Dubai Golden Visa through property: requirements, cost and process

You can get a ten-year Golden Visa in Dubai by owning property worth at least AED 2 million (about €494,000 or £412,000). The value can sit in one property or several, the property can be off-plan or finished, and it can carry a mortgage if the bank signs a no-objection letter. As of October 2026, the Dubai Land Department lists government fees of about AED 9,900 for the main applicant and a processing time of 7 to 10 working days once your papers are in order.

That is the short answer. The detail matters, because most rejected or delayed applications come down to how the property is owned, how it was financed, or which document proves it. This guide sets out the rules as the official sources state them, where those sources leave gaps, and what to check before you buy.

Dubai Golden Visa requirements for property owners

Three official sources describe the property route, and they agree on the core rule. The Dubai Land Department Golden Visa service page says the applicant must own property with a purchase value of at least AED 2 million, wholly owned in the applicant's name, in one or more properties. The ICP Golden Residency guide sets the same AED 2,000,000 total and adds the off-plan and bank-finance conditions. GDRFA Dubai adds the rules on joint ownership and the lien.

Put together, as of October 2026:

• Value: one or more properties with a combined value of at least AED 2 million, certified by the Dubai Land Department.
• Ownership: the property must be registered in your own name. If you own a share with someone else, GDRFA says your share alone must be worth at least AED 2 million.
• Off-plan: allowed, if the units total at least AED 2 million and were bought from a developer approved by the local authority (ICP).
• Mortgage: allowed, if the loan is from an approved local bank and the bank issues a no-objection letter showing the amount paid and the balance (DLD and ICP).
• Lien: GDRFA says a lien is placed on the property so that you keep ownership for the life of the visa, and that the property may not be disposed of during the ten years.
• Health insurance: ICP requires valid health cover for you and your family for the whole residency period.
• Presence: the DLD page says the applicant must be inside the UAE and must attend in person.

Off-plan property

Off-plan purchases have counted since the rules were widened in October 2022, when Gulf News reported that off-plan buyers could qualify on a total investment of AED 2 million. ICP now states it plainly: off-plan units qualify if they total AED 2 million and come from "an approved local real estate company". Your proof is the Oqood, the off-plan registration certificate the Dubai Land Department issues once the sale is recorded. Our guide to buying off-plan in Dubai explains the Oqood and the escrow system in full.

No official list of approved developers is published on the pages we checked. In practice, ask the developer to confirm in writing, before you sign, that the specific project is accepted for Golden Visa applications.

Mortgaged property

This is where you will read the most contradictory advice online. Until early 2024, mortgaged buyers were widely reported to need at least AED 1 million of equity. In January 2024 several outlets, citing The National, reported that the minimum down payment had been dropped. Some 2026 articles describe a further change in February 2026, while one adviser's blog still says only paid-up equity counts.

The official wording we can verify is simpler. The DLD page says the property "may be mortgaged" and asks for a bank letter showing what has been paid and what remains. ICP requires the loan to come from an approved local bank. Neither page sets a minimum equity figure. If your plan depends on a mortgage, get the bank and the Land Department to confirm your case in writing first. Our guide to getting a mortgage in Dubai as a non-resident covers loan-to-value limits and lender rules.

Golden Visa Dubai price: the official fees

The fees below are the Dubai Land Department's published figures for a ten-year permit as of October 2026. They change from time to time, so treat them as a guide.

Family members cost extra. DLD lists AED 5,774.50 (about €1,426) for each ten-year family or parent residence permit, AED 318.75 to open a family sponsorship file, and AED 100 for each added person. Health insurance is on top and depends on age and cover.

The visa fee is small next to the cost of buying. The 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee alone on an AED 2 million purchase is AED 80,000, about €19,750. Our breakdown of Dubai property buying costs lists every charge, and the buying costs calculator totals them for your price.

How to get a Golden Visa in Dubai, step by step

1. Buy and register the property. Completed property gives you a title deed. Off-plan gives you an Oqood once the developer registers your sale with the Land Department.
2. Get a bank letter if you have a mortgage. It must show the amount paid and the outstanding balance.
3. Arrange health insurance for yourself and any family members you will sponsor.
4. Travel to the UAE. The applicant must be in the country. ICP says eligible applicants abroad can get a six-month multiple-entry entry visa, renewable once, to complete the process.
5. Apply. DLD lists its Al Manara customer centre, a Golden Visa office at Dubai World Trade Centre and the Golden Cube, plus approved registration agents. GDRFA also accepts applications online through UAE Pass.
6. Medical test and Emirates ID biometrics, then the permit is issued. DLD quotes 7 to 10 working days.

Documents for the main applicant, per DLD: passport, title deed or e-title certificate, a photo, and any existing Emirates ID or residence permit. Spouses need a certified marriage certificate, children need certified birth certificates, and sons or daughters over 18 need an undertaking that they are unmarried.

Golden Visa Dubai benefits, and what it does not do

The ICP guide and the UAE government portal list these benefits:

• Ten years of residence with no local sponsor, renewable while you still meet the conditions.
• Family cover: residence permits for your spouse and children regardless of age, and for your parents.
• Domestic workers can be sponsored under the normal UAE rules.
• Time abroad: the UAE government portal says holders can stay outside the UAE for longer than the usual six-month limit without losing the visa.
• Continuity: if the holder dies, sponsored family members may stay until their own permits expire.
• Everyday life: an Emirates ID, which you need to open a local bank account, sign a tenancy and register utilities.

What it does not do matters just as much. It is residence, not citizenship. It does not make you a UAE tax resident by itself, and it does nothing to your tax position at home unless you actually move. It also ties up the property: under the GDRFA conditions you cannot sell below the threshold and keep the visa.

Dubai Golden Visa for UK citizens

British passport holders can visit Dubai without arranging a visa in advance, so the practical step of being in the country to apply is straightforward. The rules for the Golden Visa itself are the same for every nationality.

The point UK buyers most often miss is tax. Your UK tax residence is decided by HMRC's statutory residence test, which counts days and ties to the UK. A Golden Visa does not change that. If you stay UK resident, rent from the Dubai property is taxable in the UK. Our guide to tax on Dubai property for UK and EU residents explains what you still owe at home, and the guide to moving to Dubai from the UK covers the visa as part of a full relocation.

Which properties reach AED 2 million on their own

Every project on this site is flagged as Golden Visa eligible, but a single unit only reaches the threshold if its price is at least AED 2 million. Three projects start above that line, so even the entry unit qualifies on its own:

Safa Gate is a one and two-bedroom tower by Safa Park. Chelsea Residences is a branded sea-view scheme with a 1% monthly plan. DAMAC Islands is a villa and townhouse community with four to seven bedrooms. Cheaper units, such as apartments under AED 1 million, only qualify if you combine several to reach AED 2 million in your own name.

Al Wasl / Sheikh Zayed Road

Safa Gate

Golden Visa

From AED 2,135,000 ≈ €527k

Q4 2029

1–2 BR · Payment plan available (ask for the current release)

Dubai Maritime City

Chelsea Residences

Golden Visa

From AED 2,457,000 ≈ €607k

Q4 2029

1–3 BR · 1% monthly plan

Dubailand

DAMAC Islands

Golden Visa

From AED 2,750,000 ≈ €679k

Q4 2028

4–7 BR · 75/25

Risks and things to check before you rely on the visa

• Rules move. The thresholds and mortgage conditions have changed several times since 2022. Check the DLD page in the month you apply, not the month you reserve.
• Off-plan timing. You can usually apply once the Oqood is issued, but if a handover slips, any condition tied to completion slips with it.
• Selling. The lien means the visa and the property travel together. Plan on holding for the life of the visa.
• Price falls. The rules refer to the value certified by the Land Department. Renewal requires you to still meet the conditions, so ask how the value is assessed at renewal before you buy at exactly AED 2 million.
• Mortgage letters. Some banks are slow to issue the no-objection letter. Ask your lender about it before you take the loan.

The quickest way to test your own plan is the Golden Visa eligibility checker. If you want a licensed broker to confirm a specific unit, use the shortlist form.