United Arab Emirates · Residency by investment
Golden Residence — Real Estate Investor
AED 2m threshold unchanged since the 2022 restructure. The minimum down-payment rule was removed in January 2024 — mortgaged and off-plan property now qualify on full value. Note: the ICP summary web page still describes the property route as 5 years, while GDRFA-Dubai and Dubai Land Department both specify and issue 10 years; 10 years is what is actually granted.
Unlike the deposit route, the AED 2m sits in an asset that can appreciate and yield 5–7% gross — which is why most families choose it. But it is also the route most exposed to a Dubai property correction, and the visa dies with the asset.
Qualifying routes
One or more properties with combined value of at least AED 2m in a designated freehold area; value assessed on the title deed / DLD valuation certificate
Permitted since January 2024 with no minimum down payment, subject to a no-objection letter from the UAE-licensed financing bank stating amount paid and outstanding balance
Qualifies if purchased from an approved developer; a lien is registered on the property for the permit duration
The facts
- Minimum investment
- 2M AED
- Total landed cost
- AED 2m property plus 4% DLD transfer fee (AED 80k) plus roughly AED 10k in visa fees for the principal and about AED 6k per dependant; DLD quotes AED 9,884.75 in total government fees for a 10-year investor permit
- Timeline
- 1–3 months — DLD quotes 7–10 working days for the visa decision once the title deed and valuation are in hand
- Physical presence
- None — no minimum stay, and no lapse for absence over 6 months
- Family
- spousechildren of any ageparentsdomestic workers
- Permanent residency
- None — 10-year renewable permit, contingent on continuing to hold the property
- Citizenship
- None by right — nomination only
- Language test
- Not applicable
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- title deed or DLD valuation certificate showing at least AED 2mproperty in a designated freehold areabank NOC if mortgagedclean criminal recordmedical test and health insuranceindividual share must itself reach AED 2m where ownership is joint
- The permit is tied to continued ownership. Sell the property or let the value fall below AED 2m at renewal and the visa — and your dependants' visas — go with it.
- Dubai residential prices ran up very hard from 2021. Buying AED 2m of property you would not otherwise want, purely for a visa, is how people lose more than the visa is worth. The deposit route exists for a reason.
- Leasehold does not qualify — the property must be in a designated freehold area. Verify the zone before signing.
- Off-plan carries developer completion risk; a stalled project can leave you with neither the asset nor the visa.
- The 4% DLD transfer fee plus agency commission is roughly 6% of value in dead costs on entry, and again on exit.
- Widely-circulated 2026 blog posts claim the down-payment rule changed in 'February 2026' or 'April 2026'. It did not — the change was January 2024. Treat property-portal content on visa rules as marketing, not law.