Can a property purchase give me a Golden Visa?
Yes, if it is worth AED 2 million (about USD 544,600) or more.
An owner of one property, or of several, bought for AED 2 million or more may apply in Dubai for a ten-year renewable residence permit. A property with a mortgage counts, with a no-objection letter from the bank.
Beside the answer, three facts, each with its source:
- The line: AED 2 million of purchase value, in one property or in several. Dubai Land Department, service page updated 8 September 2026.
- The loan: a mortgaged property is acceptable, with a no-objection letter from the bank. Dubai Land Department, 8 September 2026.
- The applicant: inside the UAE when he applies. Dubai Land Department, 8 September 2026.
**February 2026 update.** The UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security announced in February 2026 that the requirement for a property investor to have paid at least 50% of the property's value before applying for the Golden Visa is removed. The AED 2 million purchase threshold remains. A buyer who has signed a sale and purchase agreement for a property worth AED 2 million or more, regardless of how much has been paid so far, may now apply. The Land Department's service page was updated to reflect this change.
Augusta Properties Brokerage LLC, a licensed Dubai brokerage (RERA ORN 52101), sells Dubai homes to buyers who live abroad. Whether your own home reaches the line is the next question, and one purchase answers it.
Does my home reach AED 2 million?
A single home bought for AED 2 million or more reaches it on its own. Take an apartment bought for AED 2,350,000 (about USD 639,900), with a bank loan on it, and follow it through.
- The purchase value is AED 2,350,000, which is AED 350,000 above the line, so the home clears it.
- The loan does not stand in the way. The Land Department accepts a mortgaged property, and the bank provides its no-objection letter.
- The property is in the applicant's name, which is what the rule asks.
- The owner is inside the UAE when he applies.
- He may then apply for the ten-year renewable permit, for which the Land Department lists AED 9,884.75.
What the purchase costs on top of the price is set out on our page on the cost of buying property in Dubai. A buyer whose homes are smaller than this one asks whether they can be counted together.
Do several homes count together?
Yes. The Land Department counts one or more properties in the applicant's name, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai words it as "a property or a group of properties with a total value of no less than AED 2 million" (page read 19 September 2026).
Two homes bought for AED 1,200,000 and AED 900,000 add up to AED 2,100,000 (about USD 571,800), which clears the line although neither home does alone. A total of AED 1,900,000 is AED 100,000 short of it, about USD 27,200. Our catalogue of about 3,765 projects across the UAE, published on 24 September 2026, is where a buyer with a gap of that size looks at what closes it.
Can my family be on it?
Once the sum clears the line, a buyer thinks of who comes with him. The Land Department lists a spouse, children and parents as people who can be sponsored.
How long does the permit last, and what does it cost?
Ten years, and it renews. The Land Department lists fees of AED 9,884.75 for the investor's ten-year permit, about USD 2,692 at the dirham's fixed rate of AED 3.6725 to the dollar (UAE Central Bank). Spread over ten years that is AED 988.48 a year, about USD 269, which is under AED 1,000 for each year the permit runs.
Do I have to be in Dubai to apply?
Yes, in the UAE. With the cost known, one thing is left for the buyer himself: he must be inside the country when he applies, so a buyer who lives abroad plans the trip around it.
Residency, not citizenship
The Golden Visa through property is a residence permit, not citizenship. It grants the right to live and work in the UAE, use the UAE for family sponsorship, and renew the permit every ten years as long as the qualifying property is held. It does not grant UAE nationality, a UAE passport or the rights that citizenship carries.
UAE citizenship is a separate matter entirely, conferred by the President or the Supreme Council in exceptional cases (Federal Law No. 17 of 1972 and the 2021 amendments). Property ownership is not a route to it.
Who takes care of the application?
Companies we partner with take care of Golden Visa applications. Our team in Dubai arranges the purchase.