What is the Golden Visa?
The Golden Visa is a UAE residency programme that grants 10-year renewable residency to investors, professionals, and exceptional talents. The property-investor route is the most popular, requiring a minimum property holding of AED 2 million.
Eligibility — the AED 2M test
You qualify if: - You own (or are committed to owning) UAE real estate with a registered or contracted value of at least AED 2,000,000. This can be a single property or a combination. - The property is in your name personally (not via a company structure for this visa route). - Funds came from compliant sources (KYC required).
Mortgaged property eligibility
You can use a mortgaged property if at least AED 2,000,000 of equity is in your name. So if you bought a AED 3.5M apartment with a 50% mortgage, your AED 1.75M equity does NOT qualify alone. But you can top up by buying a second AED 600K+ asset to push combined equity above AED 2M.
Off-plan property eligibility
Off-plan qualifies if at least 50% of the property value has been paid to the developer (and recorded on the SPA / Oqood). So an AED 4M off-plan apartment with AED 2M paid in milestones counts.
Family sponsorship
The Golden Visa holder can sponsor: - Spouse (one wife/husband at a time) - Children (under 18 by default; sons up to 25 if studying; daughters indefinitely if unmarried) - Parents (with additional conditions)
Processing timeline
| Step | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Property purchase + DLD title | Already complete | |
| Pre-screening & document checklist | 1 week | We do this |
| Application submitted to GDRFA | 1 week | |
| Medical + biometrics | 1 week | In Dubai |
| Visa issued | 2 to 4 weeks | |
| Emirates ID issued | +1 week |
Required documents
- Passport copies (visa holder + dependents)
- Property Title Deed (DLD)
- Property valuation (if recently transacted, the Sale & Purchase Agreement is sufficient)
- Bank statements (3 to 6 months)
- Marriage certificate (attested) for spouse sponsorship
- Children's birth certificates (attested) for dependent sponsorship
- Medical fitness test results
Renewal
The visa is renewable at 10-year intervals as long as the qualifying property is still held in your name (or replaced with another qualifying property). Selling below the AED 2M threshold without replacement triggers a non-renewal at expiry.
Frequently asked
Yes. The off-plan property qualifies if at least 50% of its value has been paid to the developer and recorded on the SPA / Oqood. So an AED 4M unit with AED 2M paid qualifies, even though handover is years away.
No. Property in any of the 7 emirates qualifies. Most foreign buyers prefer Dubai for liquidity and resale, but Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah qualifying properties are also accepted.
Typically 3 to 6 weeks from complete document submission to Emirates ID issuance. Faster if you use a Tasheel-approved agent (we have one).
Muhammad Adnan founded Al Amman Properties in 2012 after a decade in Dubai's brokerage and property-management space. Under his leadership, Al Amman has closed 500+ sales transactions and built a 2,000-unit management bo…