UAE property visa: 2 years and the 10-year golden visa
A UAE residence visa for buying property. Completed housing in Dubai gives a 2-year visa with no minimum price; under shared ownership a share from AED 400,000 is required. A property from AED 2,000,000 gives a 10-year golden visa — it counts property in any emirate, what matters is the price of the property rather than the amount paid, and off-plan housing qualifies.
From the moment you arrive for the medical test until the residence visa is issued you cannot leave the country. If you fly out, the fingerprinting and the medical test have to be done again and the timeline shifts. Do not plan trips in that window.
What the UAE property visa gives you
Residence without a sponsor. An ordinary residence visa is tied to an employer or to a company of your own; this one rests on the asset itself, so you depend on no one.
There is no longer a minimum price for the 2-year visa: the Dubai Land Department issues it to the owner of completed housing regardless of the value of the property, and under shared ownership requires a share from AED 400,000. The AED 2 million threshold now remains only for the 10-year golden visa.
For the golden visa what counts is the price of the property, not the amount paid, and the threshold can be reached with several properties. A mortgage is no obstacle: the bank issues a no-objection letter stating the amount paid and the balance.
The golden visa counts property in any UAE emirate — it has no emirate restriction. But the value of the property is confirmed by the Dubai Land Department, so the Dubai channel is used with a Dubai property; for property in another emirate the application goes through that emirate's land department. The 2-year visa is Dubai-only: it is issued by the Dubai Land Department itself.
While the golden visa is in force the property carries a restriction: ownership has to be retained for as long as the visa is valid.
How a UAE residence visa works
A UAE residence visa is not a stamp in a passport but a chain of three documents. First comes the entry permit, then the residence visa itself, and only after that the Emirates ID, the resident's plastic card. Without an Emirates ID you cannot open an account, rent a home or get a phone line.
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A visa always rests on a basis: property, your own company, employment, income from abroad. Once the basis is gone, the status is not renewed.
Midway through the procedure you have to come to the UAE for the medical test and fingerprinting. This is the only step that cannot be done remotely, and you cannot leave the country before the visa is issued: leaving resets the procedure.
Medical insurance is mandatory. Without a valid policy a residence visa will not be issued or renewed.
The 2-year visa or the 10-year golden visa
The basis is the same — property you own. The threshold decides how long the visa is issued for.
| 2-year visa | 10-year golden visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the property | No minimum if you are the sole owner; under shared ownership, a share from AED 400,000 | From AED 2,000,000, including under a mortgage; under shared ownership, a share from AED 2,000,000 |
| Off-plan property | Does not qualify: the property has to be completed and fit to live in | Qualifies — completion does not matter |
| Applicant's income | From AED 10,000 (≈$2,700) a month, or proof of financial means | No income requirement — the value of the property is what counts |
| Emirate of the property | Dubai only | Any UAE emirate |
| UAE police certificate | Required | Not required |
| Review by the authority | 48 hours after filing | Pre-approval — 5 working days |
| Renewal | Every 2 years | Every 10 years |
| Time outside the UAE | The visa lapses after 6 months | Time outside the country is not limited |
A caveat about the term of the golden visa: through its own channel the Dubai Land Department issues owners of properties from AED 2,000,000 a 10-year renewable permit, while the federal ICP table names 5 years for property. This is not a typo — the emirate and the federal authority have different channels and different conditions. What you end up with depends on the property and the filing channel; we work this out before starting.
Do you have to come to the UAE for the visa
Yes, and there is no way around it. The Dubai Land Department requires the applicant to be inside the UAE and states plainly that only the applicant may attend, that companions are not admitted, and that filing through a representative is not allowed.
Offers to arrange such a visa entirely remotely contradict the rules of the authority that issues it.
How to bring your family on a UAE residence visa
A resident with an Emirates ID sponsors their family: spouse, children and parents. Relatives' visas are issued for the same term as the sponsor's.
The order is strict: the main applicant receives their status first, and only then does the family application start. Filing everything as one package will not work.
What happens to the visa if the property is sold
The visa rests on the property. Sell it and the visa is cancelled. The status can be kept by providing another qualifying property within 40 days.
Hence the rule: a sale is planned together with the replacement of the asset, not after it.
Packages
2-year visa
Completed housing, no minimum price
- Checking the property before filing: registration, emirate, completion
- Filing the application and support through the whole procedure
- Help with the UAE police certificate
- Medical test and biometrics
- Emirates ID for 2 years
- Visas for spouse, children and parents
- Medical insurance
- Buying the property
10-year golden visa
A property from AED 2,000,000
- Checking the property before filing: registration, emirate, completion
- Land Department pre-approval — 5 working days
- Filing the application and support through the whole procedure
- Medical test and biometrics
- Emirates ID for 10 years
- Visas for spouse, children and parents
- Medical insurance
- Buying the property
We will match the exact package to your case during the consultation.
What the service includes
| Pre-approval by the Land Department — 5 working days | |
| Filing the application, medical test, biometrics | |
| Arranging the Emirates ID — no personal presence is required for it | |
| The right to sponsor a spouse, children and parents | |
| Medical insurance — it is mandatory for the visa— billed separately |
How the process runs
2–6 weeks- Шаг 1Проверяем объект: цена в свидетельстве, оформление на заявителя, эмират, ипотека.
- Шаг 2Собираем комплект: паспорт, свидетельство о праве собственности, фото, Emirates ID и действующая виза при наличии.
- Шаг 3При ипотеке — берём в банке письмо об отсутствии возражений с суммой выплат и остатком.
- Шаг 4Заявитель приезжает в ОАЭ и подаёт документы в сервисном центре лично.
- Шаг 5Медкомиссия в центре и сдача отпечатков.
- Шаг 6Оформление разрешения — Земельный департамент называет срок 7–10 рабочих дней.
- Шаг 7Emirates ID и оформление виз на супруга, детей и родителей.
What we need from you
- 1Property registered in the applicant's name — several properties may be counted together. For the 2-year visa the property has to be in Dubai; for the golden visa any UAE emirate will do
- 2A passport valid for at least six months
- 3A title deed — for a completed property
- 4A sale and purchase contract (Oqood) and a developer's statement of the amounts paid — for an off-plan property
- 5A bank no-objection certificate (NOC) — if the property is mortgaged
- 6A UAE police certificate — only for the 2-year visa; we help obtain it
- 7A personal trip to the UAE for the medical test and fingerprinting
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay the property off in full?
Will property in another emirate qualify?
Can the golden visa be arranged without coming to the UAE?
Is the visa issued for 5 years or 10?
What happens if I sell the property?
Can I work in the UAE on a golden visa?
Whom can I bring on a golden visa?
Residence permit in the UAE: comparison
The difference is not the price — it is who each option suits. The “Best for” column is the business profile the option is built around.
| Option | Best for | Timeline | Price from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emirates ID on the basis of a UAE company | Business owners, entrepreneurs | 1–3 weeks | $1,400 |
| A UAE residence visa for family members (Dependent) | Bringing the family over once you have your own Emirates ID | 2–4 weeks | $1,650 |
| Remote worker visa in the UAE (Remote Working Visa) | Remote workers, digital nomads, employees of foreign companies | 1–3 weeks | $2,500 |
| UAE property visa: 2 years and the 10-year golden visayou are here | Property investors, buyers of studios and apartments, families with children, long-term investors | 2–6 weeks | $4,900 |
| Company employee visa in the UAE (Employee) | Relocators, families, remote professionals | 1–4 weeks | on request |
The terms the expert works on
Guarantees the outcome by contract
Writes the outcome and the timeline for every service — including opening a bank account — into the contract, and answers for them.
Bills in stages
You do not pay the whole sum up front: invoices come in instalments as each stage closes.
Fixes the price in the contract
The cost is locked in and does not grow as the work goes on. Prices on the site are indicative — the final figure comes after your case is reviewed.
Charges no hidden fees
No penalties or surcharges beyond the contract. No Pactors markup either: you pay the expert their own price.
Works with lawyers of 8+ years in UAE law
The licence for your activity is matched, and the requirements worked through, by qualified lawyers.
Thinks a step ahead
Picks the zone and the licence so that a year from now you do not hit a limit and have to redo the whole thing.
Deals with authorities directly
Handles government bodies, free zones and UAE banks personally — no chain of subcontractors.
Ready to start?
Send an enquiry — we will check your case and help you arrange “UAE property visa: 2 years and the 10-year golden visa” in UAE. No markup on top.