Can you get a UAE Golden Visa by buying property in Dubai?

Yes. Property bought in Dubai for AED 2 million or more qualifies you for the UAE Golden Visa, a renewable ten-year residence permit (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026; GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026). One or several wholly owned units count, off-plan from an approved developer counts, and a mortgaged unit counts with a bank letter. A sole owner of property of any value can take a two-year investor visa instead (Dubai Land Department, Taskeen, 3 Sep 2026).

Key facts

• Validity: ten years, extendable if the same conditions are still met (GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026).
• Cost through the Land Department: AED 9,884.75 for the principal applicant, AED 5,774.50 per family member, 7 to 10 business days (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026).
• Two-year alternative: no minimum value for a sole owner, AED 400,000 per co-owner, AED 10,212.50 (Dubai Land Department, Taskeen, 3 Sep 2026; AGBI, 30 Apr 2026).

How much property do you need, and what counts?

The purchase value at the time of purchase governs, across one property or several, each wholly owned by the applicant (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026). The GDRFA, which issues the permit, accepts all property types and certifies the total through a Land Department property status statement (GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026). The legal basis is Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022, and the sequence is purchase, title deed, application, medical, Emirates ID, then visa (Khaleej Times, 1 Jun 2025).

Does off-plan or mortgaged property qualify?

Both do. One or more off-plan properties worth at least AED 2 million from an approved developer qualify (Khaleej Times, 27 Jul 2025), under Annex Article 8 of the resolution (Khaleej Times, 1 Jun 2025).

A mortgaged property is accepted with a bank letter confirming the amount paid and the balance outstanding, and the Land Department states no minimum paid-up amount (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026; GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026). The earlier condition, a down payment of AED 1 million or 50 per cent, no longer applies (Khaleej Times, 23 Oct 2025). The resolution refers to financing from a local bank (Khaleej Times, 1 Jun 2025), so confirm with the GDRFA before relying on a lender outside the UAE.

Can you qualify through jointly owned property?

Only if your own share is worth at least AED 2 million (GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026). A couple who buy an AED 3 million villa in equal shares do not each qualify.

What does it cost and how long does it take?

The Land Department's package, at its Cube in Al Manara Centre or the Golden Cube in Dubai World Trade Centre, takes 7 to 10 business days; you must be inside the UAE (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026).

Source: Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026.

You bring your passport, the electronic title deed, a photograph, and your Emirates ID and residence permit if you hold them (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026). Applicants aged 18 and over take a medical fitness test, and health insurance is required (Khaleej Times, 27 Jul 2025).

Direct to the GDRFA, the permit costs AED 1,100 plus fixed fees of AED 10, AED 10, AED 500 and AED 20, and AED 100 for each year beyond two; it takes 5 days, and a lien is registered on the property for the validity of the residency (GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026). From abroad, the ICP issues an entry permit to owners of fully owned property of at least AED 2,000,000 in two days, for three fees of AED 100 (ICP, 11 Dec 2024).

For Davies+Harrison clients, the title deed and documents live in D+H Invest, our private investor platform, alongside payments, handover progress and portfolio updates; your adviser is a message away.

Who can you sponsor?

Spouse, children and parents, at AED 5,774.50 each through the Land Department (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026). Children may be sponsored regardless of age (Khaleej Times, 17 Aug 2025). The holder needs no sponsor of their own (u.ae, 28 Jul 2026) and must be able to support themselves and their family (GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026).

Do you have to live in Dubai, and can you work?

No, and yes. Golden Visa holders may stay outside the UAE for longer than the usual six months (u.ae, 28 Jul 2026). The permit does not depend on a job: losing one does not cancel it (Khaleej Times, 26 Jan 2023), and a holder who takes up employment has the work permit reissued under the golden residency (Khaleej Times, 14 Jun 2026).

Is there a cheaper route? The two-year investor visa

Since 29 April 2026 the two-year investor residence, known as Taskeen, has had no minimum property value for a sole owner; each co-owner's share must be at least AED 400,000 (Dubai Land Department, Taskeen, 3 Sep 2026; IMI Daily, 17 May 2026). The previous AED 750,000 minimum, quoted in an earlier version of this article, was removed; the Golden Visa stayed at AED 2 million (AGBI, 30 Apr 2026).

Sources: Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026; Dubai Land Department, Taskeen, 3 Sep 2026; GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026.

Taskeen also asks for a Good Conduct Certificate and the electronic title deed (Dubai Land Department, Taskeen, 3 Sep 2026).

Does a residence visa make you a UAE tax resident?

Not by itself. Cabinet Decision No. 85 of 2022, in force from 1 March 2023, sets three tests: your usual or primary residence and centre of financial and personal interests are in the UAE; 183 days or more there in any 12 consecutive months; or 90 days or more with a valid residence permit and a permanent home, employment or business in the UAE (Federal Tax Authority, Cabinet Decision 85 of 2022). Part of a day counts as a day (Ministry of Finance, 2 Mar 2023). The Golden Visa supplies the permit for the 90-day test, not the days or the home.

A Tax Residency Certificate is issued on application: AED 550 for a natural person, AED 250 more for a hard copy, electronically within 10 business days; the 183-day route needs an Emirates ID or a passport with an entry and exit report (Federal Tax Authority, Issuance of Tax Certificates).

What happens if you sell the property?

The lien secures the property for the validity of the residency, and renewal depends on the same conditions still being met (GDRFA, 8 Sep 2026). Selling the qualifying asset removes the basis of the permit unless other property you hold meets the AED 2 million test. No official page we have read states a grace period after a sale; we would not assume one.

Our view

In our experience the visa is a consequence of a sound purchase, not a reason for one. A unit chosen for its location, developer and payment plan tends to clear AED 2 million comfortably in the districts our clients favour; a unit chosen to hit the threshold rarely ages as well.

We advise four things. Hold title in the applicant's sole name where a spouse's half share would fall below AED 2 million. Keep the bank letter and electronic title deed current. Take the tax residency decision separately, with an adviser in each country concerned. Where residence matters more than a ten-year horizon, the two-year route is often the better first step.

Davies+Harrison is DAH Real Estate Brokerage L.L.C., RERA ORN 53447.