The Golden Visa through property in Dubai

The AED 2 million threshold

The rule is a value, not a number of homes. Property worth at least AED 2 million makes a property investor in Dubai eligible to apply for a Golden Visa. One home at AED 2 million qualifies, and so do two homes worth AED 1 million each.

The Dubai Land Department and GDRFA Dubai describe the visa as ten years and renewable. The federal government portal shows a different term for property investors. The sources do not agree, so confirm the term with GDRFA when you apply rather than planning around either figure.

• Minimum value: AED 2 million, in one property or several
• Term: ten years, renewable, according to DLD and GDRFA Dubai
• Mortgaged property: qualifies with a no-objection letter from the lending bank
• Jointly owned property: counts only when the applicant's own share is worth AED 2 million or more
• Off-plan property: not addressed on the official pages

Homes with a mortgage

You do not need to own the home outright. The Dubai Land Department accepts a mortgaged property with a no-objection letter from the lending bank.

Ask the bank for the letter before you apply, since the application needs it. If you are still choosing a lender, raise the letter with the bank at the start so it is not a surprise later. How mortgages work in Dubai covers the loan itself.

Homes owned with someone else

If you co-own a home, GDRFA Dubai counts only your own share, and that share must itself be worth AED 2 million or more. A couple who own a home worth AED 3 million in equal halves each hold AED 1.5 million, so neither qualifies on that home alone.

On the published rule, a co-owner qualifies when their own share reaches AED 2 million, whatever the other shares are worth. Two people who hold a home worth AED 4 million in equal halves each hold AED 2 million, so each meets the threshold on that home. Decide how a home will be held before the transfer, because the title deed records the shares.

The threshold is the same whether you buy with cash or with a mortgage. What changes is the paperwork: a mortgaged home needs the bank's letter, and a co-owned home needs your share to reach the line on its own.

Off-plan homes

Neither the Dubai Land Department's service page nor GDRFA Dubai's says whether an off-plan home counts towards the threshold. Off-plan is where an answer would matter most, since instalments are paid over years before a title deed exists.

Do not rely on an off-plan purchase for the visa until GDRFA confirms the position in writing. Buying off-plan in Dubai covers the purchase itself.

Below AED 2 million: the two-year investor visa

For property under the threshold, the Dubai Land Department's service page lists a two-year investor residence visa. A sole owner qualifies with a property of any value. A joint owner needs a share worth at least AED 400,000.

Both services have been run by the Dubai Land Department for property owners, and the fees above are the ones DLD lists. They may change when the services move to GDRFA Dubai.

The investor visa fee DLD lists, AED 10,212.50, is higher than the Golden Visa fee it lists for the main applicant, AED 9,884.75. The fee is not what separates the two routes. The property value and the term are.

The purchase behind the visa

The visa follows the property, so the purchase comes first and runs as any other does. You can buy freehold in Dubai's designated freehold areas whatever your nationality, and you do not need a residence visa to buy. How to buy a home in Dubai sets out each step.

• The fees. On a ready home at AED 2,000,000 bought with cash, the fees are about AED 131,720: the 4% DLD transfer fee, AED 520 in title deed fees, the trustee fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT, the customary 2% agency fee plus VAT and the developer's NOC. The buying costs calculator runs any price
• The title deed. It is issued in your name at the registration trustee and records your share of the home. It is the document that shows what you own
• A mortgage. An expatriate may borrow up to 80% of a first home worth AED 5 million or less, and the home still qualifies with the bank's no-objection letter
• Several homes. The threshold can be met across more than one property, so two smaller homes can add up to it

Buying off-plan to reach the threshold is the one route the official pages do not confirm. Treat it as open until GDRFA answers in writing.

Where to apply and what it costs

The Dubai Land Department has handled the Golden Visa and the investor visa for property owners, and lists the Golden Visa fee for the main applicant as AED 9,884.75. In April 2026 GDRFA Dubai and DLD agreed to move property residency services into GDRFA Dubai's system.

Because the channel is changing, check three things before you apply: where to submit the application, which documents it needs, and the fee on the day.

Enesco does not give immigration advice. Decisions on visas rest with the UAE authorities. Confirm every requirement with GDRFA Dubai before you buy with the visa in mind.

If the visa is part of why you are buying

1. Fix the value, not the count.Add up the homes you will own. The total must reach AED 2 million, counting only your own share of any co-owned home.
2. Check the term with GDRFA.The official pages disagree on it. Ask before you plan around ten years.
3. Ask the bank for its letter.A mortgaged home needs a no-objection letter from the lender.
4. Treat off-plan as unconfirmed.The official pages are silent. Get a written answer first.
5. Confirm the channel and the fee.The services are moving from DLD to GDRFA Dubai, and the published fees may change with them.

What Enesco does for you here: when you tell us the visa matters, we search within the threshold, show the value of your share on any co-owned home, and point you to the published DLD and GDRFA rules. The application itself is yours to make with GDRFA Dubai.

Questions buyers ask