Invest in the UAE: how investment connects to residence

The UAE does not sell residence. Each route on this page is a residence category with its own conditions, and the investment is the evidence that satisfies one of those conditions. That distinction matters in practice: the authority does not ask how much you spent, it asks for the document that proves the category, whether that is a land registration letter, a fund letter, an MOA, an auditor's letter or a tax letter from the FTA.

The long-term routes are run federally by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), with GDRFA Dubai handling Dubai files. The ICP Golden Residency Guide, updated 20 August 2026, and the UAE Government portal's Golden visa page, updated 28 July 2026, are the controlling texts for the Golden routes; the ICP residence service card and the Green Residence Guide cover the company and property-owner routes; the u.ae retired page and the ICP card cover retirement.

Three of the routes above sit inside the Golden Visa programme. u.ae describes the Golden visa as "a long-term residence visa which enables foreign talents to live, work or study in the UAE" with a residence valid for 5 or 10 years, no sponsor, the ability to stay outside the UAE beyond the usual six months, and the ability to sponsor spouses and children. ICP adds that renewal is automatic.

On duration for property investors, both official pages say 5 years for real-estate investments and 10 years for public investments. Many private sites say 10 years for property. We publish what the official pages state and flag the difference; the property investor page sets out the documents and the "without loans" condition in full. The public-investor route, including the AED 250,000 tax-letter alternative, is on the Golden Visa investor page, and the project-based route on the entrepreneur page.

If your investment is a shareholding in a UAE company, two routes apply. The company-sponsored investor residence on the ICP service card requires a contribution of at least AED 1,000,000 in cash or its equivalent, at incorporation or when joining an existing company, with the Ministry of Economy valuing any in-kind contribution. The self-sponsored Green residence for investors and partners requires proof of investment with the necessary licences; GDRFA Dubai's card puts the share at not less than AED 1,000,000 paid. Green residence lasts five years and allows family sponsorship. The company must hold its establishment card before either application can start. The full sequence, documents and fees are on the investor and partner visa page.

Separate from the Golden route, the ICP residence service card lists a property-owner residence with four conditions: the property must be fully constructed, so owners of vacant land do not qualify; ownership must be registered with the competent real estate registration authority; the property must be fully owned by the applicant and suitable for residence; and the applicant must have a monthly income of at least AED 10,000 or prove financial solvency throughout the residence period. The card we read does not state the duration or a minimum property value for this category. GDRFA Dubai lists a renewal service for a property-owner residence permit. Third-party sites quote a two-year Dubai property visa at AED 750,000; that figure is not on the official pages we read and we do not publish it as a rule. The Dubai property and residency page compares this route with the Golden route.

u.ae states that retired foreigners can apply for a five-year residence if they have worked for at least 15 years inside or outside the UAE and are at least 55 at the time of retirement, and meet one of two conditions: own property of at least AED 1 million and hold savings of at least AED 1 million, or have an annual income of at least AED 180,000, rising to AED 240,000 for Dubai applications. The ICP service card words the first test as 15 years of service or age 55, accepts property worth AED 1 million or a deposit of the same value in a UAE financial institution within 60 days of residence issuance, and puts the annual income at AED 240,000. GDRFA Dubai lists the residence as five years, renewable on the same terms.

1. Confirm the category with the ICP eligibility tool or GDRFA Dubai before committing funds, so the investment you make is the one the category names.
2. Complete and document the investment: title registered in your name, capital shown in the MOA, deposit confirmed by the fund, project valued by an auditor.
3. Obtain the category letter from the issuing body: the land registration department, the fund, the incubator or authority, the FTA.
4. Apply through ICP smart services with UAE Pass, or through GDRFA Dubai for Dubai files; if outside the UAE, the Golden route uses a six-month multiple-entry permit to complete the procedures.
5. Enter, complete the medical test and Emirates ID, and receive the residence within 60 days of entry.
6. Sponsor family once your own residence is active.

Run the Golden Visa eligibility checker to see which category your investment fits, then read the route page. If your plan involves a company, the business setup hub explains the licence and establishment card steps that come first. Or send us the investment you are planning and a consultant will tell you which route it supports, what document you will need and what is not yet confirmed officially.