UAE Golden Residency — investment and other qualifying categories
Active
Evidence and datesUAE Golden Residency is a long-term residence category for eligible investors, entrepreneurs and specified talent groups without a local sponsor. Its financial criteria differ by category; the investment routes below are only part of the scheme.
Evidence and datesOnly source-checked fields are shown as facts. “Not verified” means we have not established that field from current evidence; it does not mean zero, no, or ineligible.
Highlights
Evidence and dates- The current ICP guide specifies 10-year residence for both public and real-estate investors.
- Eligible holders may sponsor spouses, children regardless of age, and parents under ICP guidance.
- Renewal remains conditional; Golden Residence is a fixed-term renewable residence permit, not permanent residence.
Applicability and permission
Requirements and important conditions
Investment applicants must provide the applicable official fund/bank, company or real-estate evidence and valid comprehensive health insurance. Public-investment capital must be owned by the investor and not borrowed. The property branch separately permits specified approved local-bank financing or qualifying off-plan purchases. Talent and entrepreneur categories require their own qualifications, recommendations or business approvals.
Evidence and datesPractical application guide
Use these steps to organise your research and the questions to confirm with the issuing authority.
Important conditions
The current ICP guide also lists a public-investment route based on at least AED 250,000 annual federal tax paid by the qualifying business or attributable to the investor's share. Entrepreneurs and talented professionals have distinct criteria; none is created simply by buying a visa. Dubai GDRFA states that the 10-year investor permit can be extended if the same conditions remain satisfied. Its property route requires continued qualifying ownership and a lien throughout validity. Family sponsorship is a separate residence-permit process; ICP includes spouses, children regardless of age and parents, with applicable insurance and documentation. Golden Residence remains a fixed-term renewable permit rather than permanent residence.
Choose the exact qualifying category
ICP lists investor, entrepreneur and talent categories with different tests. The AED 2 million examples below concern specified investment routes. Public-investment capital must be owned rather than borrowed; the property branch has separate approved-finance conditions.
Prepare evidence for the issuing authority
Collect the relevant bank, company or property certification and comprehensive health cover. Confirm whether ICP or Dubai GDRFA handles your application and obtain its document and fee checklist. Talent categories require their own qualifications or endorsements.
Plan ownership, family and renewal
Dubai's investor guidance describes a renewable ten-year permit, subject to continued conditions. Its property branch requires continued qualifying ownership and a lien; deposit guidance also restricts withdrawal throughout validity. Family residence uses a separate sponsorship process. Golden Residence is a fixed-term permit and does not itself confer permanent residence or citizenship.
Keep the route, your intended dates, required evidence and unanswered questions together before making commitments.
Conditional financial requirements
Use one option only when all its conditions apply. Within that option, every listed requirement must be met together.
Incomplete coverage: these options are not a complete list of the programme's financial requirements.
Qualifying investment-fund or national-bank deposit1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- Subject to the public-investor approval and health-insurance conditions; fees are additional.
- Dubai bank-deposit guidance requires an accredited local-bank deposit certificate showing a freeze of at least two years, and separately prohibits withdrawal throughout the 10-year Golden Residence period; the two-year certificate condition is not permission to withdraw after two years.
All of the following are required:
Qualifying company capital or partnership share1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- Meet official company/investment evidence and comprehensive health-insurance requirements.
All of the following are required:
- capital: at least AED 2,000,000 one-offSource
Requirement conditions:
- Establish a UAE company with this capital or hold a qualifying share in an existing/new company. Invested capital must be owned and not borrowed.
Qualifying UAE property investment1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- Qualifying approved off-plan purchases have their own approved-developer conditions. Health cover must remain valid; do not import the public-capital no-loan rule into this property branch.
- For Dubai applications, GDRFA requires a property lien to maintain ownership throughout the Golden Residence validity; its guidance prohibits disposal during the 10-year period. The qualifying property or joint ownership share must satisfy the AED 2 million threshold.
All of the following are required:
No single comparable figure recorded for: processing time, annual permit presence, tax treatment. Check the conditions above and the cited official sources.
Key Details
Evidence and datesYes
Interested in UAE Golden Residency — investment and other qualifying categories?
Use the reviewed evidence to prepare questions for the authority or an adviser. A research shortlist is not an eligibility decision.
Evidence and review method
Automated primary-source check by Codex on 20 Oct 2026.
This automated source check is not a human editorial or legal review.
Review scope: Programme status, Programme name, Programme category, Programme type, Overview, Eligibility requirements, Official application information, Financial summary, Practical application guide and conditions, Initial permission in years, Renewal availability, Parent eligibility, Key conditions, Conditional financial requirements.
Source retrieval, the review recorded here and the date a rule takes effect are separate events. The stated scope covers only the listed fields.
Programme status
UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP)Evidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency guide: public/real-estate investors, capital ownership, health cover, ten-year term Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Financial summary
UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP)Evidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency guide: public/real-estate investors, capital ownership, health cover, ten-year term Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Conditional financial requirements
Dubai General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners AffairsEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Source updated:
- 10 Sept 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency benefits, investor duration and eligibility: public/property 10 years, family sponsorship, property financing Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Investor Golden Residence: service description10-year renewal; property lien and continuing ownership; deposit controls Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Parent eligibility
UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port SecurityEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Source updated:
- 10 Sept 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency benefits, investor duration and eligibility: public/property 10 years, family sponsorship, property financing Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Renewal availability
Dubai General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners AffairsEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Investor Golden Residence: service description10-year renewal; property lien and continuing ownership; deposit controls Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Eligibility requirements
UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP)Evidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency guide: public/real-estate investors, capital ownership, health cover, ten-year term Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Overview
UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP)Evidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency guide: public/real-estate investors, capital ownership, health cover, ten-year term Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Key conditions
Dubai General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners AffairsEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Source updated:
- 10 Sept 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency benefits, investor duration and eligibility: public/property 10 years, family sponsorship, property financing Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Investor Golden Residence: service description10-year renewal; property lien and continuing ownership; deposit controls Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Practical application guide and conditions
Dubai General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners AffairsEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Source updated:
- 10 Sept 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency benefits, investor duration and eligibility: public/property 10 years, family sponsorship, property financing Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Investor Golden Residence: service description10-year renewal; property lien and continuing ownership; deposit controls Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Initial permission in years
UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port SecurityEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Source updated:
- 10 Sept 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency benefits, investor duration and eligibility: public/property 10 years, family sponsorship, property financing Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Programme type
UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP)Evidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: Golden Residency guide: public/real-estate investors, capital ownership, health cover, ten-year term Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Review dates, source checks and legal effective dates describe different things. Confirm the applicable rules for your circumstances before acting.