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 (≈$110,000) is required. AED 2,000,000 (≈$545,000) paid on a property gives a 10-year golden visa — it counts property in any emirate, and the threshold can be reached with several properties.
- Owners of property in the UAE
From the medical test until the residence visa is issued the partner advises staying in the country. No agency regulation forbids leaving, but a trip breaks the order of the steps: the fingerprinting and the medical test usually have to be repeated and the timeline slips. Better not to 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 (≈$110,000). The AED 2 million threshold now remains only for the 10-year golden visa.
The golden visa threshold can be reached with several properties — their combined value counts. A mortgage is no obstacle, but GDRFA grants the golden visa once at least AED 2 million of the property value has been paid: the bank issues a no-objection letter stating the amount paid and the outstanding 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.
No property picked yet? We will find one that meets the programme's terms.
Who it suits
- Owners of property in the UAE — completed or off-plan, in any emirate
- Property investors
- Buyers of studios and apartments
- Families with children
- Long-term investors
For the 2-year visa the property must be completed and fit for habitation: a vacant plot or a building site will qualify only for the golden visa
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. Since 1 January 2025 a policy is a prerequisite for issuing and renewing a residence visa; the rule is addressed to private-sector employers and applies on a mandatory basis in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. An investor or freelancer sponsors themselves, so the policy is taken out in their own name.
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 (≈$110,000) | From AED 2,000,000 (≈$545,000), including under a mortgage; under shared ownership, a share from AED 2,000,000 (≈$545,000) |
| 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 (≈$545,000) 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.
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 (≈$545,000)
- Checking the property before filing: registration, emirate, completion
- Filing with the Dubai Land Department — a service time of 7-10 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 fix the exact package after reviewing your case. You pay the expert directly.
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.
Residence permit in the UAE: comparing the options
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emirates ID on the basis of a UAE company | Business owners, entrepreneurs | 1–3 weeks | from $1,400 |
| A UAE residence visa for family members (Dependent) | Bringing the family over once you have your own Emirates ID | 2–4 weeks | from $1,650 |
| Remote worker visa in the UAE (Remote Working Visa) | Remote workers, digital nomads, employees of foreign companies | 1–3 weeks | from $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 | from $4,900 |
| Company employee visa in the UAE (Employee) | Relocators, families, remote professionals | 1–4 weeks | Upon consultation |
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 spouse, children and parents. On the golden visa the family gets residency for 10 years too. On the 2-year visa the spouse and children are handled the same way, while the Dubai immigration authority gives parents a 1-year residency.
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.
Documents and programme requirements
- 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
How the process runs
2–6 weeks- Step 1We check the property: the price on the title deed, registration in the applicant's name, the emirate, any mortgage.
- Step 2We assemble the set of documents: passport, title deed, photograph, Emirates ID and a current visa if you have one.
- Step 3If the property is mortgaged, we obtain a no-objection letter from the bank stating the amount paid and the balance.
- Step 4The applicant comes to the UAE and files the documents at a service centre in person.
- Step 5The medical test at the centre and fingerprinting.
- Step 6Issue of the permit — the Land Department states 7–10 working days.
- Step 7The Emirates ID and visas for spouse, children and parents.
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
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?
Related breakdowns
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