UAEInvestment

Golden Visa for entrepreneurs in the UAE

A five-year UAE residence for project founders. The threshold here is four times lower than the investor one — AED 500,000 — but money is not the whole of it: the project has to be recognised as innovative, technology-based or future-oriented, and that recognition is issued by a business incubator or the relevant authority of the emirate, not by the applicant. The value of the project is separately confirmed by an auditor.

Visa term

5 years, renewable

Threshold

A project from AED 500,000

Work

Employment and business without a separate employer's permit

Source: icp.gov.ae — UAE Golden Residency: categories, thresholds and documents

What is checked about the project

There are two conditions and both must be met: the money and the nature of the project. Neither replaces the other.

The value

A letter from an auditor stating the project is worth no less than AED 500,000
The valuation is made by an auditor, not the founder: a self-assessment is not accepted

The nature of the project

A letter from an accredited business incubator or the relevant authority of the emirate
The letter confirms the project is innovative, technology-based or future-oriented

A link to the UAE

Proof of residence in the UAE: property ownership or a tenancy contract
A valid passport

When another category fits better

The ground is meant for the founder of a project. Three cases where a neighbouring one applies.

The business is ordinary — trade, services, contracting

An incubator will not certify such a project as innovative. Look at the investor category, where capital from AED 2,000,000 matters rather than novelty

You are a salaried executive rather than a founder

The exceptional talent category: directors have their own conditions — a degree, five years of experience, a contract and a salary from AED 50,000 a month — and ten years instead of five

The project is still on paper and no auditor will value it

Before the golden visa, an ordinary founder's residence visa works: it is issued on the fact of company registration, with no threshold and no incubator letter

Documents to gather

The ICP list for the entrepreneur category.

A letter from an auditor confirming the project value is no less than AED 500,000
A letter from the relevant authority or an accredited business incubator confirming the project is innovative, technology-based or future-oriented
A valid passport
Proof of residence in the UAE — a title deed or a tenancy contract

Trips, renewal and the grace period

Not cancelled by an absence from the UAE of more than six months — unlike an ordinary residence visa

The visa is issued for five years and renewed while the project is alive and still meets the conditions it was granted on. As with the other golden visas, the status does not lapse after more than six months outside the UAE and lets the holder sponsor a spouse and children without a separate sponsor.

Source: u.ae — the UAE government portal, golden visa section

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Golden Visa for entrepreneurs	Humanitarian residence permit	Green Visa
Visa term	5 years, renewable	1 year, renewable; renewal is decided by the competent GDRFA committee	5 years, renewable
Grounds	Your own project in the UAE	Zones of armed conflict	Qualifications, freelance work or a share in a company
Money	A project from AED 500,000	GDRFA Dubai: a sponsor or host party, a salary certificate or contract of about AED 10,000	A skilled employee — a salary from AED 15,000 a month
Work	Employment and business without a separate employer's permit	This is a residence permit, not a work permit; separate work authorisation is required	Gives the right to work and to sponsor a family without being tied to an employer
Residence	Not cancelled by an absence from the UAE of more than six months — unlike an ordinary residence visa	Presence in the UAE when applying	There is no minimum stay

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to citizenship

There is no standard route. Since 2021 UAE citizenship has been possible only by decree of the authorities — by nomination for investors, scientists, doctors and figures in the arts

Frequently asked questions about Golden Visa for entrepreneurs

Who issues the letter saying the project is innovative?

An accredited business incubator or the relevant authority of the emirate where the project is registered. Each emirate has its own list of incubators, and you need to approach them before filing: without that letter the pack is incomplete.

Is a project valuation of AED 500,000 enough on its own?

No. The auditor's valuation only closes the financial condition. The second one — the nature of the project — is confirmed by a separate letter, and one does not work without the other.

How does this differ from an ordinary founder's visa?

In the term and the attachment. An ordinary founder's residence visa runs two to three years and depends on a valid licence. The golden one is granted for five years, requires no sponsor and is not cancelled by a long absence from the country.

Other ways to move to UAE

Every route in one list — migration programmes: UAE.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 September 2026.