The Golden visa is a long-term residence visa which enables foreign talents to live, work or study in the UAE while enjoying exclusive benefits. Investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, outstanding students and graduates, humanitarian pioneers and frontline heroes are among those eligible for the Golden visa. Read about the requirements and benefits of the Golden visa and find digital services to apply for it.

Benefits of Golden Visa

If you have a golden visa, you can enjoy benefits such as:

• A long-term, renewable residence visa valid for 5 or 10 years.
• The privilege of not needing a sponsor.
• The ability to stay outside the UAE for more than the usual period of six months in order to keep their residence visa valid.
• The ability to sponsor their family members, including spouses and children regardless of their ages.
• The ability to sponsor unlimited number of domestic helpers.
• The permit for family members to stay in the UAE until the end of their permit duration, if the primary holder of the Golden visa passes away.

Requirements of Golden Visa

The requirements for acquiring a Golden Visa in the UAE are:

Investors in Public Investments

If you invest in an investment fund, you may be granted a Golden Visa for a period of 10 years without a sponsor, subject to the:

1. Submission of a letter from an investment fund accredited in the UAE stating that the investor has a deposit of AED two million.
2. Submission of a valid commercial license or industrial license and a memorandum of association stating that the investor’s capital is not less than AED two million
3. Submission of a letter from Federal Tax Authority stating that the investor pays the government no less than AED 250,000 annually. Additional to that, you must: •Own the invested capital completely and it must not be a loan. •Provide proof of medical insurance for himself and his family (if any).

Real Estate Investors

If you own a property or a group of properties, you may be granted a Golden visa for a period of 5 years, renewable on the same conditions and without a sponsor subject to the:

1. A letter from the land department of the respective emirate stating that he owns one or more properties whose value is not less than 2 million dirhams
2. Purchase of a property with a loan from specific local banks approved by the competent local entity.

Entrepreneurs

If you are an entrepreneur, you may get a Golden visa for a period of 5 years, if you own an economic project of a technical or future nature based on risk & innovation. In addition, you must have an approval letter from each of the following:

1. An auditor in the UAE stating that the project value is not less than 500,000 dirhams
2. The authorities in the emirate stating that the project is of a technical or future nature
3. An accredited business incubator in the UAE to establish the proposed activity in the country.

High School Students

Yes, you heard us right. If you are a high school student and a national-level topper, (with a minimum grade of 95 per cent in public or private secondary school) you may be granted a Golden visa for 5 years without a sponsor, subject to submission of a recommendation letter from Ministry of Education (Emirates Schools Establishment).Duration of the Golden visa for students is 5 years and may be extended if he/she is enrolled in one of the majors/colleges in the country that requires a study period of more than five years.

University Students

If you are an outstanding university student, you may be granted a Golden visa for a period of 10 years without a sponsor, provided that:

1. The university must be rated either A or B class by Ministry of Education.
2. A recommendation letter from the university or an accredited graduation certificate or an accredited academic record stating that the student’s cumulative GPA is not less than 3.5 for A class universities and 3.8 for B class universities is submitted.

Heroes of the Frontline

Frontline heroes who displayed extraordinary effort in crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic also may get the Golden visa with a recommendation from a competent authority. Frontline heroes include nurses, medical assistants, lab technicians, pharmacologists and other cadres approved by the Frontline Heroes Office.