The property Golden Visa
Property is one of the routes to long-term UAE residency, and the part that trips people up is not the threshold but what counts towards it. What qualifies, what the residency actually grants, and the step that comes before the visa itself.
3 answers, each with the official source it rests on · Last checked 24 August 2026
What property qualifies for a Golden Visa
A property investor can qualify for a Golden Visa, and the published threshold is AED 2 million. The federal identity authority sets out what it wants to see: a letter from the Land Registration Department confirming ownership of one or more properties valued at AED 2 million or more. The phrase is one or more, so the figure can be reached across several properties rather than needing a single one. Two conditions sit beside it and both are easy to miss. The authority's published wording adds the words without loans, and its entry-permit service states that the property must be fully owned by the investor. The Land Department in Dubai puts the same point in operational terms: where the property is mortgaged it asks for a bank letter showing AED 2 million paid. So a mortgage does not rule you out — but the two million has to be money you have actually paid, not money you have borrowed. The federal authority also asks for proof of residence in the UAE, which can be property ownership or a tenancy contract. Eligibility here is assessed by the authorities, not by a seller, an agent or a developer.
“A letter from the Land Registration Department confirming ownership of one or more properties valued at ≥ AED 2 million (without loans).”
Source: Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) — Golden Residency — real estate investors · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: UAE-wide
How long a property Golden Visa lasts
How long a property-based Golden Visa runs has two different official answers, and it is worth knowing that before relying on either. The UAE Government portal gives the duration for a real-estate investment as five years. The federal identity authority's own Golden Residency page also says five years. That same authority's service page for the real estate investor entry permit says ten years, and Dubai's Land Department describes its own golden visa service for property investors as a ten-year renewable residence permit. Four government pages, all concerning an investor at the AED 2 million threshold, and they do not say the same thing. It is possible they describe different stages of the same process, but none of them says so, and guessing which applies to you is not something to do with a residency. The authority that issues the visa is the one that can tell you which duration attaches to your application, and it is worth asking before you make a decision that depends on the answer.
Who to go to
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), icp.gov.ae — it issues the visa and is the only body that can confirm which duration applies to a specific application.
Source: Dubai Land Department — Golden Visa application — Investor · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: UAE-wide
The entry permit that comes before the residency
Before the residency itself there is an entry permit, and the federal identity authority publishes it as a service in its own right: Entry Permit Issuance for Real Estate Investor Residency. Its published conditions are short. The property must be fully owned by the investor and worth at least AED 2 million. You need a valid health insurance policy within the UAE, and a passport valid for no less than six months. The fee is AED 300 in total, itemised as AED 100 for the application, AED 100 for issuance and AED 100 for smart services. That is the published cost of this step and it is small, which is worth knowing: a much larger figure quoted for it is a charge for something else, and worth having itemised before you agree to it.
“The property must be fully owned by the investor”
Source: Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) — Entry Permit Issuance for Real Estate Investor Residency · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: UAE-wide
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