money must be the investor’s own.

Public investment thresholds

AED 2,000,000 investment or AED 250,000 annual tax

A public investment investor qualifies for Golden Residency with a deposit of at least AED 2,000,000 in an investment fund or a national bank in the UAE, a UAE company with capital of at least AED 2,000,000 (or a partner's share of that value), or a company paying at least AED 250,000 a year in federal taxes (or a partner's share of tax paid of that amount); the capital must be the investor's own and not borrowed.

The AED 2 million routes

GDRFA Dubai’s service page shows how it checks the AED 2,000,000 deposit and company routes in Dubai:

• Deposit. GDRFA Dubai also accepts the deposit in the form of local sukuk or investment bonds, held with an accredited local bank, and asks for a bank certificate showing the money is frozen for at least two years. It also asks deposit investors for proof of housing in Dubai.
• Company capital or partner share. GDRFA Dubai measures the value of the investor’s share of the company’s assets through a certified financial report from an accredited UAE audit firm. It also asks for a valid trade licence with the partners’ appendix, a company bank statement and tax registration with the last year’s tax receipts; free zone companies add a free zone certificate showing the capital and the investor’s share.
• Company assessment. GDRFA Dubai says it evaluates the size of the company’s investment or workforce, its administrative efficiency and its financial solvency before final approval.

ICP lists each route separately and does not say whether amounts can be added across routes, for example a deposit plus a company share. The examples in this guide test one route at a time.

The AED 250,000 tax route

This route measures tax paid, not money invested. For a partner, ICP looks at the part of the company’s yearly tax that corresponds to the partner’s shareholding. ICP refers to taxes due to the federal government and to the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) without listing which taxes count. GDRFA Dubai now relies on a letter from the FTA stating the partner’s tax contribution for the last year or the financial year before the application, together with the trade licence.

Worked example

Two partners' shares of a company's federal tax

The tax bill and the shareholdings are illustrations.

1. A UAE company pays AED 900,000 in federal tax in one year.
2. Partner A holds 30%: AED 900,000 × 30% = AED 270,000. That is AED 20,000 above the AED 250,000 threshold.
3. Partner B holds 25%: AED 900,000 × 25% = AED 225,000. That is AED 25,000 below it.

Partner A’s share is AED 270,000 and meets the tax route; partner B’s share of AED 225,000 does not.

How much corporate tax a company pays on its profit is explained in the UAE corporate tax rate, and how a company registers for corporate tax in corporate tax registration. GDRFA Dubai’s page asks for “tax registration” without naming the tax.

Where the money must come from

The capital must belong to the investor in full and must not come from a loan. ICP asks for documents that show both where the money came from and who owns it. This no-loan rule is written for the public investment routes; the property route below expressly allows bank finance. The investor and their family must also hold valid, comprehensive health insurance when they apply.

Property investors: the real estate route

Owning UAE property worth at least AED 2,000,000 in total qualifies a real estate investor, whether the property is completed or bought off-plan, and a loan from an approved local bank does not rule it out.

Real estate investor minimum

AED 2,000,000 in property

A real estate investor qualifies for Golden Residency by owning one or more UAE properties worth at least AED 2,000,000 in total, fully registered in their name; the property may be financed by a loan from an approved local bank, and off-plan units worth at least AED 2,000,000 bought from an approved local developer also qualify.

Completed property and mortgages

Several properties can be added together to reach the minimum, as long as each is fully owned and registered in the investor’s name. The investor and their family need health insurance for the whole period of the residence.

A loan from an approved local bank is allowed, but neither ICP nor GDRFA Dubai publishes how a mortgaged property is valued for the test: at its full value, or at the equity the owner has paid. How home loans for non-citizens work is covered on mortgages for expats (thecreditzone.ae).

Worked example

Two Dubai apartments against the AED 2,000,000 minimum

The property values are illustrations.

1. Apartment A is worth AED 1,250,000 and apartment B AED 900,000. Both are completed and registered in the investor’s name, with no loan.
2. ICP counts the total value of one or more properties: AED 1,250,000 + AED 900,000 = AED 2,150,000.
3. Compared with the minimum: AED 2,150,000 minus AED 2,000,000 = AED 150,000 above it.
4. Had apartment B been worth AED 700,000, the total would be AED 1,950,000, which is AED 50,000 short.
5. If either apartment carried a bank loan, the published rules do not say whether its full value or only the equity paid would count.

Total property value: AED 2,150,000, which meets the AED 2,000,000 minimum.

Off-plan property

Off-plan property counts when the units come from an approved local developer and total at least AED 2,000,000. ICP’s guide does not say how much of the price must already have been paid, and it lists off-plan and completed property as separate conditions without saying whether they can be combined to reach the minimum.

How Dubai applies the property route

In Dubai, GDRFA Dubai issues the permit and adds its own checks on the value and on continued ownership.

GDRFA Dubai investor conditions

AED 2,000,000; lien on property; deposit frozen at least 2 years

For a golden residence permit as a real estate investor in Dubai, GDRFA Dubai accepts mortgaged property, requires property worth at least AED 2,000,000 (or a share of a jointly owned property worth at least that) certified by a Dubai Land Department property status certificate, and requires a lien to be placed on the property, under Dubai Land Department procedures, so ownership continues for the validity of the residence; for the bank deposit route, the deposit of at least AED 2,000,000 must be certified as frozen for at least two years, and GDRFA states that the deposit may not be withdrawn and the property may not be disposed of during the 10-year residence.

GDRFA Dubai may also accept a valuation certificate from an office licensed by the Dubai Land Department (DLD), and its page covers all types of property. For a jointly owned property, the investor’s own share has to reach the minimum. With illustrative values, a 50% share of a villa valued at AED 4,000,000 is worth AED 4,000,000 × 50% = AED 2,000,000, while a 50% share of a villa valued at AED 3,000,000 is worth AED 1,500,000. Applications in the real estate category go through service centres accredited by the DLD, which GDRFA names on its page.

Purchase costs such as DLD registration fees, and where foreigners can own property, are covered in buying property as a foreigner.

Skilled professionals and the salary requirement

An employee qualifies with a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000, a bachelor’s degree and a job at occupational level 1 or 2 in the classification of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).

Skilled professional salary

AED 30,000 monthly salary

Under the specialised professionals category, an applicant qualifies for Golden Residency with a valid UAE work permit under an approved contract, at least a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000; skilled professionals at MOHRE occupational levels 1 and 2 are covered.

ICP names chairpersons and chief executives as level 1 and specialists as level 2. A salary paid in foreign currency counts if its equivalent reaches AED 30,000. ICP does not say whether the AED 30,000 is the basic salary or the total salary with allowances. The applicant and their family also need health insurance for the whole period of the residence.

Doctors, engineers and other specialists

Doctors have a route that does not depend on salary. ICP grants the golden visa to leading specialists in healthcare on a recommendation from the Ministry of Health and Prevention or the relevant local authorities, and gives no salary figure for that route. A doctor in a level 1 or 2 job who meets the salary route’s conditions, including AED 30,000 a month, can use that route instead.

ICP’s guide has no category named for engineers. The routes that can fit are the salary route and the category of leading specialists in industry and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, recommended by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology or the local authority. The u.ae summary also mentions specialists in priority scientific and engineering fields.

Entrepreneurs

ICP’s conditions for entrepreneurs cover a UAE business’s revenue, official approval of the venture idea and a record of founding ventures that were later sold.

Entrepreneur conditions

AED 1,000,000 annual revenue; AED 7,000,000 in ventures sold

ICP lists these Golden Residency conditions for entrepreneurs: owning or being a partner in a UAE-registered entrepreneurial venture classified as a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), operating in an approved field, with annual revenues of at least AED 1,000,000; approval of the venture idea by an accredited business incubator, the Ministry of Economy, the Authority or a relevant local authority; being the founder or one of the founders of one or more ventures previously sold for a total value of at least AED 7,000,000; and health insurance for the entrepreneur and family at the time of application.

ICP presents these conditions as separate points and does not say whether an applicant needs one of them or all of them. Its list of durations describes the category as entrepreneurs with established businesses or successful business plans, based inside or outside the UAE. The entrepreneur and their family need valid health insurance when they apply. Setting up the company itself is covered in how to start a business in the UAE.

Outstanding students and graduates

School leavers with a grade of 95% and graduates with a high GPA from a top-ranked or highly classified university qualify through their results, with no job or investment needed.

Student and graduate thresholds

95% (school); GPA 3.5 or 3.8 (university), within 2 years of graduation

Outstanding students qualify for Golden Residency with a Grade 12 certificate from a UAE government or licensed private school and a grade of at least 95%; graduates of universities ranked in the world's top 100 qualify with a bachelor's GPA of at least 3.5, applying within two years of graduation; graduates of UAE universities classified Category A or B qualify with a GPA of at least 3.5 (Category A) or 3.8 (Category B) out of 4.0, applying within two years of graduation; certificates must be attested by the Ministry of Education.

The world ranking is the one the Ministry of Education recognises, and Categories A and B are the ministry’s own classification of UAE universities.

Scientists, talents and humanitarian pioneers

These categories rest on a recommendation or a record of achievement rather than on money or salary.

Recommendation-based categories

Recommendation-based categories; AED 2,000,000 for humanitarian donors

ICP grants Golden Residency on the recommendation of the relevant authority to scientists and researchers (Emirates Scientists Council), leading specialists in healthcare (Ministry of Health and Prevention or the relevant local authorities), education (Ministry of Education or the local authority) and industry and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology or the local authority), to creative, sports and digital talents, and to humanitarian pioneers, including members or employees of international, regional or non-profit organisations for at least five years and financial supporters of humanitarian work contributing at least AED 2,000,000.

• Scientists and scholars. Researchers need a recommendation from the Emirates Scientists Council. ICP also lists leading scientists and religious scholars, recommended by the Ministry of Culture and Youth or the relevant local authority.
• Culture and the arts. ICP’s criteria range from international awards and nominations to recognition by local or regional bodies and a sustained record of published creative work. u.ae links the Ministry of Culture’s recommendation service for creatives.
• Sport. An outstanding sporting achievement, a leadership position in an international sports federation or committee, or recognised work in sports medicine.
• Digital technology, innovators and inventors. ICP lists these talents but gives no criteria for them in its guide.
• Humanitarian pioneers. Besides long service and large contributions, ICP lists recipients of prestigious humanitarian awards and outstanding volunteers, and its criteria include holding a university degree.
• Frontline heroes. ICP lists professionals working on the front lines of defence as a 10-year category, with no criteria in its guide.

Family, travel and other benefits

A golden visa holder can sponsor close family on their own residence, keep the visa through long periods abroad and sponsor domestic workers.

Family and entry visa

Spouse, children of any age and parents; 6-month entry visa (+6 months)

Golden Residency holders can obtain residence permits for their spouses and children regardless of age and for their parents, and can sponsor domestic workers under the applicable rules; eligible applicants who are outside the UAE are granted a six-month multiple-entry entry visa, renewable for a further six months, to complete the procedure; if the Golden Residency sponsor dies, sponsored family members may stay for the validity of their residence permits.

Because ICP sets no age limit for children, adult sons and daughters can be included. ICP’s guide sets no income test for sponsoring family, but GDRFA Dubai makes the ability to support oneself and one’s family without government support a condition of keeping the permit.

Time outside the UAE

Not limited to 6 months outside the UAE

Golden visa holders can stay outside the UAE for longer than the usual six months that keeps a residence visa valid; GDRFA Dubai states that Golden Residence holders are exempt from the 180-day rule and the residence lapses only if it expires while the holder is outside the country.

How to apply and what it costs

Applications go to ICP or, in Dubai, to GDRFA Dubai once the applicant holds the proof their category needs. ICP’s guide publishes no fees; GDRFA Dubai lists its own.

Where to apply

1. Check eligibility. ICP runs an online eligibility check, and our golden visa eligibility checker tests each investor, entrepreneur and salary route against the published thresholds.
2. Get the recommendation, if the category needs one, from the authority ICP or u.ae names, such as the Emirates Scientists Council, the Ministry of Health and Prevention or, for creatives, the Ministry of Culture.
3. Gather the documents. A passport copy, proof of the investment (bank certificate, DLD property status certificate, audited financial report, trade licence or FTA letter), proof of salary and degree where relevant, and health insurance for the applicant and family.
4. Apply. Through ICP’s smart services, or in Dubai through GDRFA Dubai’s smart services (UAE Pass or a username) or an Amer service centre. Dubai property investors apply through the DLD-accredited centres. u.ae also links Abu Dhabi’s TAMM golden visa service.

GDRFA Dubai gives an expected completion time of 5 days for its investor permit.

Fees

ICP’s guide does not list a fee for the golden residence. GDRFA Dubai’s service page “Issuing a golden residence permit (investors)”, checked on 21 October 2026, lists these charges for its investor permit:

The page adds that the issuance fee rises by AED 100 for each year of residence over two. These are GDRFA Dubai’s charges for one permit, not the cost of a golden visa: the health insurance ICP requires is a separate cost, other emirates and other categories may charge differently, and the AED 2,000,000 minimum is an investment the investor keeps, not a fee.

Keeping and renewing the golden visa

Holders are expected to keep meeting the conditions of their category for the whole term, and renewal depends on still meeting them.

ICP’s guide says the residence renews automatically, and ICP’s green residence page describes the golden residence as renewable when the requirements are met. GDRFA Dubai says its investor permit can be extended if the same conditions are met. Neither authority sets out separate renewal steps on these pages.

Golden visa or green visa?

The green visa is another ICP long-term residence without a sponsor. ICP’s Green Residence Guide gives it a 5-year term, against 10 years for the golden visa.

Who qualifies for the green visa, including investors and business partners, and how it compares with the golden visa is covered in investor visas and the green visa.