Category-fit memo
Profile, budget, salary or investment, family scope, and timeline organised against the investor, public-investment, talent, skilled-professional, and entrepreneur routes for legal review.
UAE Golden Visa
The UAE Golden Visa is open to investors with UAE property or a public investment of at least AED 2 million, and to senior skilled professionals earning at least AED 30,000 a month, among other categories (ICP, checked 18 October 2026). The UAE Golden Visa is a self-sponsored, renewable 5- or 10-year residence visa that lets investors, entrepreneurs, talents, and their families live in the UAE without an employer or local sponsor. We map your category, prepare the evidence with you, and organise the ICP or GDRFA filing steps with our partner UAE law firm.
Movingto is a Portugal-first immigration firm that publishes its fees. On UAE cases, the legal work is done by our partner UAE law firm.
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First call: leave with your likely category, the evidence each one needs, the ICP or GDRFA path, medical and Emirates ID dependencies, family scope, and the next decision mapped.
Researching the route first? Read the full UAE Golden Visa guide
What you get
The main risk is committing to a property or a route before the category, evidence, and filing path have been checked. We map the category decision and the filing sequence with our partner UAE law firm, so the order is right.
Profile, budget, salary or investment, family scope, and timeline organised against the investor, public-investment, talent, skilled-professional, and entrepreneur routes for legal review.
Property title or DLD valuation, fund or company proof, salary or nomination letters, attestations, health insurance, and family records mapped to the chosen category.
Federal ICP versus Dubai GDRFA route, entry permit, status change, and the document dependencies sequenced before submission so nothing stalls.
Medical fitness, Emirates ID, residence issuance, and sponsorship of spouse, children, parents, and domestic staff kept in one path, with renewal planned from the start.
The AED 2 million property route, the public-investment route (an AED 2 million deposit or company stake, or at least AED 250,000 a year in federal tax), and the talent and salary routes each need different evidence. Those questions need review before a deposit or a contract.
No minimum stay applies. The Golden Visa is self-sponsored, the UAE Government Portal confirms holders can stay outside the UAE for more than the usual six months, and GDRFA Dubai says holders are exempt from the 180-day rule. Health insurance for you and your family must stay valid.
The UAE levies no personal income tax on salaries: Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 taxes businesses, and individuals only on business activity. A qualified tax adviser handles corporate tax, VAT, and home-country obligations.
We map the category decision, prepare the evidence with you, and organise the filing sequence with our partner UAE law firm.
We map the route and evidence. Property advice, investment advice, and tax advice stay with the relevant specialists.
Who this fits
A UAE Golden Visa case can stall when a property or a category is chosen before the evidence and filing path are checked. Movingto is useful when category fit, document readiness, and the ICP or GDRFA filing need to stay connected in one sequence.
Service scope
You get a managed route, evidence plan, and filing handoff. Property, legal, tax, and authority decisions are handled by the proper professionals, institutions, or authorities.
We map profile, budget, salary or investment, family scope, timing, and route alternatives against the current ICP and GDRFA categories.
We organise property valuation, investment proof, salary or nomination letters, attestations, insurance, and family records for the chosen category.
We organise the entry permit, status change, medical fitness, Emirates ID, and residence issuance with our partner UAE law firm, in the right order.
We keep spouse, children, parents, and domestic-staff sponsorship, plus maintained-eligibility evidence and renewal timing, visible from the start.
Property suitability, tax treatment, financial planning, rental-yield forecasts, and investment recommendations are handled by the qualified specialist responsible for that scope.
Movingto does not control ICP or GDRFA decisions, appointment availability, processing times, or issuance and renewal outcomes.
Case path
Each stage ends with a decision, evidence list, or legal handoff so the investment and the residence file do not drift apart.
Check profile, budget, salary or investment, family scope, and timing, and confirm which Golden Visa category fits before any deposit or contract.
Gather property valuation or investment proof, salary or nomination letters, attestations, insurance, and family documents with our partner UAE law firm.
Choose the federal ICP or Dubai GDRFA path, lodge the application and entry permit, and sequence any status change for applicants already in the UAE. ICP grants eligible applicants outside the UAE a six-month multiple-entry visa, renewable for six more months, to complete the steps.
Sequence the medical fitness test, Emirates ID enrolment, and residence issuance, then add family and domestic-staff sponsorship.
Keep maintained-eligibility evidence, family residence, insurance, and renewal timing on the plan so the five or ten-year term stays clean.
Eligibility
| Category | Main threshold | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Real-estate investor | One or more UAE properties worth at least AED 2,000,000 in total, in your name; off-plan from an approved developer, or financed by an approved local bank, can count | 10 years (ICP guide); u.ae lists 5 years |
| Public investor | AED 2,000,000 deposit with an investment fund or UAE national bank, or AED 2,000,000 company capital or stake, or a company paying at least AED 250,000 a year in federal tax; capital not from a loan | 10 years |
| Skilled professional | Senior occupational level (MoHRE level 1 or 2), bachelor's degree, valid UAE work permit and contract, monthly salary of at least AED 30,000 | 10 years |
| Entrepreneur | UAE SME with annual revenue of at least AED 1,000,000, an approved business idea, or past ventures sold for at least AED 7,000,000 | 10 years (ICP guide); u.ae lists 5 years |
| Talent and specialists | Recommendation from the relevant authority, for example for scientists, healthcare, education, culture and arts, or athletes | 10 years |
Source: ICP Golden Residency Guide and the UAE Government Portal (u.ae) Golden visa page, checked 18 October 2026. Health insurance is required for the holder and family members.
Government fees
| Dubai Land Department fee item | AED |
|---|---|
| Medical examination | 700 |
| Emirates ID (10 years) | 1,153 |
| Residence permit confirmation (10 years) | 2,856.75 |
| Dubai Land Department fees | 4,020 |
| Administrative fees | 1,155 |
| Total for the investor | 9,884.75 |
| Family member or parent permit (10 years), each | 5,774.50 |
| Family sponsorship file opening | 318.75 |
| Added per sponsored person | 100 |
Source: Dubai Land Department, Golden Visa application - Investor, checked 18 October 2026. Government fees only, separate from Movingto's fee. GDRFA Dubai's own investor-permit service lists different fees.
Evidence
Scope, professional ownership, and credential claims stay tied to source pages instead of sitting as unsupported marketing copy.
ICP, Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port SecurityChecked 18 October 2026
GDRFA DubaiChecked 18 October 2026
Dubai Land DepartmentChecked 18 October 2026
UAE Government Portal (u.ae)Checked 18 October 2026
UAE Ministry of FinanceChecked 18 October 2026
UAE Ministry of FinanceChecked 18 October 2026
UAE Ministry of FinanceChecked 18 October 2026
Common questions
The service covers category-fit review, document and evidence planning, the ICP or GDRFA filing path, entry permit and status change, medical and Emirates ID sequencing, family and domestic-staff sponsorship, and renewal planning. The filing is prepared with our partner UAE law firm, and tax and property advice stay with the relevant specialists.
Common routes are UAE property worth at least AED 2 million; a public investment, such as an AED 2 million deposit or company stake, or a company paying at least AED 250,000 a year in federal tax; a skilled professional at a senior occupational level (MoHRE level 1 or 2) with a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000; an entrepreneur with a UAE SME earning at least AED 1 million a year, an approved business idea, or past ventures sold for at least AED 7 million; or a talent nomination (ICP, checked 18 October 2026). We map your profile to the current categories before you commit.
The property and public-investment routes start at AED 2 million (ICP). Off-plan units bought from an approved developer and property financed by an approved local bank can count; for a mortgaged Dubai property, Dubai Land Department asks for a bank letter showing AED 2 million paid. Public-investment capital must not come from a loan. The exact evidence depends on the route and is confirmed with our partner UAE law firm before funds move.
The Golden Visa has no minimum-stay requirement and, unlike standard UAE residence visas, is not cancelled after six months abroad, provided insurance and obligations stay current. Tax residency is a separate question and needs adviser review.
Yes. ICP lists residence permits for a spouse and children, regardless of their age, and for parents, and holders can sponsor domestic workers under the applicable rules. We map identity and family records, insurance, and timing before relying on family scope.
The UAE levies no personal income tax on salaries. A 9% corporate tax applies to taxable income above AED 375,000 (Cabinet Decision No. 116 of 2022), and VAT is 5% (UAE Ministry of Finance, checked 18 October 2026). Your home-country tax obligations are separate, so confirm your position with a cross-border tax adviser.
Timing depends on the category, document readiness, the entry permit, medical and Emirates ID steps, and authority processing. Dubai Land Department lists 7 to 10 business days for its investor Golden Visa service, and GDRFA Dubai lists an expected 5 days for its investor permit, once the file is complete. We map the expected sequence before filing, but do not promise a fixed authority timeline.
It depends on the category and the authority. The UAE Government Portal lists 5 or 10 years, with 5 years for real-estate investors, while ICP's Golden Residency Guide, GDRFA Dubai, and Dubai Land Department give property investors a 10-year permit, renewable while the conditions are met (checked 18 October 2026). We confirm the term for your category before you file.
Dubai Land Department lists AED 9,884.75 for the investor's 10-year permit: AED 700 medical, AED 1,153 Emirates ID, AED 2,856.75 residence permit, AED 4,020 Dubai Land Department fees, and AED 1,155 administration. Each family member or parent costs AED 5,774.50, plus AED 318.75 to open the family file and AED 100 per sponsored person (checked 18 October 2026). These are government fees, separate from Movingto's fee.
For Dubai Land Department's investor service, yes: the applicant must be inside the UAE and attend in person, and a representative cannot apply for you. ICP grants eligible applicants who are outside the UAE a six-month multiple-entry visa, renewable for six more months, to complete the Golden Residency steps.
The UAE Golden Visa is priced per case: Movingto's pricing page lists it as Get a quote. It is a fully managed service, with the legal work done by our partner UAE law firm. The first consultation is free, and your written quote confirms the fee and scope before you commit. Government fees are separate.
Private advisory call
Bring your budget, salary or investment, family scope, property ideas, and timing. We will confirm the likely category, the evidence each one needs, and the filing path with our partner UAE law firm.
Leave with a clearer category decision, evidence plan, and next steps.