UAE Golden Visa: Who Needs It and How to Get One?

The Golden Visa is a great option for those planning to move to the UAE long-term or build their future here. This document allows you to live, do business, and study in the country for 10 years. Here’s everything you need to know — who qualifies, how to apply, and the costs involved.

Dubai offers several types of visas. The main ones include tourist, work, freelancer, student, family, retirement, and investor visas. In this article, we’ll focus only on investor visas and explore the key advantages of the Golden Visa over other options. There are two main differences that make it stand out:

There are additional benefits to the Golden Visa — it provides access to special medical insurance programs, makes it easier to obtain a driver’s license, and simplifies the process of opening a bank account.

Since June 2024, the UAE has simplified the criteria for obtaining a Golden Visa through property investment. Previously, the minimum investment threshold remained the same — 2 million AED. However, applicants could only submit their documents after paying at least 1 million AED ($272 000).

Now, the process is even easier — the minimum payment threshold for applying for a Golden Visa has been removed. After finalizing the purchase, you can immediately submit your application for the Golden Visa.

It does not matter whether you buy the property with a mortgage or make a full payment. The main requirement is that the property’s value is at least 2 million AED ($550 000). The key point is: To apply for a Golden Visa, you only need to finalize a property purchase that meets the required amount.

At Inside, we specialize in fast Golden Visa processing. Our recent record? We secured a Golden Visa for a client in just 8 business days. The client already had a valid Dubai visa, but of a different type.

His fingerprints were already in the system, which sped up the process. If you don’t have active residency, the process may take a bit longer. For example, we recently helped a client obtain a Golden Visa in just 10 business days. In such cases, biometrics are required, but we offer an express service to speed up the process if needed.

When canceling a previous visa, the timeline depends on its type. If it’s a 2-year investor visa, we can handle the cancellation process ourselves. If it’s a work visa issued by an employer, the employer must cancel it, and the processing time will depend on them.

An interesting case from our experience. A client came to us — he planned to get a Golden Visa and open a bank account, and he wanted to do it as quickly as possible. He arrived on Sunday, and by Monday, we had already started working. On Tuesday, he went to another emirate to do the expedited biometrics. When selecting expedited biometrics, we track available time slots on the government portal to find an opportunity for the client to get the service quickly. Without waiting for the ID, we started the bank account process. If you go to the bank on your own, an ID is required, but we have the ability to start the process based on the visa application. By Saturday, the client had already received his electronic visa and card.

Another story — how we obtained visas for a large family. First, both spouses received their Golden Visas (reminder: for this setup, each spouse must own property worth at least $550 000). One spouse sponsored their children, while the other sponsored their parents. In 8 business days, the parents received their Golden Visas, and the children — without needing a medical exam or biometrics (which they simply didn’t require) — received theirs in another 5 days.

Before submitting your application, our service department pre-checks your property to confirm it meets the Golden Visa requirements. This helps avoid rejections and speeds up the process.

We help you get a Golden Visa. With us, the process is easier — we have extensive experience in visa applications and know all the potential pitfalls. There are two packages, which include 10-year residency confirmation, Emirates ID processing, all fees, and other expenses (except for medical insurance):

For those who already have an active visa in the UAE, the price will be different, as it includes the cost of canceling the existing visa — starting from $4 356.

We will support you at every stage of the Golden Visa application process in Dubai. Our specialist will keep you updated on the status and accompany you to all meetings with government authorities. We’ll ensure a smooth process and minimize stress.

Contact us so we can assist you in getting your Golden Visa.