The golden visa is a ten-year, renewable residence visa that doesn’t need an employer or a business partner to sponsor you. It’s open to far more people than the name suggests, and we regularly meet clients who qualified years before they applied.
The main routes
- Property investors: one or more properties worth at least AED 2 million in total. Off-plan and mortgaged property can count, with conditions.
- Entrepreneurs: owners of a start-up worth at least AED 500,000, or approved by an accredited business incubator.
- Skilled professionals: a bachelor’s degree, a job in a skilled occupation and a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000.
- Exceptional talent: doctors, scientists, artists, athletes and others with a recommendation from the relevant authority.
- Outstanding students and graduates, with top grades from UAE schools and universities or leading universities abroad.
What you get
- Residence for ten years, renewed as long as you still qualify.
- Your spouse and children on the same visa length, with sons and daughters sponsored regardless of age.
- No limit on time outside the UAE: an ordinary residence visa can lapse after six months away; a golden visa doesn’t.
- Family members can stay until their own permits expire if the main holder dies.
If you earn AED 30,000 a month in a skilled role, check your eligibility before you renew your ordinary visa.
What the process looks like
We start with an eligibility check: salary certificate and degree for professionals, title deeds for property investors, company documents for entrepreneurs. Degrees usually need attesting, which can take two to four weeks if it hasn’t been done. After that, the application, medical test and Emirates ID take about two weeks.
Our golden visa service starts at AED 9,800 including government fees, with family members quoted per person. Rules change from time to time, so treat this as a guide and ask your adviser to check your case.
