UAEInvestment

Golden Visa for executives in the UAE

A ten-year UAE residence for salaried managers. There is no separate 'for executives' category in the ICP table: directors sit among the exceptional talents alongside doctors, scientists, inventors, athletes and PhD holders. Each profession within that category has its own set of proofs, and the directors' one is the only route that rests on salary and length of service rather than on a ministry's recommendation.

Visa term

10 years, renewable

Threshold

5 years of experience and a salary from AED 50,000 a month

Work

Employment and business without a separate employer's permit

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

What an executive evidences

Four documents, all mandatory: ICP does not substitute one for another. The salary threshold is monthly.

Education and experience

A certified copy of the university degree
A certificate of no less than five years of experience

Current employment

A valid employment contract
A salary certificate showing no less than AED 50,000 a month

What it gives

Ten years — twice the entrepreneur visa
No sponsor needed: the status is not tied to the employer that evidenced it

When another category fits better

Within exceptional talents each profession has its own route. Three common cases.

The salary is below AED 50,000 but there is a doctorate

Specialists in priority scientific and engineering fields need a degree or a PhD and an employment contract — there is no salary threshold there

You are a doctor, scientist, inventor or a figure in the arts

Those routes go through a ministry's endorsement: Health for doctors, the Emirates Council of Scientists, the Ministry of Economy for inventors, Culture and Youth for creative professions

You own the business rather than being a salaried director

Look at the investor or entrepreneur categories: there you evidence capital or project value, not salary

Documents to gather

The ICP list for directors within the exceptional talent category.

A certified copy of the university degree certificate
A certificate of no less than five years of professional experience
A valid employment contract
A salary certificate showing a salary of no less than AED 50,000

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 ten years and renewed on the same conditions. The status is not cancelled by more than six consecutive months outside the UAE — an ordinary residence visa lapses in that situation. The holder sponsors a spouse and children themselves.

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 executives	Humanitarian residence permit	Green Visa
Visa term	10 years, renewable	1 year, renewable; renewal is decided by the competent GDRFA committee	5 years, renewable
Grounds	Position and income level	Zones of armed conflict	Qualifications, freelance work or a share in a company
Money	5 years of experience and a salary from AED 50,000 a month	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 executives

Is the AED 50,000 salary monthly or annual?

Monthly. ICP asks for a salary certificate of no less than AED 50,000, and that means the monthly pay under a valid employment contract.

What happens if you change employer?

The golden visa is not tied to a sponsor — that is the point of it. But it was issued on a particular contract and salary certificate, so the conditions are evidenced again at renewal.

Does experience gained outside the UAE count?

ICP speaks of a certificate of five years' experience without limiting it by country. The requirement about where you work applies to the current contract, not to the whole record.

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.