Dubai property investor Golden Visa
You can get a 10-year UAE Golden Visa by owning one or more properties worth at least AED 2 million in total, registered in your name. Mortgaged property qualifies with a bank letter (DLD requires AED 2 million paid), and off-plan units qualify when bought from an approved developer. In Dubai, DLD’s government fees are AED 9,884.75 and the service takes 7–10 business days.
Which property counts
| Scenario | Eligible? | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Single property ≥ AED 2M, owned outright | Yes | Registered fully in your name (ICP, DLD). |
| Several properties adding up to AED 2M | Yes | DLD counts “one or more properties” wholly owned by the investor. |
| Mortgaged property | Yes | Loan from an approved local bank (ICP); bank no-objection letter showing paid amount and balance — DLD requires AED 2M paid. |
| Off-plan property | Yes | Bought from an approved local developer authorised by the local authority (ICP). |
| Value based on today’s market price | Check | DLD uses the purchase value at the time of purchase. |
Sources: ICP Golden Residency Guide and Dubai Land Department investor Golden Visa service.
DLD fees and timeline
DLD’s investor fees total AED 9,884.75 (about ₹2.56 lakh). The full breakdown and family fees are on the Golden Visa cost page.
- Service time: 7–10 business days.
- You must be inside the UAE and attend in person.
- Payment by bank transfer, credit card or cash.
- The residence permit is sent by email.
AED 2 million at purchase, not today’s price
DLD’s investor service uses the purchase value at the time of purchase. A later valuation, a portal listing or a broker’s opinion does not replace that figure, up or down.
If you paid AED 1.7 million and the flat is now listed at AED 2.4 million, the purchase value is still AED 1.7 million. Do not file a Golden Visa on the new listing. If you paid AED 2.2 million and the market has fallen, the original application still used AED 2.2 million. What a later drop means for a visa you already hold is not an automatic cancellation on the DLD page we cite. That question is on selling and value changes.
Several properties can be added when each is wholly in your name and the purchase values together reach AED 2 million. A co-owner’s share is not part of your total. Work that case on the joint ownership page before you add the numbers.
Off-plan property
ICP allows one or more off-plan units worth at least AED 2 million, bought from an approved local developer authorised by the competent local authority. Off-plan is the same Golden Visa, not a cheaper one.
- The developer has to be approved and locally authorised. A reservation form from an unapproved seller is not the category.
- DLD still uses the purchase value. A payment plan is evidence of what you have paid, not a second valuation.
- THAJ’s Golden Visa overview says Dubai practice has allowed an application once 20% of an eligible off-plan unit is paid and the Oqood is issued. Confirm that stage on the current DLD service. It does not replace ICP’s AED 2 million category, and it does not replace the paid-amount test where the unit is mortgaged.
- Handover is not required by ICP’s off-plan sentence. Being inside the UAE, in person, still is a DLD service condition.
The longer version, including how to read Oqood against a mortgage, is the off-plan Golden Visa page.
Mortgage and the amount paid
ICP allows financing from an approved local bank. DLD’s investor service still requires AED 2 million paid where the property is mortgaged, shown on a bank no-objection letter with the paid amount and the balance.
The outstanding loan is not part of the AED 2 million. A purchase price of AED 2 million with AED 400,000 paid does not qualify on DLD’s mortgaged-property wording. Foreign finance is not something this page will treat as an approved local bank. Read mortgage and the Golden Visa before you book the service centre.
Joint ownership
DLD requires the AED 2 million to be wholly owned by the investor, under the applicant’s name. Two people on one title do not pool their shares to qualify one of them.
Each applicant’s own share has to meet AED 2 million for the Golden Visa. A spouse who does not meet it can be sponsored as family after you are approved — that is the family guide, not a second investor. On the separate two-year visa, the joint-owner figure stated from DLD is AED 400,000, which is not this test. Both numbers are set out on joint ownership.
Commercial property and company titles
ICP does not limit the property category to homes. An office, shop or plot in your personal name is read under the same value, mortgage and off-plan rules. There is no separate commercial Golden Visa. A title in a company name is not your personal property. That split is the commercial property page, and the company routes are on business owners.
Below AED 2 million: the two-year visa
Dubai also has a property investor residence that is not a Golden Visa. On the Golden Visa overview’s reading of DLD’s investor-visa service, a sole owner may apply with no minimum value, and a joint applicant needs a share of at least AED 400,000. No government fee for that service is printed here, because it is not the Golden Visa fee table below.
It does not convert into a 10-year Golden Visa when the property rises in value. An upgrade is a new application under Golden Visa rules. Renewal, the joint-share figure and why the fee is omitted are on the two-year property investor visa page.
Inheritance, short stays, and the purchase invoice
Three questions are not extra visa categories. An inherited title has to be registered in your name before the purchase-value test can even be discussed: inherited property. Letting the home, including short stays, does not add to the purchase price, and a holiday-home licence is a DET question: short-term rental. The 2% registration charge on a sale, and the escrow account on an off-plan project, are purchase costs, not the Golden Visa fee: transfer fees and escrow.
After you are approved
DLD’s service time is 7–10 business days once the file is in, you attend in person, and the residence permit is sent by email. Selling, assigning an off-plan unit, or relying on a later valuation are not given a single automatic outcome on the ICP or DLD pages this site cites. Ask the issuing authority before you transfer. The selling page is written so that question is asked first. Time outside the UAE, which is a different rule from a sale, is on keeping the visa while abroad.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a Golden Visa with a mortgaged property?
Yes. ICP allows financing from an approved local bank. DLD asks for a no-objection letter from the bank showing the paid amount and balance, and its service description requires AED 2 million paid on mortgaged property.
Does off-plan property qualify?
Yes. ICP lists off-plan units worth at least AED 2,000,000 bought from an approved local developer authorised by the competent local authority.
Can I combine properties?
Yes. DLD’s condition is property worth AED 2 million wholly owned by the investor, in one or more properties under the applicant’s name.
What if I own the property jointly?
DLD requires the AED 2 million to be wholly owned by the investor under the applicant’s name. Co-owners are not added together. A share that itself meets AED 2 million can qualify the person who holds it.
Does today’s market price count if I bought for less?
No. DLD uses the purchase value at the time of purchase for the investor Golden Visa service.
Is commercial property a different visa?
No. It uses the same property test if it is in your name. A company title is not a personal property application.
Can my family be included?
Yes — spouse, children and parents. DLD lists AED 5,774.50 per family member plus AED 100 per sponsored person and a AED 318.75 family file fee.
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 Visa application — Investor (fees, documents, terms) — Dubai Land Department (DLD)
- Golden Residency Guide — Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP)
- Request for investor visa (two-year property investor residence — not the Golden Visa) — Dubai Land Department (DLD)
- Golden visa — eligible categories — The UAE Government portal (u.ae)
Check your title deed
Send the title deed and payment documents; we tell you whether the property qualifies.