A Dubai investor visa comes in two common forms. The two-year partner visa is for people who own a share of a Dubai company, and it depends on that company staying active. The ten-year Golden Visa suits larger investors, for example owners of property worth AED 2 million or more, and it doesn't depend on a company.
The two-year partner visa
This is the route most business owners start with. You become a shareholder in a UAE company, the company holds a valid license and an office, and the company sponsors your residence. Our investor visa page covers the application, but the logic is simple: no company, no visa. If the license lapses or the tenancy ends, your residence is at risk with it.
The visa is valid for two years and renewable. You need the company papers, a medical fitness test, Emirates ID biometrics and valid health insurance, which Dubai requires for residents. At the time of writing, government and typing costs for one partner visa commonly come to around AED 4,000 to 6,000, and the number of visas your company can sponsor depends on its office size and license type.
What it doesn't do is make you a passive investor. The company needs a real business, a real address and, eventually, real accounts, because corporate tax and VAT rules apply to it like any other.
The ten-year Golden Visa
The Golden Visa is residence you hold in your own right. For property investors, the usual route is owning Dubai property worth at least AED 2 million, which can be a combination of properties, and each joint owner's share has to reach that figure individually. Mortgaged and developer-financed properties can qualify, with extra documents such as a bank letter or payment statement. There are other routes too, including company investors and entrepreneurs, each with its own threshold and approval. We confirm which one fits before quoting, because the rules have been revised several times.
The benefits are real. Ten years of residence, family sponsorship that typically includes spouse, children and domestic staff, and, as we understand the rule at the time of writing, no automatic cancellation for spending long periods outside the UAE. Government fees are around AED 10,000 at the time of writing. If you want to see the requirements laid out, our Golden Visa page goes through them.
How to choose between them
Here's how we usually talk it through. If you're starting or buying into a company and your plan is to run it, the partner visa is cheaper and quicker, and for the first two years it's often all you need. If you're investing capital rather than running something day to day, or you want residence that survives a business closing, the Golden Visa is worth the larger commitment.
What we don't recommend is buying property purely to get a visa. We've met people who bought first and read the conditions afterwards. Whether the property is completed and registered, how it's financed, and whose name is on the title all affect the application, and a property visa on its own doesn't give you the right to work. Check before you pay a deposit, not after.
Mistakes we see after the visa is issued
The first is treating the partner visa as a one-off. Every two years it needs renewing, and the company has to be in good standing when you do: license valid, tenancy valid, accounts in order. We diarise renewals sixty days ahead for our clients because an expired license quietly drags the visa down with it.
The second is assuming the visa and the right to work are the same thing. A partner who runs the company is fine. A property investor who wants to take a job needs a work permit on top. The third is changing the shareholding without telling anyone. Selling your share, or letting a partner buy you out, can end the basis for the visa the day the change is registered, so talk to us before you sign anything.
The paperwork to prepare
For the partner visa: passport with at least six months' validity, passport photo, the company license, the memorandum showing your share, the tenancy contract, the establishment card and, for the medical, an appointment at an approved centre. For the Golden Visa through property: the title deed, a valuation certificate where required, any mortgage or developer letters, passport, photo and health insurance. In both cases, anything not in English or Arabic needs a certified translation, and attestation of foreign documents takes longer than people plan for.
Common questions
Can I get a Golden Visa by buying a property worth AED 2 million?
Generally yes, if the property is in your name and meets the registration conditions. Mortgaged or developer-financed property can qualify with extra documents. Rules for off-plan properties and for joint owners are stricter, so confirm before you pay.
Can my family join me on a partner visa?
Usually yes. Once you hold residence you can apply to sponsor your spouse and children, subject to income and housing conditions. Golden Visa holders can typically also sponsor parents and domestic staff under specific conditions.
Do I have to live in the UAE to keep the visa?
A standard two-year residence visa can be cancelled if you stay outside the UAE for more than six months. As we understand it at the time of writing, Golden Visa holders aren't subject to that rule, but check the current position before relying on it.