UAE Golden Visa in 2026: benefits and how to get it

Ten years in the Emirates without an employer and without having to live in the country. We cover every Golden Visa category - property from AED 2 million, a deposit, business, salary, talent - fees of about $2,700, family, mortgages and what matters for Russians.

In detail

The UAE Golden Visa is a 10-year residence permit that is not tied to an employer and does not lapse if you spend a long time abroad. It is most often obtained through property worth at least AED 2 million, about $550,000, but that is only one of five categories: the visa is also granted for a deposit in an investment fund, to entrepreneurs, to highly paid professionals and to talented people. In Dubai processing takes 7-10 working days after filing, and state fees for the main applicant come to about $2,700.

Below are all the categories with conditions from the official rules, what the visa gives a family, what it costs, how mortgages and off-plan property work, what matters for Russian citizens and how the Golden Visa relates to UAE tax residency. A detailed guide to buying property for the visa is on the UAE residence by investment page.

What the UAE Golden Visa gives you

The main difference from an ordinary visa is freedom. An ordinary residence permit is cancelled if you spend more than six consecutive months outside the country; the Golden Visa has no such limit. You need neither an employer nor a local partner: you sponsor yourself.

• 10 years, renewable as long as the basis remains: property, deposit, salary.
• Family: spouse and children of any age, as well as parents.
• Domestic staff can be sponsored under your visa.
• Work and business: you can be employed, run your own company or not work at all.
• After the holder's death family members stay in the country until their own permits expire.
• Entry visa for processing - multiple entry for six months, renewable for another six.

What the Golden Visa does not give is citizenship. The UAE has no citizenship by investment programme, and naturalisation is possible only in exceptional cases by decision of the authorities. If you need a second passport, the Golden Visa is combined with other countries' programmes - options are in our second citizenship section.

Who can get the Golden Visa: all categories

Conditions are set by the federal authority for identity, citizenship, customs and port security. Each category has its own threshold and document set.

Most Russians choose property or a deposit: these routes do not depend on work and give the same 10 years. Highly paid professionals get the visa without investing, but it is tied to the employment contract and salary statements for the last six months.

Golden Visa through a deposit or a business

If you do not want to buy property, the same 10 years are available for money invested in other ways. The key rule for all investment routes is that the capital must be your own, not borrowed.

• A deposit in an investment fund or national bank - AED 2 million or more, about $550,000. The money stays yours, but if you withdraw the deposit, the visa loses its basis.
• Company capital - AED 2 million or more in a new or existing company, or a stake of that value in a partnership.
• Company taxes - AED 250,000 or more a year, about $69,000. This route suits owners of a large operating business.
• Entrepreneur - an SME with revenue of AED 1 million a year, about $280,000, approved by an incubator or the relevant authority. Founders who have already sold their start-up for AED 7 million or more also qualify.

A deposit is easier to manage than property but brings no rental income, while property in the UAE is let without income tax. So most investors choose a flat they can let, and a deposit is chosen by those who value quick liquidity when the visa ends.

Professionals, scientists and talents

A highly paid professional gets the Golden Visa without investing. The conditions: a salary of at least AED 30,000 a month, about $8,200, at least a bachelor's degree and a first or second level job under the human resources ministry's classification. The application includes the employment contract and bank statements showing salary payments for the last six months.

Doctors, scientists, inventors, creative professionals, athletes and executives get the visa on recommendations from the relevant authorities. Top school and university graduates get it on their grades and their institution's recommendation, within two years of graduating. For these categories what decides is not money but proven achievements, so the document pack is prepared with particular care.

Golden Visa through property: mortgages, off-plan and several flats

The AED 2 million threshold can be met with one flat or several properties - what matters is that all of them are in the investor's full ownership. A mortgage is no obstacle: the bank must be one approved in the UAE and issue a letter stating it does not object to the visa and showing the amount paid and the balance.

• Ready property is the fastest route: title deed, valuation, application.
• Off-plan property qualifies if the developer is approved by the emirate's authorities and the contract is registered. The threshold is the same - AED 2 million.
• A mortgage is allowed with an approved local bank, with the bank's letter on the amount paid taken into account.
• Several properties are added together if their total value meets the threshold.
• Health insurance for the whole term is required for the applicant and the family.

If your budget is smaller, Dubai offers a two-year residence permit for property owners. It is cheaper but requires spending time in the country and renewing every two years. How to choose a property and check the developer is covered in our UAE investment property and buying a flat in Dubai guides.

How much the UAE Golden Visa costs in 2026

State fees for the visa through the Dubai Land Department come to about $2,700 for the main applicant and about $1,700 for each family member. The property itself and the fees on buying it cost the most.

In total the state takes about $25,000 on top of the flat's price for the visa and the purchase of an AED 2 million property, excluding the mortgage and insurance. We will calculate the total for your family in the chat: it depends on the property price, the mortgage and the number of applicants. Murblz names the cost of its support after reviewing your situation and fixes it in writing.

How to get the Golden Visa: steps and timing

1. Choosing the basis. Property, deposit, company or salary - the documents and the authority you apply to depend on it.
2. Buying and registering the property, if you go the property route: contract, payment, registration with the Land Department, title deed.
3. Application. In Dubai - through the Land Department or the emirate's immigration service; in other emirates - through the federal authority. You need a passport, the title deed, a photo and, if you have one, your current resident ID.
4. Entry. The applicant must be in the UAE for processing; if you are abroad, an entry visa is issued.
5. Medical examination and biometrics at an accredited centre.
6. Visa and resident ID. There is no need for a visa sticker in the passport: the status is linked to the ID card.
7. Family members apply after the main applicant.

The Dubai Land Department quotes 7-10 working days after filing. Including the search for and purchase of a ready property, the whole process usually takes one to two months.

Golden Visa for Russians: banks and checks on funds

The Golden Visa has no nationality restrictions: Russian citizens get it on the general terms. The difficulties start not at the immigration service but at the bank. UAE banks check clients from Russia more closely than others, and the account is often the longest stage.

• Source of funds. The bank asks for documents covering several years: contracts for the sale of a business or flat, income statements, tax returns.
• The payment route. Transfers from Russia go through a limited number of banks, so the route for paying for the flat is planned in advance.
• Sanctions screening. The bank checks the client and the source of funds against lists, and any match stops the process.
• Family documents. The UAE is not party to the apostille convention, so Russian marriage and birth certificates go through consular legalisation and translation into Arabic.

With a residence permit an account is opened much more easily than without one. How this works in practice is in our article on opening a bank account in the UAE and on the personal account in the UAE page.

The Golden Visa and UAE tax residency

The UAE has no personal income tax, but the visa alone does not make you a tax resident or release you from your previous country's taxes. UAE residency is determined by actual presence.

The federal tax authority issues a tax residency certificate for about $290, usually within 3 working days. Banks and other countries' tax authorities need it to apply a double tax treaty. For a Russian citizen the other side matters too: Russian tax residency is lost if you spend fewer than 183 days in Russia in a calendar year. More in our article on tax residency and the 183-day rule and on the UAE taxes page.

Companies in the UAE pay 9% corporate tax on profit above AED 375,000, and VAT is 5%. An individual's income from letting their own flat is not taxed. You can compare the UAE with other countries without income tax in our review of countries with no income tax.

The Golden Visa or other routes to the UAE

A free zone company is the cheapest entry, but the status depends on the business and is renewed often. The Golden Visa requires frozen capital but gives 10 years and the freedom to live anywhere. More on companies on the company registration in the UAE page, and on ordinary residence permits in the residence permits abroad section.

Family under the Golden Visa: who can be sponsored

The Golden Visa is one of the most family-friendly in the world. You can sponsor your spouse and children regardless of age, as well as your parents. Domestic staff can also be sponsored under the visa.

• Family members apply after the main applicant and receive residence permits for the same term.
• Each family member needs health insurance and legalised proof of kinship.
• If the visa holder dies, family members stay in the country until their own permits expire.

This is especially convenient for families with student children: an adult son or daughter studying abroad does not lose UAE status because of a long absence.

Renewal and when the visa can be cancelled

The Golden Visa is renewed for another 10 years if the basis remains: the property is not sold, the deposit is not withdrawn, the salary has not fallen below the threshold. It can be cancelled in several situations.

• Selling the property so that you no longer own property worth AED 2 million.
• Withdrawing the deposit or leaving the company's capital.
• Changing jobs as a professional: at renewal the AED 30,000 monthly salary is checked again.
• Breaking the law and a decision by the authorities on security grounds.

Before selling a flat it is worth buying a replacement in advance or switching to another basis. Otherwise the visa will not be renewed, and the family loses status together with the main applicant.

Common mistakes in the application

1. The developer is not approved. An off-plan property without the emirate's approval does not count for the visa.
2. No bank letter when buying with a mortgage - the application will not be accepted without it.
3. Family documents without legalisation. Certificates without the consular chain of certifications and an Arabic translation are not accepted.
4. Money without a history. The bank does not accept the payment if the source of capital is not documented.
5. A visa instead of a tax plan. You have the Golden Visa but remain a Russian tax resident because you spent more than 183 days in Russia.

Where to apply: Dubai or Abu Dhabi

The Golden Visa is issued in every emirate, but procedures differ slightly. In Dubai the property investor visa application is handled by the Land Department, and the process is well established: the market is bigger, deals are faster and timing is predictable. In Abu Dhabi foreigners buy homes in investment zones, and the visa is processed through the federal authority. The choice usually depends on where you want to live - see our guides to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

How we help

The law does not stop you from applying on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fees: an off-plan property from an unapproved developer, a mortgage without a bank letter, family documents without legalisation, a bank that rejected the payment because the source of funds was not proven, or tax residency that stayed in Russia. We choose the basis and the property, check the developer, support the purchase, prepare family documents, apply for the visa together with locally licensed partners and open an account with a UAE bank. We guarantee professional work and a transparent process, and in most cases a result on the first application.

You can compare with European programmes in our review of European golden visas, and retirees will find our guide to retiring in the UAE useful.

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