How to get a Golden Visa in the UAE: step-by-step application

1. Run the ICP eligibility check. ICP's Smart Services has a free "Check Your Eligibility" tool linked from its Golden Residency Guide. It tells you which category and documents apply.
2. Match the category requirements. The headline thresholds on ICP's guide: AED 2,000,000 for investors (bank deposit, company capital or property, with a loan allowed only for property from an approved local bank); AED 1,000,000 annual revenue or a AED 7,000,000 exit for entrepreneurs; a salary of at least AED 30,000, a bachelor's degree and a level one or two occupation for specialised professionals.
3. Get the nomination where required. Scientists need the Emirates Scientists Council, healthcare specialists the Ministry of Health and Prevention or the local health authority, educators the Ministry of Education, creatives the Ministry of Culture. GDRFA Dubai will not accept these applications without the ICP-system approval or a local nomination.
4. Apply. Outside Dubai, log in to ICP Smart Services with UAE Pass and open the Golden services dashboard. In Dubai, log in to GDRFA smart services with UAE Pass or a username, or use an Amer centre. Dubai property investors submit through the Land Department's accredited centres.
5. If you are abroad, enter on the six-month visa. ICP issues a six-month multiple-entry visa to complete the procedures, renewable once for another six months.
6. Complete medical, biometrics and Emirates ID. GDRFA offers a Golden Visa Appointment booking for the verification visit. Health insurance for the family is required in every category.
7. Receive the permit. Keep meeting the condition you qualified on; GDRFA says it can be withdrawn if a specialist's salary drops below AED 30,000 or an investor sells the property.

Outstanding students qualify on these published conditions (ICP guide, GDRFA Dubai card):

The application needs the Ministry's approval in the ICP system first. GDRFA Dubai adds that a Dubai applicant must hold a Dubai-issued residence file, that student golden permits are not renewed after expiry, and that high-school achievers can sponsor parents only while graduates can sponsor a spouse and children with proof of income and housing.

There is no separate "nurses" category on ICP's list. Nurses apply as healthcare specialists, which needs a recommendation from the Ministry of Health and Prevention or the relevant local health authority, or as specialised professionals if they hold a bachelor's degree, a level one or two occupation and a salary of at least AED 30,000. The Dubai Government Media Office reported on 12 May 2025 that Dubai Health nursing staff with more than 15 years of service were granted golden visas by directive. That route runs through the employer, so nurses at government health providers should ask HR about nominations before applying alone.

ICP republished its Golden Residency Guide on 10 September 2026: ten-year residency across all categories, residence for children regardless of age, the AED 30,000 salary line for specialised professionals, and the six-month entry visa renewable once.