The UAE Golden Visa through property
Owning property in Dubai worth AED 2 million or more can give you, and your family, ten years' residence in the UAE. Who qualifies, with which homes, and how to apply.
Short answer
If you own property in Dubai worth at least AED 2 million -- one home or several -- you can apply for the ten-year Golden Visa, and sponsor your family. Mortgaged homes can count, and off-plan homes from approved developers can too, under conditions on what has been paid. The Land Department and the immigration authority decide each case, so check a particular home before you rely on it.
Which homes count
| The home | Counts? |
|---|---|
| Ready, paid in full, AED 2M or more | Yes |
| Several homes adding up to AED 2M | Yes, together |
| Mortgaged with a UAE bank | Yes, under conditions (a bank letter is needed) |
| Off-plan | Often, from approved developers, depending on what has been paid; decided case by case |
| Owned jointly | Your own share must reach the threshold, or you apply as a couple |
Property worth less can still bring a shorter property-owner visa. Ask us what applies to your purchase.
Applying, in 4 steps
Gather the papers
Title deed or Oqood certificate, the developer's statement of what you have paid (off-plan), a bank letter if mortgaged, your passport and a photo.
Apply for the property nomination
Through the Land Department's Golden Visa service, which checks the property and its value.
Entry permit, medical and Emirates ID
With the nomination, the immigration authority issues the visa: a medical test, biometrics for the Emirates ID, and health insurance.
Add your family
Sponsor your spouse and children on your visa.
Advice first, then the right project
Dubai has thousands of projects and every developer says theirs is the best. We compare them for you, in your language, and tell you honestly which we would buy.
Many developers compared
Prices, payment plans, service charges and track records side by side, not one developer's sales pitch.
No fee from you on new projects
When you buy off-plan from the developer, the developer pays our fee: the price is the developer's price.
In your language
Contracts, payment schedules and the Land Department's paperwork, explained in English or Turkish.
With you to the keys
Reservation, registration, instalments, snagging and handover: one consultant from start to finish.
Questions buyers ask us
It can, when the developer is approved and enough has been paid, as the Land Department decides. Ask for the developer's statement of account and check before you count on it.
No: the Golden Visa has no minimum stay, unlike ordinary residence visas, which lapse after long periods abroad.
The visa rests on the property, so selling it below the threshold means you no longer qualify on that basis.
The Golden Visa is a residence visa; holders can live, work and study in the UAE, subject to the usual rules for each.
More guides
All guidesBuying in Dubai
Ownership, visas and protection
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Dubai's rules and fees change; figures are correct to the best of our knowledge on 15 October 2026. Check the latest with the Dubai Land Department or an adviser before you sign or pay.
Buying with the Golden Visa in mind?
Tell us your budget. We will show you projects that qualify and check the developer's position before you commit.