English
РусскийServices
Jurisdictions
Citizenship & Residency
São Tomé & Príncipe$90,000
Vanuatu$130,000
Grenada$235,000
St Kitts & Nevis$250,000
Turkey$400,000
UAE Golden Visa$545,000Home / Golden Visa / United Arab Emirates
UAE Golden Visa: Cost, Requirements and Property Route in 2026
AED 2,000,000 in registered property for a ten-year renewable residence permit. No minimum stay, no nationality restriction, no sponsor. The single most accessible long-term residence available to nationalities that citizenship programmes exclude.
Is the UAE Golden Visa the right instrument?
This is the most useful residence permit in the world for a specific set of problems, and completely useless for another set. The difference matters more here than with any citizenship programme, because people routinely buy it expecting something it does not provide.
Works well if
- You hold a nationality that citizenship programmes exclude: there are no nationality restrictions at all, unlike every Caribbean programme
- You need banking access: a UAE residence permit and Emirates ID open doors that a small-island passport closes
- You cannot relocate: no minimum stay, so the permit survives ten years of absence
- You want an asset: the AED 2m buys property you own, not a donation
- You are structuring a business here: residence, company and bank account work together rather than separately
Does not work if
- You want a passport: this is residence, it is not citizenship, and it does not lead to one
- You want visa-free travel: the permit gives you no additional passport mobility whatsoever
- You expect tax residency automatically: that requires physical presence, which the visa does not oblige
- You want the cheapest option: $545,000 is well above Sao Tome and Principe at $95,750
- You need it to survive losing the asset: sell the property and the basis for renewal goes with it
Every route to a Golden Visa
Eight categories exist. The property route is the one most international applicants use, and the one this page covers in depth.
| Route | Threshold | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate investor | AED 2,000,000 | 10 years | DLD registered value. Ready, off-plan and mortgaged all qualify |
| Business investor | AED 2,000,000 | 10 years | Into a UAE business, with commercial registration and real activity |
| Public investment | AED 2,000,000 | 10 years | Deposit into an accredited UAE investment fund |
| Special investor | AED 10,000,000 | 10 years | No more than forty percent in real estate, at least sixty percent in funds or business |
| Skilled professional | AED 30,000 monthly | 10 years | MOHRE Occupational Level 1 or 2, with contract and salary certificates |
| Entrepreneur | varies | 5 years | Approved project or accredited incubator endorsement |
| Specialised talent | nomination | 10 years | Scientists, doctors, creatives and others, by nomination or accreditation |
| Outstanding students | merit | 5-10 years | Top secondary and university graduates |
The eligible-categories list widened through 2025 and 2026 to include nurses with fifteen or more years of service, certified educators, content creators, e-sports professionals and Waqf donors. Categories are set by federal decree and can change at short notice, so we confirm the current position before quoting.
What actually counts toward AED 2 million
What the UAE Golden Visa actually costs
The property is the investment and is recoverable on sale. The transaction costs around it are not, and they are what people forget to budget for.
| Item | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying property | AED 2,000,000 | About $545,000. Recoverable on sale |
| DLD transfer fee | 4% | Of purchase price, plus admin charges |
| Agency commission | 2% | Market standard, negotiable |
| Golden Visa application | variable | ICP and GDRFA charges, per applicant |
| Medical, Emirates ID, biometrics | variable | Required for each family member |
The UAE does not publish a single consolidated Golden Visa fee schedule, and charges differ between emirates and between ICP and GDRFA channels. The 4% transfer fee is statutory and reliable. Everything marked variable is confirmed in writing before any engagement rather than estimated here.
The mistake that costs the most
People buy property first and ask about the visa afterwards. Freehold tenure, the ownership zone, the developer’s approval status and how the title is registered all determine eligibility, and all are fixed at purchase. A property that misses on any of them cannot be retrofitted. The advisory work that matters happens before you sign, not after.
Professional fees are not shown on this page. They depend on family composition, the route used and the structure of ownership, and are set out in writing before any engagement begins.
UAE Golden Visa requirements
Nationality
There are no nationality restrictions. This is the single most important fact on this page. Every Caribbean citizenship programme excludes Russian and Belarusian nationals; the UAE excludes nobody. For an applicant carrying a restricted passport, this is usually the better instrument, and often the only one that solves the underlying problem.
We say this on the citizenship pages too. If your objective is banking access, a business base or somewhere to actually live, UAE residence outperforms a small-island passport at a similar or lower cost. If your objective is a second nationality, this is not that, and no amount of marketing changes it.
Who can be included
Documents required
From purchase to Emirates ID
There is no residence requirement, but there is a presence requirement: medical testing and biometrics must be completed inside the UAE. Plan one short trip.
Eligibility and structure check
We confirm the route, the ownership structure and whether the intended property sits in a designated freehold zone with an approved developer. This is the stage that determines whether the application can succeed at all.
Property purchase and registration
The transaction completes and the title is registered with the Dubai Land Department at a value meeting the threshold. Registered value is what counts, not the market price.
Title deed and valuation certificate
DLD issues the title deed. Where property is combined or mortgaged, the supporting valuation evidence is assembled here.
Golden Visa application
Filed through the DLD channel or directly with ICP and GDRFA, depending on emirate and route.
Entry permit
An entry permit is issued, allowing the applicant to enter the UAE to complete the in-country steps.
Medical and biometrics
Medical fitness testing and biometric enrolment are completed in the UAE. This step requires physical presence.
Emirates ID and visa stamping
The Emirates ID is issued and the residence permit is stamped. This is the document that actually opens bank accounts.
Family sponsorship
Spouse and children are sponsored under the principal permit once it is issued.
Where the Golden Visa stands in September 2026
Stable, expanding, and moving in the opposite direction to Europe and the Caribbean. Three points matter.
The threshold has held
AED 2 million has been the standard since 2022 and survived the 2026 reforms intact. While European programmes raised thresholds or closed, the UAE widened access by removing the down-payment rule in February 2026.
Categories keep widening
Nurses, certified educators, content creators, e-sports professionals and Waqf donors were added across 2025 and 2026. The direction of travel is toward more eligibility, not less.
No external pressure
The European Commission’s request that Caribbean citizenship programmes close by 2028 has no equivalent here. The UAE is not selling citizenship, which is precisely why it attracts none of that scrutiny.
Read this before you compare it to a passport
A residence permit and a citizenship are different products and they are not interchangeable. The Golden Visa gives you the right to live, work and bank in a stable jurisdiction with no income tax and no obligation to show up. It gives you nothing at a foreign border that your existing passport does not already give you. Anyone presenting UAE residence as a mobility solution is misdescribing it. Anyone presenting a Caribbean passport as a banking solution is doing the same thing in reverse.
Tax residency, banking and what the permit does not do
Tax
The UAE levies no personal income tax, no capital gains tax and no inheritance tax on individuals. Corporate tax applies at nine percent above the threshold, with free zone regimes treated separately.
Holding a Golden Visa does not by itself make you a UAE tax resident. A tax residency certificate requires meeting a presence or ties test, typically counted in days spent in the country. The permit removes the obligation to be here; a tax residency certificate reintroduces it. Anyone selling the visa as an automatic tax solution is skipping that step, and your home country’s exit and residency rules will not skip it for you.
This is the most commonly misrepresented point in the market. Residence permit and tax residency are separate legal statuses with separate tests. We model the position with you before you buy, not after.
Banking
An Emirates ID and a UAE residence permit materially improve corporate and personal account opening, both in the UAE and with correspondent banks elsewhere. This is the practical reason most of our clients pursue it, and it is a genuine advantage over a citizenship from a jurisdiction on a monitoring list.
What it is not
It is not Emirati citizenship, and the UAE naturalises foreign nationals only in narrow, discretionary circumstances. It confers no additional visa-free travel. It does not survive the sale of the qualifying asset without an alternative basis for renewal.
How Sovera handles a Golden Visa application
The UAE is our home jurisdiction. Sovera Global is licensed and regulated here, we hold Commercial Licence 2531729 in the Meydan Free Zone, and we run company formation, banking introductions and compliance from Dubai. Golden Visa work sits alongside that rather than apart from it, which matters because most clients want the residence, the company and the bank account to function as one structure.
We check freehold status, zone eligibility and developer approval before you commit to a property, coordinate the DLD registration, and file through the appropriate ICP or GDRFA channel. We take no commission from developers, so our view on whether a property is worth its price is not conflicted.
Sovera Global L.L.C-FZ is a licensed corporate services provider registered in the Meydan Free Zone, Dubai, and supervised by the UAE Ministry of Economy under Commercial Licence 2531729. Golden Visa decisions rest solely with the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security and the relevant emirate-level authority. No outcome is guaranteed and no timeline is promised. Thresholds and categories are set by federal decree and can change at short notice. Nothing on this page is legal, tax or investment advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to purchase any specific property.
UAE Golden Visa: frequently asked questions
How much does the UAE Golden Visa cost?
The property route requires AED 2,000,000, about $545,000, at Dubai Land Department registered value. On top of that sit a 4% DLD transfer fee, agency commission of around 2%, and application, medical, Emirates ID and insurance costs per applicant. The property itself is an asset you own and can sell.
Does the UAE Golden Visa give citizenship?
No. It is a ten-year renewable residence permit. It does not lead to an Emirati passport, and the UAE naturalises foreign nationals only in narrow discretionary cases. Anyone describing it as a route to citizenship is misdescribing it.
Is there a minimum stay requirement?
No. The permit remains valid through a full ten years spent outside the UAE. You do need to enter the country once during the application to complete medical testing and biometric enrolment.
Can Russian citizens get a UAE Golden Visa?
Yes. There are no nationality restrictions of any kind. This is the key difference from the Caribbean citizenship programmes, all five of which exclude Russian and Belarusian nationals.
Does a mortgaged property qualify?
Yes, since a federal circular in February 2026 removed the fifty percent down-payment requirement. Eligibility now turns on a single test: whether the DLD registered value of the property, or the combined portfolio, reaches AED 2 million.
Can I combine several properties to reach AED 2 million?
Yes. You do not need a single unit at the threshold. The combined DLD registered value is what counts.
Is the threshold based on what I paid or what it is worth now?
What you paid, as registered on the title deed. A property bought for AED 1.8 million and now worth AED 2.4 million does not qualify. This catches out investors who assume rising Dubai prices made them eligible automatically.
I read there is no minimum property value now. Is that right?
That reporting referred to the separate two-year property investor visa, which is a different and lower-tier permit. The AED 2 million floor for the ten-year Golden Visa is unchanged. Conflating the two is the most common misunderstanding in this market.
Does the Golden Visa make me a UAE tax resident?
No. Tax residency is a separate status with its own presence and ties tests, and a tax residency certificate must be applied for. The visa removes any obligation to spend time in the UAE; tax residency generally requires it. Model this before you buy.
Golden Visa or a Caribbean passport?
They solve different problems. If you need banking access, a business base or somewhere to live, UAE residence outperforms a small-island passport at similar cost and with no nationality restrictions. If you need a second nationality or additional travel access, the Golden Visa does nothing for you and a citizenship programme is the answer.
How does it compare with European golden visas?
Greece starts at €250,000 for restoration projects and €400,000 in non-premium areas, and gives Schengen residence. Portugal is €500,000 into funds since real estate was removed. Both lead toward EU citizenship over years; the UAE does not lead to citizenship at all. The UAE wins on tax, on speed and on having no nationality limits.
What happens if I sell the property?
The basis for renewal goes with it. The permit is tied to maintaining the qualifying criteria, so you would need an alternative qualifying route in place before disposing of the asset.
Can I include my family?
Yes. Spouse and children are sponsored under the principal holder’s permit, and domestic staff may be sponsored subject to quotas. If the principal holder dies, dependants keep the visa for the remaining term.
Compare residence against citizenship: the golden visa overview covers every active programme, and citizenship by investment covers the five programmes that grant a passport. For applicants excluded from the Caribbean, see Turkey, Vanuatu and Sao Tome and Principe. Clients usually pair residence with a structure: Dubai company formation, DMCC, DIFC, business banking and compliance and accounting.
Check a property before you buy it
A thirty-minute call covers whether your intended property qualifies, which route fits your situation, and whether residence or citizenship actually solves your problem. If it is the other one, we will say so.