Investor visas and the green visa in the UAE: who qualifies

The UAE green visa is a 5-year renewable residence without a sponsor. ICP lists three groups who can get it: skilled workers earning at least AED 15,000 a month, freelancers and self-employed people with AED 360,000 a year of freelance income, and investors or business partners. For investors, ICP and GDRFA Dubai both set a minimum of AED 1,000,000 in the company.

Key takeaways

• The green visa is a 5-year residence, renewable, with no sponsor or employer needed.
• Skilled workers need a bachelor's degree, MOHRE occupational level 1 to 3 and a monthly salary of at least AED 15,000.
• Freelancers and the self-employed need a MOHRE permit and freelance income of AED 360,000 a year over the past two years.
• ICP and GDRFA Dubai both require an investor's or partner's contribution or paid share of at least AED 1,000,000 in the company.
• The 10-year golden visa has higher thresholds, such as AED 2,000,000 of investment or a monthly salary of AED 30,000.

On this page 10 sections

What the green visa is

The green visa is a long-term UAE residence that needs no sponsor: no employer or relative in the UAE has to act as sponsor. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) calls it Green Residence and u.ae calls it the green visa; “green card” is not the name either uses.

Green residence: term and thresholds

5 years; AED 15,000 salary or AED 360,000 a year freelance income

The Green Residence is a 5-year renewable residence without a sponsor. Skilled workers qualify with MOHRE occupational level 1 to 3, at least a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 15,000; freelancers and self-employed people qualify with a MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit, at least a bachelor's degree or specialised diploma, and freelance income of at least AED 360,000 a year over the previous two years.

On u.ae, the government portal, “investor visa” is a heading with two entries: the green visa and a visit visa to explore investment opportunities. Its longer counterpart, the 10-year golden visa, is explained in golden visa requirements.

Who qualifies for the green visa

ICP lists three groups, each with its own conditions: skilled workers, freelancers and self-employed people, and investors and business partners.

MOHRE is the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, whose occupational classification sets the levels ICP refers to.

Skilled workers

A skilled worker qualifies through the job: the contract, the occupational level, the degree and the salary are all tested. At AED 15,000 a month, the salary condition comes to 15,000 × 12 = AED 180,000 a year. ICP’s page does not say whether the figure means basic salary or total pay.

Freelancers and self-employed people

A freelancer qualifies on income already earned rather than on a contract. AED 360,000 a year is AED 30,000 a month on average (360,000 ÷ 12). ICP’s page does not say whether each of the two years must reach the figure or the two are taken together.

Investors and business partners

Investors and partners qualify by proving an investment in a UAE business. ICP’s Green Residence Guide gives no amount, but ICP’s residence permit service and GDRFA Dubai, which issues residence in Dubai, both set a minimum of AED 1,000,000.

ICP: minimum contribution for an investor green residence

Contribution of at least AED 1,000,000

For a Green Residence as an investor, ICP requires the approval of the competent authorities and the applicant's authorisation to conduct the activity, and an investor's contribution to the company of at least AED 1,000,000 in cash or its equivalent in foreign currencies, made when the company is established or when contributing to an existing company; in-kind contributions or tangible or intangible assets are valued by the Ministry of Economy, and the investor must keep meeting all the conditions to keep and renew the residence and notify the issuing authority if any is no longer met.

Dubai: minimum share for an investor green visa

Paid share of at least AED 1,000,000; up to 5 years

For a green visa as an investor or partner in Dubai, GDRFA Dubai requires the company to be a public or private joint stock company, a limited liability company, a simple limited partnership or a general partnership, and the investor's or partner's paid share on incorporation or contribution to be at least AED 1,000,000 or its equivalent; the green residence permit lets an investor or partner in a commercial project live in the UAE for up to five years without a sponsor or employer and is renewable on the same terms.

Worked example

Two partners in a Dubai LLC with AED 1,800,000 of paid capital

The capital and the shares are illustrations, and each partner’s paid share is taken as their percentage of the paid capital.

1. Partner A holds 60%: 1,800,000 × 60% = AED 1,080,000. That is at least AED 1,000,000, so A’s paid share meets GDRFA Dubai’s minimum.
2. Partner B holds 40%: 1,800,000 × 40% = AED 720,000, which is 1,000,000 minus 720,000 = AED 280,000 short.
3. For a 40% share to reach AED 1,000,000, the paid capital would have to be 1,000,000 ÷ 40% = AED 2,500,000. Partner A’s 60% would then be 2,500,000 × 60% = AED 1,500,000.

On AED 1,800,000 of paid capital only partner A meets the AED 1,000,000 condition; at AED 2,500,000 both partners would.

The share is one condition among several: the company’s legal form, its licence and GDRFA’s other terms apply as well.

The investor and partner route in Dubai

In Dubai the route runs through two GDRFA services: a green visa for the investor or partner category, which is an entry visa valid for a stay of 60 days from entry while the residence is processed, and then the green residence permit itself. The company must take one of the legal forms GDRFA lists in the Dubai fact box above. A sole establishment is not among them; the differences between the forms are set out in company legal forms.

Documents

GDRFA lists four documents for the entry visa and the residence permit:

1. A personal photo.
2. A passport copy valid for at least six months.
3. The partnership contract, memorandum of association or investment contract.
4. The trade licence.

The residence permit also needs the approval of the competent authorities and the applicant’s authorisation to practise the activity. For renewal, GDRFA’s list is different: a photo, a passport copy, a medical examination for applicants over 18, the ID receipt and health insurance.

Entry visa, fees and processing

GDRFA Dubai fees for the investor green residence permit

AED 200 residence permit fee, plus AED 10, AED 10, AED 500 and AED 20 extra charges

GDRFA Dubai lists a residence permit fee of AED 200 for issuing or renewing a green residence permit for an investor or partner, with extra charges of AED 10 Knowledge Dirham, AED 10 Innovation Dirham, AED 500 fee inside the country and AED 20 delivery, and notes that the issuance fee increases by AED 100 annually whenever the residency is over two years.

These are GDRFA Dubai’s own fees as listed on 21 October 2026. The entry visa is charged separately: AED 200 plus 5% VAT, so 200 + 10 = AED 210, with the same AED 10, AED 10 and AED 500 extras for a person already in the country, and GDRFA says the visa total can vary with the applicant’s circumstances. For an applicant inside the country the permit items add up to 200 + 10 + 10 + 500 + 20 = AED 740, but that is not the price of a five-year permit: GDRFA notes that the issuance fee rises by AED 100 a year when the residence is longer than two years, and it shows no five-year total.

The Emirates ID has its own ICP fees, and ICP handles it for residents through a unified application with the residence permit. The medical examination and health insurance are not part of GDRFA’s fees. GDRFA expects to complete the entry visa, the permit and its renewal in 48 hours each.

ICP lists different fees for its Green Residence Investor category: an application fee of AED 100, an issuance fee of AED 100 for each year of the five-year term and a smart service fee of AED 100. Those items add up to 100 + (5 × 100) + 100 = AED 700; ICP’s page gives no total, and the Emirates ID fees come on top. u.ae links separate green visa pages for Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Residence through your own company

On the official pages used for this guide, an owner’s or partner’s residence through their company is the green residence above, or the golden residence. ICP’s residence permit service has no investor category besides Green Residence Investor and Golden Residence, GDRFA Dubai’s residency services list investor and partner permits only under green and golden residence, and u.ae’s “investor visa” heading has only the green visa and the visit visa. None of them sets out a separate, shorter investor or partner residence, so this guide gives no term, fee or minimum for one.

ICP and GDRFA both ask for the company’s trade licence and the partnership or investment agreement, and ICP says an investor must keep meeting every condition to keep and renew the residence and must tell the issuing authority if one is no longer met. A company registered with ICP also holds an establishment card, which records data such as its trade name, licence number and partners.

Establishment card and trade licence

Valid trade licence required; AED 100 a month late, maximum AED 1,000

ICP renews a company's establishment card only if it has a valid trade licence and has paid any fines due; renewing the card more than 30 days after it expires costs a fine of AED 100 for each month of delay, up to AED 1,000.

The setup steps, with the establishment card and visas after the licence, are in how to start a business in the UAE, and the yearly cycle in trade licence renewal.

Residence for property owners

In Dubai, GDRFA can grant a residence permit without a sponsor to the foreign owner of a completed, habitable property, on an income or solvency test rather than a minimum property value. GDRFA lists it among its residence permits without work permission.

Dubai residence permit for property owners

Monthly income of at least AED 10,000 or proof of solvency

GDRFA Dubai may grant a foreign national who owns real estate in the UAE a residence permit without a sponsor if the property is fully built, habitable and fully owned by the applicant with an ownership certificate from the real estate registration authority, and the applicant has a monthly income of at least AED 10,000 or shows financial solvency for the period of residence; owners of undeveloped plots are not included.

GDRFA’s page states no minimum property value and no length for this permit. It lists the same fee items as the investor green residence permit, asks for a salary certificate or employment contract and six months of bank statements, and applications go through the Amer centres that the Dubai Land Department approves for real estate investors.

Property worth at least AED 2,000,000 in total can qualify for the 10-year golden visa instead, under ICP’s rules. The purchase itself is covered in buying property as a foreigner.

Family, grace periods and work

Family sponsorship and a grace period after the permit ends are both part of the green visa, although ICP leaves the details to its approved requirements.

Family and grace period

Spouse and children; 180-day grace period (GDRFA, investor/partner)

Green Residence holders can sponsor family members, including the spouse and children, in line with the approved requirements, and have specified grace periods after the residence expires; GDRFA Dubai gives a grace period of 180 days to stay in the country after a green residence permit for an investor or partner expires or is cancelled.

ICP’s green residence page lists no ages or income conditions for sponsored family members. Its residence permit service adds that Green Residence holders may also sponsor first-degree relatives, without defining the term. Golden visa holders can obtain residence for children regardless of age and for parents. In Dubai the grace period depends on the permit: GDRFA gives its property owner permit a shorter one, of 60 days.

On work, ICP describes Green Residence as letting holders live and work in the UAE without a sponsor, and u.ae says the green visa lets foreign talents live, work or run a business.

Green visa and golden visa compared

The golden visa lasts twice as long as the green visa and, on two of the main tests, asks for twice as much: AED 2,000,000 of investment against the green visa’s AED 1,000,000 for investors, and a salary of AED 30,000 a month against AED 15,000.

Golden visa term

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.

For investors, the golden route accepts a bank or fund deposit or federal tax paid, not only a stake in a company:

Golden visa for investors

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.

For employees, the golden visa’s professional route covers MOHRE levels 1 and 2, while the green visa reaches level 3:

Golden visa for skilled professionals

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.

Every golden category, with its documents, is in golden visa requirements, and the golden visa eligibility checker tests the investor, property, entrepreneur and professional routes.

How to apply

In Dubai, applications go to GDRFA. ICP takes green residence applications through its Issuing Residency Permit service, which has a Green Residence Investor category, on its smart services website and app or at its customer happiness centres. GDRFA’s steps for the investor route are:

1. The applicant logs in to GDRFA’s smart services with UAE Pass or a username, or goes to a GDRFA customer happiness centre or an Amer service centre.
2. The application is filled in, the documents attached and the fee paid.
3. An applicant outside the UAE enters on the entry visa, which allows a stay of 60 days from entry while the residence permit is issued.
4. The Emirates ID, issued by ICP, goes with the residence permit; GDRFA’s renewal list asks for the ID receipt.

For someone not yet ready to apply, u.ae also lists a visit visa to explore investment opportunities, which needs no sponsor or host. The other residence and investment topics are in the Investing and residency guides.