UAE Golden Visa via property: step-by-step application guide [+31 (0)85 080 66 18](tel:+31850806618) [DubaiReal EstateCompany](/)[Projects](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/projects)[Buy](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/buying-property-in-dubai)[Sell](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/selling-property-in-dubai)[Services](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/services)[About us](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/team)[Blog](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/blog)[FAQ](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/faq)[Contact](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/contact)[+31 (0)85 080 66 18](tel:+31850806618)Book a call[EN](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/guides/uae-golden-visa-through-property-investment)[NL](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/nl/guides/uae-golden-visa-through-property-investment)[](tel:+31850806618)[EN](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/guides/uae-golden-visa-through-property-investment)[NL](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/nl/guides/uae-golden-visa-through-property-investment)Menu DubaiReal EstateCompanyClose [Projects](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/projects)[Buy](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/buying-property-in-dubai)[Sell](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/selling-property-in-dubai)[Services](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/services)[About us](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/team)[Blog](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/blog)[FAQ](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/faq)[Contact](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/contact)Book a call[+31 (0)85 080 66 18](tel:+31850806618)[EN](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/guides/uae-golden-visa-through-property-investment)[NL](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/nl/guides/uae-golden-visa-through-property-investment) [Home](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/)›[Dubai Property Guides](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/guides)›How to get the UAE Golden Visa through property investmentHow to get the UAE Golden Visa through property investment ========================================================== [By Indra Manniesing](https://dubairealestatecompany.com/team/indra-manniesing) · Published on 18 April 2026 Reviewed by Ganesh Jhinkoe-Rai, CEO Dutch Construction Company The property route is the most popular path to the UAE's ten-year Golden Visa, and for Dutch investors it is usually the simplest one: buy real estate worth AED 2 million or more, register it correctly with the Dubai Land Department, and the residence permit follows within weeks. This guide covers what qualifies, what the whole package costs, how the application runs step by step, and what the visa does — and does not — mean for your Dutch tax position. What the Golden Visa is ----------------------- The Golden Visa is a ten-year, renewable UAE residence permit that does not depend on an employer, a local sponsor or a company setup. The official framework is published on the [UAE government portal](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/residence-visas/golden-visa); the property category sits alongside routes for entrepreneurs, scientists and outstanding students. The shorter investor visas Dubai used to issue — including the old two- and three-year property permits at lower thresholds — have been retired or folded into this system, so for property buyers the ten-year visa at AED 2 million is now the standard route. Two things the visa is not. It is not citizenship, and it does not by itself change your tax residency. What it gives you is the right to live, bank and enrol your children in the UAE for ten years, renewable for as long as you keep qualifying. The qualifying rule in detail ----------------------------- You qualify with real estate worth **AED 2 million** or more (± €500.000). The valuation follows the purchase value registered with the [Dubai Land Department](https://dubailand.gov.ae) — not an appraisal and not today's market price. You can reach the threshold with: - **a single property or several properties combined**, as long as the registered values add up to AED 2 million and all titles are in your name; - **off-plan purchases from approved developers**, registered on an Oqood (the DLD's pre-completion title), once the registered value reaches AED 2 million; - **mortgaged property**, provided the DLD-certified valuation reaches AED 2 million and your bank issues a no-objection certificate — since February 2026 how much you have paid in no longer decides it; - **joint ownership with a spouse**, where your combined qualifying share reaches AED 2 million — bring an attested marriage certificate. Three practical notes. First, only the DLD-registered value counts: furniture packages, post-handover incentives or "guaranteed returns" folded into the headline price do nothing for the visa file. Second, the property must be residential or otherwise registrable in your personal name; units held through most company structures do not qualify. Third, hitting the threshold is not exotic — registry data on [DXB Interact](https://dxbinteract.com) shows tens of thousands of Dubai transactions clear AED 2 million every year, so plenty of ordinary two-bedroom apartments in good areas qualify on their own. Off-plan purchases and payment plans ------------------------------------ Off-plan qualifies, which matters because most Dutch clients buy off-plan anyway. The purchase is registered on an Oqood at the DLD, and that registration — plus proof of what you have paid the developer — forms the basis of the visa file. The February 2026 circular removed the minimum paid-in requirement for off-plan cases too, so instalments paid to date no longer gate the application — the DLD-certified valuation does. This has moved more than once, so we confirm the current position before filing rather than relying on a figure that may have shifted again. This interacts nicely with payment plans. A typical 60/40 plan on an AED 2 million unit used to mean waiting through a chunk of the schedule before the visa file was viable. Since February 2026 it doesn't: if the registered value clears AED 2 million, you can apply early in the plan. If your unit is priced just under the threshold, combining it with a second, smaller unit is often the cleaner fix — the DLD adds registered values across titles. Mortgaged property ------------------ A mortgage does not disqualify you, and since February 2026 it does not delay you either. A federal circular retired the old rule that you had to have paid in 50% of the value, or AED 1 million, before applying; what counts now is the DLD-certified valuation on the day you file. Buy at AED 2.2 million with 50% financing and you qualify straight away, where a year earlier you would have been told to wait. You still need a no-objection certificate from your UAE-licensed bank, confirming the mortgage is current and that it does not object to a residence visa being issued against the property. One wrinkle worth knowing in advance: ICP's own service card still carries the older wording that the property must be "without loans". Federal product copy lags the circular, and for property investors the file runs through the Dubai Land Department first — so don't be alarmed if the federal portal reads stricter than your case actually is. Documents you will need ----------------------- - Passport, valid for at least six more months, plus passport photos - Title deed(s) or Oqood from the Dubai Land Department - For mortgaged property: a bank NOC confirming the mortgage is current and that the bank does not object to the visa - For joint ownership with a spouse: an attested marriage certificate - A health insurance policy valid in the UAE - Your current visa or entry stamp if you are in the country Dutch documents (marriage certificate, birth certificates for children you sponsor) need legalisation and certified translation. Start that in the Netherlands before you fly — it is the slowest item in the file. The application, step by step ----------------------------- The property route runs through the DLD first, then the immigration side (GDRFA in Dubai, with the federal ICP handling the Emirates ID): 1. **DLD verification.** The Land Department verifies that your registered ownership meets the threshold — via its Cube/Taskeen service desk or an approved channel — and issues its approval. This is where the off-plan registration and mortgage NOCs are checked. 2. **Medical test.** You take a medical fitness test at an approved centre: a blood test and a chest X-ray, done the same day, results usually within 24–48 hours. 3. **Biometrics.** You give fingerprints and have your photo taken at an ICP service centre for the Emirates ID. 4. **Issuance.** The ten-year residence visa is issued digitally; the Emirates ID follows by courier. If you held a previous UAE visa, it is cancelled and replaced in the same flow. With your documents ready, the whole process usually takes **two to four weeks**. The DLD approval is typically the longest single step; the medical and biometrics are same-day errands. What it costs: a worked example ------------------------------- Assume an AED 2,000,000 off-plan purchase in Dubai and one applicant. Figures are current approximations — government fees change, and exchange rates move — but the shape of the outlay is stable: ItemAmount (AED)NotesPurchase price (off-plan)2,000,000DLD-registered valueDLD registration fee (4%)80,000Due on Oqood registration; sometimes split with the developerOqood / admin fees~3,000Registration and trustee admin, varies by developerGolden Visa file & DLD approval~4,000Cube/Taskeen processingVisa issuance & status change~3,000Higher if you convert an existing visa in-countryMedical fitness test~700Standard track; express costs moreEmirates ID (10 years)~1,150Federal ICP feeHealth insurance1,500–4,000 / yearBasic individual plan; family plans cost more**Total one-off (excl. insurance)****≈ 2,092,000**Roughly AED 92,000 (~€23,000) on top of the priceBudget the 4% DLD fee as the dominant extra cost; everything visa-specific together is under AED 10,000 per applicant. Each sponsored family member adds their own visa, medical and Emirates ID fees — plan on roughly AED 4,000–5,000 per person. What the visa gets you ---------------------- - **Ten years of residency**, renewable, with no employer or local sponsor involved. - **No minimum stay requirement.** Unlike most residence permits worldwide — and unlike ordinary UAE work visas, which lapse after six months abroad — the Golden Visa does not expire because you stayed away. - **Family sponsorship** for the full ten years (details below). - **Banking.** A residence visa plus Emirates ID unlocks resident bank accounts, better mortgage terms and normal day-to-day banking that non-residents struggle to get. - **Daily life infrastructure**: a UAE driving licence, utility contracts, telecom plans and school enrolment for your children all key off the Emirates ID. - **Optionality.** Many of our clients hold the visa for years before moving; it is a ten-year option on relocating, secured by an asset you wanted to own anyway. Family sponsorship ------------------ Golden Visa holders sponsor their spouse and children — sons up to 25, daughters as long as they are unmarried, and no age limit for children with disabilities — and can sponsor domestic staff too. Family visas run for the same ten years as the sponsor's, and they survive events that would break an ordinary dependant visa, such as the sponsor changing circumstances mid-term. Keeping and renewing the visa ----------------------------- The visa stays valid as long as you hold qualifying property. There is no minimum stay requirement. Sell below the threshold and the visa lapses at renewal — not the day of the sale, but you should treat a sale and a replacement purchase as one planned transaction if you want continuity. Renewal after ten years is a re-verification against the criteria in force at that time: if your registered holdings still meet the threshold, the visa renews. The Dutch angle: tax and registration ------------------------------------- This is where most Dutch buyers need precision, so here it is plainly: - **A Golden Visa is a residence permit, not tax emigration.** If you keep living in the Netherlands, you remain a Dutch tax resident and your Dubai property sits in **box 3** like any other foreign asset (with relief under the NL–UAE arrangements where applicable). - **Dutch tax residency turns on facts, not the visa**: where your home, family and economic life are. Deregistering from the BRP is a necessary step when you actually move, but deregistration alone does not settle the question, and the 183-day yardstick is only one input — the Dutch tax authority weighs the whole picture. - **If you do move**, the combination of genuine relocation, BRP deregistration and UAE residency can take your assets out of box 3 entirely. The stakes are large and the facts are personal, so have a cross-border tax advisor review your situation before you act on it. We can introduce you to advisors who handle NL–UAE cases weekly. Frequently asked questions -------------------------- ### Does off-plan property count towards the AED 2 million? Yes. The purchase must be registered on an Oqood with the DLD, and since February 2026 what counts is the DLD-certified value reaching AED 2 million rather than how much you have paid in. On typical payment plans you can qualify early in the schedule. ### Can I combine two properties to reach the threshold? Yes. The DLD adds the registered values of multiple titles held in your name. Two AED 1 million apartments qualify the same way one AED 2 million apartment does. A jointly owned property with your spouse also counts through your combined share. ### Can my family get visas too? Yes. You sponsor your spouse, sons up to 25, unmarried daughters without age limit, and children with disabilities without age limit. Their visas run the same ten years as yours. Each family member adds roughly AED 4,000–5,000 in fees. ### What happens if I sell the property? The visa is tied to holding qualifying property. Sell below AED 2 million without replacing it and the visa lapses at renewal. If you are trading up or rebalancing, sequence the sale and the new purchase so your registered holdings never drop below the threshold. ### How long does the application take? Two to four weeks with a complete file. The DLD approval is the longest step; the medical test and biometrics are same-day. Legalising Dutch documents beforehand is what actually determines your calendar. ### Does the Golden Visa make me a tax resident of the UAE instead of the Netherlands? Not by itself. Tax residency follows your actual life — home, family, economic ties — not your visa. If you stay in the Netherlands, the property is a box 3 asset. If you genuinely relocate, the picture changes materially; take advice from a cross-border tax specialist before deciding. How we help ----------- We structure purchases so they qualify cleanly — including combined, mortgaged and off-plan cases — prepare the document file, coordinate the DLD and GDRFA steps and handle the application from start to finish. You sign, test and collect; we do the rest. *Want to know whether your planned purchase qualifies? [Contact us](/contact). The check takes a day.* Ready for the next step? 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