UAE Golden Visa for investors (public investments): the three routes to a 10-year residency

The ICP guide calls this category "Investors in public investments" and states two conditions in its summary: "a minimum capital investment of AED 2 million" or "ownership of real estate or a stake in an establishment that pays annual taxes of no less than AED 250,000". The document list then makes those conditions concrete as three routes. It suits people who hold liquid capital in a UAE fund, founders and shareholders of capitalised UAE companies, and owners or partners of businesses with a substantial tax bill.

It is not the route for property. Property investors have their own category with a land-registration letter (ICP now lists it at 10 years; u.ae still says 5); the guide keeps the two apart, and so do we. If you hold both a company and property, the public-investor route is 10 years on both official pages.

Checked 17 October 2026. The ICP Golden Residency Guide dated 10 September 2026 widens Route A: the deposit of at least AED 2,000,000 may now sit "with an investment fund or one of the national banks operating in the UAE". Our previous text, from the earlier guide, mentioned accredited investment funds only. The company-capital and tax routes are unchanged, and the guide now states in one sentence that the capital "must be fully owned by the investor and must not be derived from a loan". Duration remains 10 years on both official pages. ICP's FAQ (updated 8 October 2026) repeats "valid for 10 years and renewable".

1. Choose the route whose document you can obtain most cleanly. If your company's MoA capital is below AED 2 million but the company pays substantial tax, route C may be simpler than a capital increase.
2. Obtain the route letter. Fund letter, licence and MoA, or FTA letter.
3. Run the ICP eligibility check (or use GDRFA Dubai's Golden visa services for a Dubai file) and submit the nomination request.
4. Enter or change status. From abroad, ICP's six-month multiple-entry permit to finalise the Golden Residency; inside the UAE, cancellation of the current residence and a status adjustment for AED 500.
5. Medical fitness, Emirates ID and residence issuance within 60 days of entry. ICP fee lines: AED 100 application, AED 100 per year issuance, AED 100 smart service.
6. Family. Spouse and children after your residence is issued, with the AED 3,000 per-member guarantee up to AED 15,000.

The full sequence for each starting position is on the application process page.

The ICP residence card lists application AED 100, Golden Residence issuance AED 100 per year, smart service AED 100, and a financial guarantee for the investor's family residency of AED 3,000 per family member up to AED 15,000. No total is published. GDRFA Dubai fees differ and a Golden-specific Dubai fee card was not found; the note we located gives AED 2,280 residence fees and AED 575 identity card for a five-year residency. Medical, Emirates ID and typing charges are separate.

Run the eligibility checker to confirm the route, then ask for a document review. If your business is not yet set up in the UAE, the business setup hub explains mainland and free zone licensing, and investor and partner visas covers the two-year alternative at the AED 1 million level.