Golden Visa through property

The rule: AED 2 million of property, registered in your name

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) publishes the rule. You must own one or more properties in the UAE with a total value of at least AED 2,000,000, with full ownership registered in your name. The property may be financed with a loan from an approved local bank. The permit runs ten years, is renewable while the conditions still hold, needs no sponsor, and lets you sponsor your spouse, children and parents. You and your family must hold valid health insurance for the whole period.

The rule is federal and applies across the UAE. In Dubai, the application runs through the Dubai Land Department’s Golden Visa service for investors, and its page says the same thing: a property whose purchase value was AED 2 million or more at the time of purchase gives the owner the right to apply for a ten-year renewable permit. For a mortgaged property, DLD asks for a bank letter showing AED 2 million paid. In Abu Dhabi the application runs through TAMM; in the other emirates through ICP.

Off-plan counts

ICP says so directly: one or more off-plan units with a total value of at least AED 2,000,000, bought from an approved local developer licensed by the local authority. The AED 2 million can be spread over more than one unit.