01
AED2,000,000+
Public Investment
Qualifying deposits, fund capital or company investment may support an investor application.
UAE Golden Residency
Renewable Long-Term Residence for Qualified Applicants
Program overview
UAE Golden Residency is a renewable long-term residence framework for investors, entrepreneurs, exceptional talent and other qualifying categories. The investor threshold is generally AED2 million for public investment or real estate. Other categories use different evidence and endorsement requirements.
Eligibility, permit duration and evidence depend on the selected category. Property and investment-fund applicants should verify asset and financing approval before applying.
Renewable Long-Term Residence for Qualified Applicants
Residency Partners
Current routes and requirements
02
AED2,000,000+
Real-Estate Investor
Own qualifying UAE real estate; approved local-bank financing and approved off-plan property may be considered.
03
Category criteria
Entrepreneur
Qualify through an eligible UAE SME generating at least AED1 million annually or a previous venture sold for at least AED7 million.
04
Endorsement-based
Specialised Talent
Separate criteria apply to scientists, professionals, creatives and other recognised talent.
Key eligibility requirements
- Qualify under a recognised Golden Residency category.
- Provide the investment, property, revenue or endorsement evidence for that category.
- Maintain health insurance and satisfy security and immigration checks.
- Keep the qualifying basis in place for renewal.
Program due diligence
Key facts before you proceed
A concise review of the rules that materially affect eligibility, cost and long-term planning. Expand the detail you need before making a commitment.
Checked against official sources
Last reviewed 2026-09-20
Availability and review status
Open
Status checked 2026-09-20
The federal Golden Residency service is open. The commercial catalogue is active; qualification depends on the selected investor, entrepreneur or talent category and emirate-level evidence.
Physical presence
Golden residents are generally exempt from the ordinary rule that residence becomes invalid after more than six months outside the UAE. No minimum annual stay is published on the federal Golden Residency guide, but entry, insurance and document-validity rules still apply.
Planning range — editorial estimate
Allow roughly 2–8 weeks end to end for investment evidence, nomination where needed, medical/identity steps and issuance.
Family inclusion
A qualifying Golden resident may sponsor a spouse and children under the Golden Residency framework. Parents and household-support categories require separate route-specific confirmation; documents, insurance and guarantees may be required per dependant.
Government and application costs
Medical, Emirates ID, health-insurance, document legalisation, translation, property-registration, mortgage and adviser charges are additional and vary. ICP displays service-level fees; the final amount depends on route, duration, location and applicant count.
Application request
Per federal service request
AED 100
Non-refundable
Golden residence issuance
Primary residence issuance
AED 100 per year
Non-refundable
Smart services fee
Per service transaction
AED 100
Non-refundable
Electronic services fee
Per service transaction
AED 100
Non-refundable
ICP fee
Per service transaction
AED 22
Non-refundable
Family guarantee
Where the authority requires a guarantee
AED 3,000 per family member; maximum AED 15,000
Conditional
A guarantee is not the same as a government fee and is released only under the applicable conditions.
Eligibility and admissibility
The federal service page does not publish a blanket nationality exclusion list. Security, sanctions, source-of-funds and admissibility screening apply, and practical acceptance can vary by authority and applicant profile.
Official timing indication
ICP service cards show approximately two working days for the authority service step after a complete submission.
The published service time is not the full preparation-to-card timeline and pauses for missing documents or additional screening.
Investment, holding and exit risk
Holding requirement: Maintain the qualifying investment or ownership condition throughout the Golden Residency period. The official guide does not state one universal minimum disposal date for every category.
Refundability and exit: Property, company shares and fund/deposit assets are investments, not refundable government contributions. Sale or withdrawal depends on the underlying asset or contract and may end eligibility.
- Property values, rents, developer performance, service charges and liquidity can change.
- Loan-funded and off-plan property qualify only with approved evidence and remain subject to lender/developer risk.
- Falling below the qualifying value or losing the qualifying category can affect residence.
Residence and practical rights
- Ten-year renewable residence under the current federal Golden Residency guide, subject to continuing category requirements.
- Live, work, study and invest in the UAE, subject to sector licensing and employment rules.
- Sponsor eligible family members and, in specified cases, domestic support staff.
- Residence is not UAE citizenship and does not itself grant visa-free rights beyond those attached to the holder’s passport.
Long-term residence, citizenship and tax
Renewal or permanent residence: Renewal requires the applicant to continue meeting the qualifying category and to submit current evidence, insurance and identity documents. The UAE does not convert Golden Residency into permanent residence automatically.
Citizenship path: There is no ordinary residence-to-citizenship entitlement. UAE nationality is exceptionally granted under discretionary nomination provisions; years of Golden Residency do not create a guaranteed naturalisation route.
Tax planning: Immigration status and tax residence are separate tests. Residence days, permanent-home, centre-of-interests, controlled-company, estate and source-income rules can create liabilities. Obtain cross-border tax advice before changing residence or investing.
Official sources and review method
Official sources
- UAE ICP — Golden Residency guideChecked 2026-09-20T00:00:00.000Z
- UAE ICP — Golden Residency service cardChecked 2026-09-20T00:00:00.000Z
Editorial source review
Editorially checked against the linked official sources. This is not a local-law opinion; case-specific eligibility, fees and transaction documents must be confirmed by regulated local counsel before engagement.
Reviewed 2026-09-20
Program at a glance
Public Investment
AED2 million+
Real Estate
AED2 million+
Entrepreneur Revenue
AED1 million/year
Frequently asked questions
What is the UAE Golden Residency investment threshold?
Public-investment and real-estate routes generally use an AED2 million threshold. Other Golden Residency categories apply different criteria.
Can financed property qualify?
The ICP states that property financed through approved local banks, and approved off-plan property, may qualify subject to the applicable evidence and approval.
Residency Partners
Discuss this program with our team
Request a case-specific assessment before making any investment or application decision.
Request a confidential consultation