Dubai Golden Visa Through Property Investment: 2026 Eligibility & Process
A 2026 operator's guide to the Dubai 10-year Golden Visa through property: the AED 2 million threshold, off-plan and mortgage eligibility, the application process, documents, costs, family sponsorship, and how it compares to the 2-year Investor Visa.
Key Takeaways
- The 10-year Golden Visa requires Dubai real estate with a total registered value of at least AED 2 million, met via one or multiple properties.
- The 2026 rules removed the previous AED 1 million / 50% minimum equity requirement — the qualifying figure is the property's total value, not the cash paid upfront.
- Off-plan properties qualify once an Oqood certificate is issued; mortgaged properties qualify with a bank No Objection Certificate.
- The AED 400,000 share threshold applies to the separate 2-year Property Investor Visa, not to the 10-year Golden Visa.
- Holders can sponsor family and domestic staff with no minimum UAE stay requirement, and the visa is renewable in 10-year cycles.
Who qualifies for the 10-year Golden Visa through property
The UAE's 10-year Golden Visa is a long-term residency permit granted for real-estate investment. To qualify through property, the headline test is straightforward: you must own Dubai real estate with a total registered value of at least AED 2 million. That threshold can be met with a single property or a combination of several, as long as the cumulative registered value reaches AED 2 million.
The qualifying ownership structures are:
- Single property — one villa, townhouse, or apartment valued at AED 2 million or more.
- Multiple properties — two or more units whose combined value reaches AED 2 million (for example, two AED 1 million apartments).
- Joint ownership by spouses — a married couple may combine their shares to reach the AED 2 million threshold.
- Joint ownership by non-spouses — each individual owner must hold a share worth at least AED 2 million in their own name.
The defining 2026 change is about cash, not value. The Dubai Land Department (DLD) removed the earlier requirement of at least AED 1 million in paid equity (or 50% of the property value), so the qualifying figure is now the total property value, not the cash you have handed over to the developer or bank.
Golden Visa or 2-year Investor Visa: choose the right pathway
Buyers routinely confuse the 10-year Golden Visa with the shorter 2-year Property Investor Visa. They are separate programs with different thresholds:
- 10-year Golden Visa (real estate) — AED 2 million total value; both off-plan and ready properties qualify; 10-year renewable residency.
- 2-year Property Investor Visa — for a completed, ready, sole-owned property the DLD has removed the minimum-value requirement; for joint owners each share must be worth at least AED 400,000; off-plan properties are not eligible.
If your budget sits below AED 2 million and you still want residency, the 2-year Investor Visa on a ready sole-owned property is the realistic route. If you want the 10-year permit, AED 2 million of registered value is the floor — and that is the focus of this guide.
What counts as a qualifying property
Three property situations qualify:
- Ready property — you hold a registered Title Deed issued by the DLD.
- Off-plan property — you have signed the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and the developer has registered the unit to produce an Oqood (interim title) certificate. You do not need to wait for construction to finish, and you do not need to have paid the full AED 2 million in cash.
- Mortgaged property — eligible, but the lending bank must issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) confirming it does not object to your visa application.
Both residential and commercial freehold property in Dubai's designated investment zones can count toward the threshold.
Step-by-step 2026 application process
- Buy and register the property. Sign the SPA and obtain either a Title Deed (ready) or an Oqood certificate (off-plan). Confirm the registered value reflects at least AED 2 million.
- Compile your documents (see the checklist below).
- Submit at the DLD Cube Center or online. The Cube Center, located at the DLD headquarters, is the dedicated unit for property-based visas. You can also file through the ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) portal.
- Complete the medical fitness test. Attend the required screening at an approved UAE health centre.
- Approval and visa stamping. Once approved, the 10-year residency is issued and you receive a Golden Emirates ID.
- Sponsor your dependants. After your own visa is granted, sponsor your spouse, children, and domestic workers.
From a complete and correct submission, the end-to-end process typically takes in the region of 7 to 10 working days.
Documents you'll need
- Valid passport copy
- Passport-size photograph (white background)
- Registered Title Deed or Oqood certificate
- Signed SPA / proof of purchase value
- Bank No Objection Certificate (only if the property is mortgaged)
- Existing Emirates ID and visa (if you already hold UAE residency)
- Marriage certificate (if combining spouse shares or sponsoring a spouse)
Costs and timeline
Several fees apply during the process: the Golden Visa application fee, the Emirates ID issuance fee, and the medical fitness test fee. Fee amounts are set by the DLD and ICP and can change, so verify the current figures on the official ICP or DLD portals before applying rather than relying on third-party quotes. Budget for a complete, correct first submission to avoid reprocessing delays.
Sponsoring your family
A major benefit of the property Golden Visa is dependant sponsorship. Holders may sponsor a spouse and children, and there is no minimum stay requirement to keep the visa valid — you are not required to live in the UAE full-time. The residency is renewable in 10-year cycles, subject to you retaining the qualifying property.
What happens if you sell the property
The Golden Visa is tied to maintaining the qualifying investment. If you dispose of the property and do not replace it with another qualifying asset, the residency basis falls away at renewal. Plan any exit around this: sell and reinvest, or accept that the permit will not renew.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing up the two visas. Assuming an AED 400,000 share qualifies for the 10-year permit — it qualifies for the 2-year Investor Visa, not the Golden Visa.
- Applying before registration. An SPA alone, without an Oqood or Title Deed, is not sufficient.
- Forgetting the bank NOC. A mortgaged property will stall at submission without the lender's no-objection letter.
- Under-declaring value. The registered value must genuinely reach AED 2 million.
- Treating it as permanent. The permit is renewable, not permanent — diarise the 10-year cycle.
Where AED 2 million reaches in 2026
To put the threshold in context, AED 2 million buys meaningful entry points across Dubai's most liquid markets. Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) is the emirate's most actively traded community, with reported gross rental yields in the 7–9% range and price points that let buyers combine two units to qualify. Business Bay recorded roughly 6,600 transactions worth about AED 22.5 billion in the first half of 2025, anchoring the high-rise end of the market. Dubai Marina consistently accounts for a large share of emirate-wide sales, offering established waterfront liquidity. These figures illustrate where the qualifying budget can be deployed — actual pricing and demand should be checked at the project and unit level.
What to verify before you act
Before committing, verify the current property price, the registered value that will appear on the Title Deed or Oqood, prevailing rental demand and service charges, payment-plan terms, and exit liquidity for the specific unit. Residency rules and DLD/ICP fees can change, so confirm thresholds and costs on the official DLD and ICP portals. Market-level guidance helps you shortlist; final due diligence happens at the project, building, and unit level.