Owning at least AED 2 million of Dubai property gives you the right to apply for a renewable 10-year residency. How the threshold is measured and what remote buyers should plan for.
The Golden Visa is a renewable 10-year residence permit granted by the United Arab Emirates to investors who meet defined criteria. Through real estate, the threshold is at least AED 2 million.
It is usually the second question of any conversation, arriving once the apartment itself has been discussed. For many families it changes the frame: what began as an investment decision turns into a decision about where they want a base.
How is the AED 2 million threshold measured?
The threshold is met when one property, or several combined, reaches a total value of at least AED 2 million, measured against the value the Dubai Land Department (DLD) recognises. You either clear it with a single unit or assemble a few that add up to it.
Do off-plan and mortgaged properties count?
Under the general framework, ready property counts, off-plan property can count in certain conditions, and mortgaged property can also qualify. Those conditions are revised from time to time, so the current rules have to be confirmed before an application goes in. I handle that confirmation as part of the process, and I would rather set out the framework accurately than promise an outcome.
What it changes in practice
Its most tangible effect is that it lets you plan in years instead of renewal cycles. With a residency valid for a decade, school places, bank accounts and any eventual move can be discussed once instead of annually.
- A long, renewable residency in place of the constant renewal cycle of short visas.
- A spouse and children can hold dependant residency under the applicable conditions.
- A more forgiving presence requirement than many shorter visas, which matters when you live mainly in Europe.
- A steadier footing for banking, school enrolment and long-range planning.
The sequence for a remote buyer
The process runs in four steps and only the last of them needs you in Dubai. Everything else happens from where you live, and I plan the biometrics visit so that a single short trip covers it.
- Buy the qualifying property or properties and register the title deed in your name.
- Assemble the paperwork, including the official value and the title deed.
- Submit the application. Once it is approved, one trip to Dubai is normally needed for identity, biometrics and the medical check.
- Add your spouse and children as dependants.
What do people most often get wrong?
Two things come up repeatedly. Selling the property does not leave the residency untouched, because the ownership condition it rests on is expected to be maintained. And the threshold is measured on the property value the DLD recognises; the rent it produces does not enter the calculation. I am Ecem Reyhan, and after two years working in Dubai I have found that setting both out early keeps the application stage calm.
Frequently asked questions
Which value is the Golden Visa threshold measured against?
It is measured against the property value the Dubai Land Department recognises, and that value has to reach at least AED 2 million. The threshold can be met with a single property or with several whose combined value reaches it. The rent a property generates does not enter the calculation.
Do off-plan or mortgaged properties count?
Under the general framework, off-plan property can count in certain conditions and mortgaged property can qualify as well. The rules are updated periodically, so the current conditions should be confirmed before an application is filed. I check them as part of the process, so the file is never built on an assumption that has since changed.
Is the Golden Visa the same as citizenship?
No. It is a renewable 10-year residence permit and carries no citizenship or passport rights. It renews while the qualifying conditions are maintained and can cover a spouse and children as dependants. Because the permit rests on ownership, selling the property affects whether the residency continues, so timing matters.
