Residence visa: Dubai Golden Visa

Purchasing one or more properties in the United Arab Emirates entitles you to a 2- or 10-year Golden Visa. The requirement for applying depends on the total value of the properties you have purchased.

• For a 2-year investor visa, the property value must be between AED 750,000 and AED 1,999,999, and at least 50% of the property must have been paid for at the time of application.
• For a 10-year investor visa, the value of the property or properties must be more than AED 2,000,000. Recently, it is no longer necessary to have paid 50% of the property to apply.

Note: The property or properties must be located in the same emirate to be considered in a Dubai Golden Visa application. Properties under construction (off-plan) are also eligible, provided that the payment plan details and an Oqood are submitted.

In addition, in both cases, if the properties are mortgaged by the bank, it will be necessary to provide a no-objection letter (NOC) from the bank when applying for the Golden Visa.

Entrepreneurs can apply for the Golden Visa if at least one of the following three conditions is met:

• Be a partner in or owner of a start-up registered as an SME in the UAE, and the company must generate annual revenue of at least AED 1 million;
• The entrepreneur must have sold a project for more than AED 7 million;
• The applicant has obtained authorization to establish a start-up issued by an official business incubator.

Exceptional talents are eligible for the Golden Visa if they have received a recommendation or approval from a government entity such as Dubai Culture, DTCM, etc.

The following profiles are considered exceptional talents:

• Inventors;
• Innovators;
• Talents in vital fields such as culture, art, sports, and digital technology.

The Golden Visa can be obtained without salary, education, qualification level, or professional status requirements.

All influential scientists in their field or those who have made significant achievements are eligible for the Golden Visa if they have received a recommendation from the Emirates Scientists Council.

Applicants must hold a doctorate or master's degree in engineering, technology, life sciences, or natural sciences from one of the world's top universities, as well as have significant research accomplishments.

The Golden Visa can also be applied for by highly qualified professionals with advanced educational qualifications and high-level professional experience.

This category applies to many disciplines, such as:

• Medicine;
• Science and engineering;
• Information technology;
• Business and administration;
• Education;
• Law;
• Culture;
• Social sciences.

Conditions for this category:

• Have an employment contract in the UAE;
• Be classified in the first or second professional level according to the MoHRE;
• Hold at least a bachelor's degree;
• Have a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000.

There are 2 categories of students/graduates:

• At the Emirati level, exceptional students from the secondary education system and universities are eligible for the Golden Visa. This also applies to high school students who achieved an average score of at least 95% on their secondary school certificate at public or private schools in the country;
• For foreigners, only highly qualified graduates of the world's top 100 universities with an overall GPA of 3.8 or higher are eligible.

Several conditions must be met:

• Academic results/overall GPA;
• The year the degree was obtained;
• The university's ranking.

It should be noted that the families of these students may also benefit from this Golden Visa.

All members of international or regional charitable organizations, as well as members of public-benefit associations, are considered humanitarian pioneers and are eligible for the Golden Visa.

The following categories are also eligible for the Golden Visa:

• Award winners in the humanitarian and charitable sectors;
• Recognized volunteers who contribute to humanitarian, crisis-response, and charitable efforts.

All healthcare personnel and any other frontline worker who provides assistance in extraordinary circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are eligible for the Golden Visa.