UAE Golden Visa Minimum Investment Requirements

There are two property-backed residency routes and they are frequently conflated. AED 2,000,000 of freehold property gives the 10-year renewable Golden Visa. AED 750,000 gives a 2-year renewable investor residency — real residency, Emirates ID and banking access, but a shorter cycle and a narrower family scope.

Both are valued on the registered title amount held by the Dubai Land Department. A property bought at AED 1.9M does not become eligible because the market moved; the DLD works from the transaction and the paid value on record.

You can aggregate. Three apartments at AED 700,000 each reach AED 2.1M and qualify, provided every title is in the same individual's name and each property is in a designated freehold area. Mixed ownership — one unit in your name, one in a spouse's — does not aggregate for a single applicant.

Aggregation is also how investors keep yield high while unlocking residency: three smaller units in mid-market districts usually out-yield one AED 2M apartment, which is the trade-off our best areas to invest in Dubai chapter works through.

Off-plan counts. The test is the value registered and paid to the developer through the RERA escrow account, evidenced by an Oqood registration or an issued title deed. In practice this means investors on a 20/55/25 plan usually qualify once cumulative payments plus registered value satisfy the DLD, not on day one of a small down payment.

Mortgaged property also qualifies, subject to a bank no-objection certificate and a minimum paid-in equity position. That mechanic has its own chapter: can you get the Golden Visa with a mortgage.

Budget separately from the asset. Expect roughly AED 2,800–4,000 for the DLD property valuation certificate, AED 3,800–5,000 for the visa issuance and Emirates ID, medical and biometrics of a few hundred dirhams, and typing, translation and status-change fees on top. Most single-applicant files land at AED 12,000–20,000.

Add each dependent separately — usually AED 5,000–7,500 per family member. Nothing in this list is a fee Metrolux charges; they are government and service costs you pay regardless of who advises you.

Passport with at least six months' validity, current UAE entry or residency status, the DLD title deed or Oqood, a DLD-issued property valuation certificate, Emirates ID if you already hold one, passport photo to ICP specification, and mortgage NOC where applicable.

Files are rejected far more often for stale valuation certificates and mismatched name spellings across documents than for genuine ineligibility. Get the spellings identical across title deed, passport and application before submission.