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The requirements for applying for and renewing Investor Visas and Partner Visas in Dubai have been tightened. For a new application, the applicant must provide three months of personal bank statements and maintain a minimum balance of 50,000 AED, or the equivalent, during each of those months. For a renewal, six months of the company's bank statements are required, with a minimum balance of 50,000 AED maintained each month and transactions demonstrating genuine business activity. The Investor Visa is reserved for the sole shareholder of a company, while a maximum of two Partner Visas may be issued per company, subject to additional restrictions. A minimum share capital of 48,000 AED per applicant is also required. Immigration authorities now apply stricter checks and may request additional documents.
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The requirements for obtaining and renewing an Investor Visa or Partner Visa in Dubai are now subject to stricter checks. For entrepreneurs who own a company in the United Arab Emirates, this mainly means one thing: they must now be able to prove that they have a minimum level of available funds and provide bank statements that meet immigration requirements.
These new rules apply both to first-time visa applications and renewals. However, the documents required differ depending on your situation.
Here are the main points to know before submitting your application.
First Investor Visa or Partner Visa application: 3 months of personal bank statements
For a new Investor Visa or Partner Visa application, you must now provide your personal bank statements covering the last three months.
The key point concerns the account balance: a minimum of 50,000 AED, or the equivalent in another currency, must be maintained during each of the three months.
It is therefore not enough to have 50,000 AED when submitting your application. The statements must show that this minimum amount was actually kept in the account throughout the required period.
The account must also be active. The bank statements must therefore show a monthly transaction history demonstrating genuine use of the account.
To facilitate processing, the statements should ideally be issued in English or Arabic. If they are issued in another language, a legal translation may be required.
Finally, the documents must clearly show the account holder's name, the balance, and the currency.
Renewal of an Investor Visa or Partner Visa: 6 months of company bank statements
The requirements differ when renewing an existing Investor Visa or Partner Visa.
In this case, it is no longer the applicant's personal bank statements that are required, but those of the company.
You must provide the last six months of business bank statements. Again, a minimum balance of 50,000 AED must be maintained during each of the six months concerned.
The authorities also need to be able to verify that the company is genuinely conducting business. The statements must therefore show monthly transactions demonstrating that the company is active and operational.
Statements from a bank based in the United Arab Emirates are preferred. They must clearly state the company's name, the account balance, and the currency used.
This condition deserves particular attention when preparing a renewal. A company with an investor visa whose bank account shows limited activity or a balance below the required threshold could encounter difficulties when renewing.
Investor Visa: the applicant must be the company's sole shareholder
Another important condition concerns the distinction between an Investor Visa and a Partner Visa.
To be eligible for an Investor Visa, the applicant must be the company's sole shareholder.
In other words, when a company has several shareholders, the visa corresponding to their situation will be a Partner Visa rather than an Investor Visa.
This distinction is important when preparing the application, as the eligibility criteria are not the same.
Partner Visa: a maximum of two visas per company
For companies owned by several shareholders, the new conditions provide that a maximum of two Partner Visas may be issued per company.
Additional restrictions may also apply depending on the application.
If your company has several shareholders who wish to obtain residency in the United Arab Emirates through the same company, it is therefore important to check each person's eligibility before starting the applications.
Minimum share capital of 48,000 AED per applicant
Whether you are applying for a visa as an investor or shareholder, another financial threshold must now be taken into account.
A minimum share capital of 48,000 AED per applicant is required.
This amount is separate from the minimum bank balance of 50,000 AED required in the bank statements.
The two conditions must therefore be clearly distinguished: on the one hand, the share capital associated with the applicant; on the other, the minimum level of funds that must appear on the bank statements required for a first application or renewal.
Stricter checks before visa issuance or renewal
These requirements are now subject to enhanced verification procedures by the relevant immigration authorities.
In practice, it is becoming even more important to prepare the application in advance. An application that does not meet the criteria, particularly those concerning bank statements or maintaining the minimum balance of 50,000 AED, may not be accepted for processing.
Before submitting any new application or renewal, it is therefore recommended that you carefully check the period covered by the statements, the available balance each month, the account activity, and the information shown on the documents.
It should also be kept in mind that immigration authorities may request additional supporting documents or change their requirements without notice.
For shareholders and investors in a company in Dubai, planning ahead is therefore essential. Waiting until the renewal date to check the company's banking situation may be too late, since the authorities now review several months of history.
