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The UAE golden visa for investors has three public investment routes: AED 2,000,000 deposited with a UAE bank or investment fund, a company where your capital or share reaches AED 2,000,000, or a company paying AED 250,000 a year in federal tax. The money must be yours, not borrowed. In Dubai, GDRFA issues the 10-year permit in 5 days once the file is complete.
Property owners use a separate route through the Land Department, covered on the property golden visa page. This page is about money in banks and companies.
The three investor routes at a glance
| Route | Threshold | What GDRFA Dubai asks you to prove |
|---|---|---|
| Bank deposit | AED 2,000,000 | Bank certificate showing the deposit frozen for at least two years |
| Company capital or partner share | AED 2,000,000 | Certified financial report from a UAE audit firm, trade licence with partners appendix |
| Federal tax | AED 250,000 a year | Letter from the Federal Tax Authority |
Source: ICP golden residency guide and GDRFA golden residency page for investors, checked .
ICP adds one rule that covers all three: the capital must be fully owned by you and not funded by a loan, and you must show its source.
Route 1: the AED 2,000,000 deposit
ICP accepts a deposit with an investment fund or a national bank in the UAE. GDRFA Dubai says "an accredited local bank" and also accepts local sukuk or investment bonds.
The detail that matters is the lock-in. GDRFA asks for a certificate showing the deposit is frozen for at least two years. The same page then says withdrawal of the deposit or investment is not permitted throughout the golden residency period of 10 years. Those two lines do not sit well together, and no official page reconciles them. Treat the money as tied up for the life of the permit unless GDRFA tells you otherwise in writing.
GDRFA also wants proof of housing in Dubai on this route.
Route 2: company capital or a partner's share
You qualify if you own a UAE company with capital of at least AED 2,000,000, or you are a partner whose financial share reaches that amount. Mainland and free zone companies both work. GDRFA asks for:
- A certified financial report from an accredited UAE audit firm showing your share of company assets
- A valid trade licence with the partners appendix
- The company's bank statement
- Tax registration, with tax receipts for the last year
- A certificate from the free zone authority, for free zone companies
A paper capital figure on the licence is not enough on its own. The audit report has to back it.
Route 3: AED 250,000 a year in federal tax
This route suits owners of profitable companies who do not want to freeze cash. ICP accepts a company paying at least AED 250,000 a year in federal taxes, or a partner whose share of the tax paid reaches that sum. GDRFA asks for a letter from the Federal Tax Authority and the trade licence with partners appendix. It notes that a full year of tax receipts used to be required, and that this is suspended in favour of the authority's letter.
Abu Dhabi is stricter here. ADRO wants proof of AED 250,000 tax a year for the 2 years before you apply, and its investor visa can also cover one advisor and one executive director. See the Abu Dhabi golden visa for that emirate's process.
Fees on the GDRFA route
| GDRFA fee line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Residence permit | AED 1,100 |
| Knowledge Dirham | AED 10 |
| Innovation Dirham | AED 10 |
| If you apply from inside the UAE | AED 500 |
| Delivery | AED 20 |
Source: GDRFA golden residency page for investors, checked . The page adds that the issuance fee rises by AED 100 a year whenever the residency is over two years, and it shows no 10-year total. Outside Dubai, ICP lists AED 100 application, AED 100 per year of residence and AED 100 smart service fee. Medical, Emirates ID and insurance are paid separately.
What Dubai agencies charge
Amer centres in Dubai publish about AED 2,711.75 to AED 2,992.90 for the golden residence permit stage, government fees included, with medical and Emirates ID extra (published price lists of 2 Dubai Amer centres, checked ). One of them lists the AED 2 million fixed deposit and commercial investor files at the same price as other categories. These are their prices, not ours. The golden visa cost page compares every route.
Documents checklist
- Passport and a recent photo
- Proof for your route: frozen deposit certificate, audit report and licence, or FTA letter
- Proof the money is yours and where it came from
- Proof of housing in Dubai (deposit route)
- Health insurance for you and your family, valid at application
- Current residence and Emirates ID, if you hold them
Processing time
GDRFA lists 5 days for investors. ICP lists 2 days for golden residence issuance. Time to get the audit report or the bank certificate is on top. If you are abroad and eligible, ICP issues a six-month multiple-entry visa to enter and complete the steps. Extending it once costs AED 1,000.
Why investor files stall or get refused
- Deposit certificate does not show the freeze period.
- Capital came from a loan or a third party.
- Audit report from a firm that is not accredited in the UAE.
- Trade licence without the partners appendix, so your share is not visible.
- Tax letter shows the company total but not your share as a partner.
- No health insurance at the point of application.
Below the threshold?
If your money or share falls short of these figures, the standard investor visa and the partner visa pages cover the shorter residence options. The golden route makes sense when the money is already in place and you want 10 years without a sponsor. ICP, GDRFA and u.ae all list public investment at 10 years.
How it works with us
Message us on WhatsApp or use the form on this page with your passport copy and a line on your route: deposit, company or tax. A visa adviser looks at the paper you already have, such as the bank letter, audit report or FTA letter, and tells you what is missing before anyone files. You get one total price, covering your family too, before you pay. The team prepares the application, files it with GDRFA or ICP, books the medical and biometrics and follows up until the permit is issued. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service. GDRFA or ICP decides every investor application.
A refusal means the authorities keep their fees. Your adviser states in writing, before payment, which part of our total you get back in that case, if any.
After approval
You can sponsor your spouse and children of any age, and parents, as the golden visa family page explains. Golden holders are exempt from the 180-day rule on stays abroad. If you founded a business rather than invested in one, compare the entrepreneur golden visa, and see the UAE golden visa hub for every other category.
Official sources
- ICP golden residency guide: the three public investment routes, no-loan rule, insurance, six-month entry visa.
- GDRFA golden residency for investors: deposit freeze, company and tax documents, fee lines, 5 days.
- ICP issuing residency permit: ICP golden residence fee lines, 2 days.
- ICP entry visa extension: the AED 1,000 extension.
- ADRO investors: Abu Dhabi deposit, company and two-year tax rule.
Checked . Read the GDRFA page again before you freeze any money.
