Commercial property and the UAE Golden Visa
ICP’s property category does not say “residential only”. An office, shop, warehouse or plot can be the qualifying property when it is worth at least AED 2 million and registered in the applicant’s name, including the off-plan and approved-bank finance variants. There is no separate commercial Golden Visa. If the title is in a company name, it is not automatically your personal property.
Commercial property uses the property rules you already have
Nothing in ICP’s investor property wording, as this site cites it, limits the asset to a flat or a villa. The conditions that do apply are the ones on the property investor guide: total value at least AED 2 million, registered in your name, mortgage only with an approved local bank and — in Dubai — AED 2 million paid, off-plan only from an approved local developer. A shop that fails those tests does not qualify because it is “commercial” and sounds serious.
- A single commercial unit at or above AED 2 million, in your personal name, is read like any other property.
- Several units, commercial or residential, can be added if they are yours and the total meets AED 2 million. Your co-owner’s share is not added. See joint ownership.
- A mortgage on a commercial unit still needs the bank letter and the paid amount. See the mortgage page.
- An off-plan commercial unit still needs the approved-developer test. See off-plan.
- Rent you collect is not a Golden Visa category and it is not a substitute for the value test. How rental income is treated for tax is a different subject, on the tax benefits page, and it does not decide the visa.
When the title is in a company name
Investors often buy an office in the name of a new mainland or free zone company. That can be the right real-estate structure and the wrong Golden Visa structure. The property category ICP describes is property in the applicant’s name.
A company that owns the unit may still be relevant to a business route: company capital of at least AED 2 million, a partner share of that size, or federal tax of at least AED 250,000 a year, among the routes on the business owners page. Those tests are about the company, not about calling the office a personal home. Do not file a personal property application on a title the company holds, and do not file a capital application with nothing but a shop the company has not paid AED 2 million of capital for.
Land, mixed-use buildings and short-term rental are not separate visa types on the pages we cite. They are property, and they pass or fail the same value and ownership tests. If the asset is outside Dubai, the emirate that issues the permit applies its own service rules on top of ICP’s category.
Use of the property is not the visa
You can occupy the office, lease it, or leave it empty, subject to whatever the land lease and the licence require. None of those choices is published as a Golden Visa condition on the ICP page we cite. What is published is ownership and value. A trade licence for a business you run from the unit is a business setup question. It does not lower the AED 2 million property test, and a licence alone is not a Golden Visa.
DLD’s government fees for the investor Golden Visa remain AED 9,884.75 for the main applicant, whether the unit is a flat or a shop. They are listed on the cost page. Transfer fees you paid when you bought are not those visa fees, and they are not credited against them.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a separate Golden Visa for commercial property?
No. Commercial property is considered under the same property-investor category: value, registration in your name, and the mortgage or off-plan conditions if they apply.
Our company owns the office. Can I apply as the owner?
Not on the personal property route, unless the qualifying property is registered in your name. A company title points you to the business-owner routes, which have their own capital, tax and revenue tests.
Does rental income from a shop help me qualify?
It is not a substitute for the AED 2 million value test. Income can matter to other categories, such as an SME’s revenue, but that is a different file.
Can I mix a flat and a shop to reach AED 2 million?
Yes, if both are in your name and the total meets the threshold. DLD’s wording is one or more properties wholly owned by the investor.
Official sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 26 October 2026. Rules and fees can change; the authority’s current page always prevails.
- Golden Residency Guide — Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP)
- Golden Visa application — Investor (fees, documents, terms) — Dubai Land Department (DLD)
- Golden visa — eligible categories — The UAE Government portal (u.ae)
Send the title and say whose name is on it
We will tell you whether this is a personal property file or a company file.