UAEInvestment

Golden Visa for public investments in the UAE

A ten-year UAE residence for those who put money into the economy through a fund deposit, their own company or taxes rather than through property. It is the longest of the investor golden visas: property gives five years, public investments give ten. No sponsor is needed, and the status does not lapse if you leave the UAE for more than six months — an ordinary residence visa is cancelled in that situation.

Visa term

10 years, renewable

Threshold

Capital from AED 2,000,000, or tax payments from AED 250,000 a year

Work

Employment and business without a separate employer's permit

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

How the investment is evidenced

ICP accepts three different proofs and any one of them is enough. The threshold is counted without borrowed money in every case.

A fund deposit

A letter from an accredited investment fund confirming a deposit of no less than AED 2,000,000
For those who run no business in the UAE and buy no property

Your own company

A valid commercial or industrial licence
The company's memorandum of association with capital of no less than AED 2,000,000

Taxes

A letter from the Federal Tax Authority confirming the owner or partner pays no less than AED 250,000 in taxes a year
The route for those whose capital is working rather than frozen in a deposit

When another category fits better

The golden visa is not one programme but a set of grounds with different terms. Three cases where a neighbouring one applies.

The money went into housing rather than a fund or a company

That is the property visa: the same threshold of AED 2,000,000, but five years, evidenced by a letter from the land department

The project exists but there is no AED 2 million in capital

The entrepreneur category: a project worth from AED 500,000, confirmed by an auditor and a business incubator, is enough

There is no such income, but there is a rare profession or a doctorate

The exceptional talent category: doctors, scientists, inventors, executives, athletes and PhD holders pass with no financial threshold

Documents to gather

The ICP list for investors in public investments, by the proof chosen.

A letter from an accredited investment fund confirming a deposit of no less than AED 2,000,000
Or a valid commercial or industrial licence together with the company's memorandum of association showing capital of no less than AED 2,000,000
Or a letter from the Federal Tax Authority confirming no less than AED 250,000 of taxes paid annually
A valid passport

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 while the ground holds: the deposit stays in the fund, the company operates, the taxes are paid. The key difference from an ordinary residence visa is that the status is not cancelled by spending more than six consecutive months outside the UAE. The holder sponsors the family themselves: a spouse and children are added to their status 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 public investments	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	Investment in the UAE economy	Zones of armed conflict	Qualifications, freelance work or a share in a company
Money	Capital from AED 2,000,000, or tax payments from AED 250,000 a year	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 public investments

Why do public investments give ten years and property five?

That is how the category table is built: ICP splits investors into two branches with different terms, although the financial threshold is the same — from AED 2,000,000. Ten years for a fund deposit, a company or taxes; five for housing.

Can the AED 2 million be assembled from several sources?

ICP presents the three proofs as alternatives: a fund, a company or taxes. The threshold is counted on the single ground chosen, and the money must be your own — borrowed and mortgaged funds do not count in this category.

Does this visa allow working in the UAE?

Yes — you may work and run a business without a separate employer's permit, because the golden visa is not tied to a sponsor. That is its main difference from an ordinary work residence visa.

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.