UAE Investor Visa Requirements and Cost (2026)

A UAE investor visa gives a company owner the right to live in the UAE, sponsor family and hold an Emirates ID, which also unlocks local banking. Owners can reside through their own company, through a five-year green visa with at least AED 1 million invested, or through a ten-year golden visa from AED 2 million.

The hard part is that the routes, fees and authorities differ. Dubai issues visas through GDRFA, while Abu Dhabi and the other emirates use the federal authority, ICP. Each route has its own capital test, fees and rules on time abroad, and the company needs its own paperwork before any visa can be issued.

This is where we come in. We form UAE companies ourselves and plan the visa with the company, so the licence, establishment card, visa and bank file all run through one team. You get one clear price and a company in about a week.

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UAE Investor Visa Options

There are three main ways for a company owner to live in the UAE. The right one depends on how much you invest and how long you want to stay.

Neither ICP nor GDRFA now lists a separate standard "partner" residence below the green visa threshold. ICP's residence service lists the green residence investor, golden, blue, family, retiree, property owner, student and employment categories, and GDRFA's residence services follow the same pattern.

Residence Through Your Own Company

Most founders get residence through the company they form. The company applies for an establishment card, then sponsors the owner on a standard two-year residence. In Dubai, GDRFA's private sector residence costs AED 200 plus AED 10 each in Knowledge and Innovation fees, AED 500 if you are already inside the UAE and AED 20 for delivery, and takes about 48 hours. Free zone companies do the same through their zone: DMCC, for example, sells only employment residence visas, with no separate shareholder visa line.

The Green Visa

The green visa is a renewable five-year residence with no sponsor. ICP's green residence guide, updated in September 2026, asks investors and business partners to prove their investment or contribution to a business and hold the necessary licences. For investors, ICP requires a contribution of at least AED 1 million in cash or its equivalent in foreign currency.

The same visa covers skilled workers at MOHRE levels 1 to 3 with a degree and a salary of at least AED 15,000 a month, and freelancers earning AED 360,000 a year over the previous two years. Read about the freelance licence in the UAE.

The Golden Visa for Investors

The golden visa is the long-term option. ICP's golden residency guide, updated on 10 September 2026, gives 10 years with automatic renewal and no sponsor for every category, including real estate.

Company and Deposit Routes

ICP accepts any one of these public investment routes:

• A deposit of AED 2 million or more with an investment fund or a national bank.
• A company with capital of AED 2 million or more.
• A partner share worth AED 2 million or more.
• A company paying AED 250,000 or more a year in federal taxes, or a partner whose share of that tax reaches AED 250,000.

The invested capital must be fully owned by the investor and must not come from a loan, and the source of funds must be documented. In Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Residents Office asks for the AED 250,000 tax figure for the two years before the application, and its investor visa can also cover one advisor and one executive director.

Property Route

Investors can also qualify with one or more properties worth at least AED 2 million in their name. ICP allows the property to be financed by an approved local bank, and accepts off-plan units with a total value of AED 2 million from an approved developer. Abu Dhabi applies a stricter test: the outstanding mortgage cannot exceed the value minus AED 2 million, and for off-plan property at least AED 2 million must already be paid to the developer.

Entrepreneur Route

Entrepreneurs qualify under ICP's guide with an SME in an approved field earning AED 1 million or more a year, a project approved by an accredited incubator or authority, or founding ventures sold for at least AED 7 million. ICP's older entrepreneur service card still mentions a project value of AED 500,000, so confirm the test when you apply. In Abu Dhabi, entrepreneurs need two years of audited financials and a nomination from a UAE incubator such as Hub71.

Golden Visa Fees

ICP charges AED 100 to apply, AED 47 to issue and AED 100 in smart fees for a public investment golden visa applied for from inside the UAE, in about two days. The nomination step is free apart from the AED 100 smart fee. If you need time in the country to complete the process, ICP issues a six-month multiple-entry visa for AED 1,000 plus fees, extendable once for another AED 1,000. GDRFA charges AED 1,100 plus fees for its golden routes. Read our guide to the UAE golden visa for business owners.

Choosing the Right Investor Visa in the UAE

The best route usually follows the size of your investment and how settled you want to be.

Starting Out

If you are forming a new company with modest capital, residence through the company is the practical start. It costs a few hundred dirhams in government fees on top of the establishment card, and it can be upgraded later.

Growing Past AED 1 Million

Once you have contributed AED 1 million in cash to the company, the green visa removes the need for the company to sponsor you and gives five years instead of two. It also lets you sponsor parents and gives a 180-day grace period if the visa lapses.

Long-Term Commitment

With AED 2 million in a company, a deposit or property, or a company paying AED 250,000 a year in tax, the golden visa gives ten years, no rule on time abroad and the widest family rights. Many owners move from company residence to a golden visa as the business grows.

When the Company Is Not the Point

If you mainly want a home in the UAE, the property owner or retiree routes may suit you better. For an operating business, the company route is still the base, because the licence is what lets you trade, hire and bank.

Requirements for a UAE Investor Visa

The requirements are the same across the routes, with extra evidence for the green and golden visas.

Company Documents

A valid trade licence, the memorandum or partnership agreement showing your share, and the establishment card. Our guide to the trade licence in the UAE covers the licence.

Personal Documents

A passport valid for at least six months and a photo. For the green visa, evidence of the AED 1 million contribution. For the golden visa, audited financials, a title deed, a bank letter or a Federal Tax Authority letter, depending on the route, plus proof of the source of funds.

Medical and Insurance

Every applicant over 18 passes a medical fitness test. Health insurance is a condition on every ICP entry permit that leads to residence, and golden visa investors must insure their family too. The nationwide basic plan covers ages 1 to 64, with inpatient co-pay capped at AED 1,000 a year, and starts from AED 320 a year.

UAE Investor Visa Cost

The cost is a set of government fees plus the company's own costs. These are the published official fees.

Free Zone Visa Prices

Free zones publish their own all-in prices. DMCC charges AED 2,972.50 for a new two-year visa applied for from outside the UAE, AED 451.40 for two-year Emirates ID typing and AED 770 to AED 800 for medical typing. Read about free zone visa quota and costs.

The Company Cost Comes First

The visa depends on a licensed company. Our guide to the cost of business setup in the UAE covers the licence, office and first-year budget.

How to Get an Investor Visa in the UAE

These are the steps to get an investor visa through your own company.

Explore First if You Need To

If you want to visit before you commit, ICP issues a visit visa to explore business opportunities for 60, 90 or 120 days with no host. It costs AED 300 in fees plus a refundable AED 1,000 guarantee, and needs initial approval for the business, six months of bank statements, a degree and health insurance.

Form the Company

Choose the emirate, lane and activity, and get the licence. Read about company registration in the UAE.

Get the Establishment Card

The establishment card registers the company with immigration. GDRFA issues it in 48 hours and ICP in 2 days. For free zone companies, ICP says the request goes through the free zone authority.

Apply for the Entry Permit

The company applies for your entry permit, or for a change of status if you are already in the UAE. ICP entry permits must be used within 60 days of issue, and residence must be completed within 60 days of entry.

Medical, Biometrics and Emirates ID

Pass the medical, give biometrics and apply for the Emirates ID. Since 11 April 2022 there is no visa sticker in the passport, and the Emirates ID proves residence.

Add Family

Sponsor your spouse and children once your own residence is issued.

Which Company Supports a UAE Investor Visa

Any licensed mainland or free zone company can sponsor its owner. The choice of company changes the office you need and how many visas you can add later.

Mainland Companies

A mainland company can trade anywhere in the UAE, and its visa quota is set by MOHRE, partly based on the premises. MOHRE work permits cost AED 250 to AED 3,450 depending on the company's category, and the Work Bundle has cut the process to about five working days. Since Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020, foreigners can own 100% of a mainland company for most activities. Read about local sponsors and 100% foreign ownership in the UAE and mainland company formation in the UAE.

Free Zone Companies

A free zone company ties its visa quota to the desk or office in the package. Entry packages such as Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone's START at AED 12,500 include one residence visa. Read our guides to free zone company formation in the UAE, IFZA company formation and RAKEZ company formation.

Holding Structures

An investor who holds the company through another entity still needs a UAE operating company to sponsor the visa. Read how to set up a holding company in Dubai and our guide to the types of companies in the UAE.

Renewing a UAE Investor Visa

A company-sponsored visa is renewed with the licence and establishment card, a new medical where required and valid insurance. ICP charges AED 100 to apply, AED 100 per year of renewal and AED 100 in smart fees, in about two days. A green visa holder must keep meeting the investment condition and must tell ICP if they stop meeting it, while golden residence renews automatically on the same criteria.

Most renewal problems start with the company. If the licence or establishment card has lapsed, the visa cannot be renewed, so renew those first.

Emirates ID Renewal

Residents can renew the Emirates ID in its last six months for AED 100 a year plus AED 100, or AED 150 for urgent service. Late renewal is fined at AED 20 a day, capped at AED 1,000, and a lost card costs AED 150 to replace. Outside Dubai, the Emirates ID is renewed on the same form as the residence.

Grace Periods and Overstay

After a visa expires or is cancelled, there is a grace period to renew, change status or leave. ICP gives 180 days to golden, green and blue residence holders and their families, and 30 days to most other categories, while GDRFA gives 60 days for private sector residence. After that, ICP fines AED 50 a day.

Cancelling the Visa

Family members' permits must be cancelled or put on hold before the sponsor's own, and ICP takes a AED 5,000 guarantee if the sponsor cancels without the family. Cancelling an investor residence needs the licence cancellation certificate.

Sponsoring Family on an Investor Visa

The federal portal says a sponsor needs a monthly income of at least AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. You can sponsor a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs. ICP takes a AED 3,000 financial guarantee per family member, up to AED 15,000.

The long-term visas go further. Green visa holders can also sponsor first-degree relatives. Golden visa holders can sponsor a spouse and children of any age, their parents and domestic workers, and if the holder dies, the family can stay for the rest of their permits' validity.

Time Outside the UAE

A standard residence visa is cancelled if the holder stays outside the UAE for more than 180 days in a row. ICP issues a permit to return after that for AED 100 per month of delay, though not to Dubai residents. Golden, green and blue residence holders can enter the UAE at any time while their residence is valid.

Other Residence Routes for Investors

Some investors qualify for residence without a company. ICP's property owner residence needs a completed property registered in your name and a monthly income of at least AED 10,000, with no minimum property value on the service card. Its retiree residence is for people aged 55 or over, or with 15 years of service, who own property worth AED 1 million, hold a AED 1 million deposit or earn AED 240,000 a year. These routes do not let you work through a company, so most business owners still form one.

Why the Visa Matters for Banking

Most UAE banks want a signatory who lives in the UAE, and the digital business accounts verify identity with an Emirates ID. A UAE investor visa turns an owner abroad into that resident signatory. Until then, our partners open multi-currency accounts with no resident signatory. Read about opening a business bank account in the UAE and opening a non-resident bank account in the UAE.

Tax Residence and the Investor Visa

A residence visa does not make you UAE tax resident on its own. Under Cabinet Decision No. 85 of 2022, you are tax resident if your usual residence and centre of interests is in the UAE, or you spend 183 days there in 12 months, or 90 days with a residence permit and a permanent home or job. Your company pays corporate tax at 0% up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it. Read about UAE corporate tax for companies.

Investor Visa in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

An investor visa in the UAE follows the same federal rules in every emirate, but the issuing authority differs. Dubai residents apply through GDRFA, and Abu Dhabi and the other emirates through ICP, with the Abu Dhabi Residents Office handling golden visas for Abu Dhabi. The routes are the same, but fees, timelines and some tests differ, such as Abu Dhabi's paid-amount rule for off-plan property. Read about the Dubai investor visa and business setup in Abu Dhabi.

Common Mistakes With a UAE Investor Visa

Applying Before the Establishment Card

No visa can be issued until the company is registered with immigration.

Missing the 60-Day Window

Complete the residence steps within 60 days of entry to avoid the AED 50 daily fine.

Forgetting Insurance

Residence is not issued or renewed without a valid health insurance policy.

Funding a Golden Visa With a Loan

ICP does not accept invested capital that comes from a loan, except for property financed by an approved local bank.

Assuming a Dormant Company Is Fine

ICP can fine AED 20,000 where entry permits are issued for a company with no business activity. The company must actually trade.

Bottom Line

A UAE investor visa comes through your own company, through a five-year green visa with at least AED 1 million invested, or through a ten-year golden visa from AED 2 million. Form the company and get the establishment card first, then the entry permit, medical, Emirates ID and insurance, and keep the licence renewed so the visa can be renewed too.

We form the company and plan the visa with you, from €1,899.