Editor’s note: This article was updated after a review of the UAE executive regulation and emirate-level guidance. It now clarifies that approved mortgages are permitted while Dubai and Abu Dhabi require AED 2 million to be paid or held as investor capital.
The UAE will let a Golden Visa buyer finance a qualifying property. The catch is that, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the mortgage only starts to help after at least AED 2 million has been paid or is held as investor capital.
That required stake is about $544,600, using the Central Bank of the UAE’s dollar intervention rates of 3.672 to 3.673 dirhams per dollar. The U.S. Census Bureau reported a median sales price of $424,900 for a new U.S. home in May 2026, the latest monthly release available when this article was written.
In other words, the UAE Golden Visa stake alone is about $119,700, or 28%, more than the full price of the median new U.S. home. This is not a comparison of home values in the two countries. It shows how much capital an investor must document before the UAE mortgage provision becomes useful.
What the UAE mortgage provision actually finances
The national rule sets the framework. Article 8 of the UAE’s executive regulation on the entry and residence of foreigners requires real-estate investors to own one or more properties with a total value of at least AED 2 million. It also says the property may be financed through a local bank designated by the competent local authority.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi spell out what that means in practice.
The Dubai Land Department says mortgaged property can qualify, but the applicant must provide a bank letter indicating that AED 2 million has been paid. The bank’s no-objection letter must show the amount paid and the outstanding balance.
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai reaches the same result. Its guidance says property may be financed by a local bank and that an owner becomes eligible for Golden Residence once at least AED 2 million of the property’s value has been paid.
Abu Dhabi’s official investor guidance is even more explicit. Mortgages through national banks are permitted for properties worth more than AED 2 million, but the investor’s capital must be at least AED 2 million. The page gives an example: a property worth AED 5 million can have no more than AED 3 million outstanding on its mortgage.
The arithmetic shows where financing begins. These figures are illustrations, not lending offers or guarantees of visa approval.
| Property value | Minimum investor capital | Illustrative mortgage | Share financed |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 2 million | AED 2 million | AED 0 | 0% |
| AED 2.5 million | AED 2 million | AED 500,000 | 20% |
| AED 4 million | AED 2 million | AED 2 million | 50% |
| AED 5 million | AED 2 million | AED 3 million | 60% |
One federal webpage still says “without loans”
Not every government webpage has caught up with that framework. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security’s general Golden Residency page asks real-estate investors for proof of property worth at least AED 2 million “without loans.” It also lists a five-year duration for real-estate investors, while the national regulation and the Dubai and Abu Dhabi pages describe 10-year Golden Residence permits.
That wording is difficult to reconcile with the regulation’s express local-bank provision and the detailed processes published by Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The ICP page is a general program summary, not a separate amendment to the regulation. Its mismatch is still useful as a warning: applicants should not assume that a mortgage structure processed in Dubai or Abu Dhabi will be handled the same way in another emirate.
The careful conclusion is not that UAE law contains three equally valid mortgage tests. The national regulation permits a loan and gives the competent local authority a role. Dubai and Abu Dhabi then publish a minimum paid amount or investor-capital requirement. What remains unclear is how consistently government websites describe those rules, particularly outside those two emirates.
How Portugal, Greece and Italy compare
Among four prominent investor-residency destinations, the UAE stands out because its official rules expressly address a property mortgage. But the comparison does not support a simple claim that Europe bans financing.
| Destination | Can buying a home qualify? | What the official material says |
|---|---|---|
| UAE | Yes | Dubai and Abu Dhabi allow qualifying mortgages while requiring at least AED 2 million paid or held as investor capital. |
| Greece | Yes | The qualifying purchase price must be paid in full before the residence application. The cited provision does not say the buyer’s funds must be unborrowed. |
| Portugal | No | A residential purchase is not among the current Golden Visa investment routes. |
| Italy | No | The Investor Visa’s four qualifying investments do not include residential property. |
Greece requires the qualifying acquisition value to be paid in full before an application is filed, according to Article 100 of its Migration Code. The main thresholds are €800,000 in designated high-demand areas and €400,000 elsewhere. Qualifying conversions to residential use and listed-building restorations can use a €250,000 threshold. The provision specifies accepted payment methods but does not expressly prohibit the buyer from borrowing money. Full payment to the seller and the source of the buyer’s funds are different questions.
Portugal removed real-estate purchases from the routes available to new Golden Visa applicants. AIMA’s current list instead includes job creation, research, cultural support, non-real-estate investment funds and company capitalization.
Italy also separates the visa investment from a home purchase. The official Investor Visa portal lists four choices: €250,000 in an innovative startup, €500,000 in an Italian limited company, €1 million in a philanthropic initiative or €2 million in Italian government bonds.
For UAE applicants, the key distinction is between permission to borrow and permission to reduce the investment. Published Dubai and Abu Dhabi guidance offers the first, not the second. A buyer considering financed property should obtain written confirmation from the relevant property-registration and immigration authorities before committing capital. Mortgage approval, property eligibility and Golden Visa approval remain separate decisions.
This story was produced by Movingto and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.