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UAE golden visa requirements start with three things for everyone: your passport, a photo and proof that you meet one category's conditions. The proof is the hard part. Property owners need a title deed or DLD certificate, deposit investors a frozen bank letter, skilled workers six months of salary statements and a degree, and nominated talent a letter from the ministry or Dubai body.
The lists below come from the GDRFA and DLD pages for Dubai and the ICP guide for the rest of the country. Use the one for your route.
Documents for every applicant
- Passport, valid, with a clear colour copy
- Photo on a white background
- Proof of eligibility for your category (lists below)
- Emirates ID and current residence copy, if you already live in the UAE
- Health insurance for you and your family, on the investor, entrepreneur and specialised professional routes
Investors
Property owners (Dubai, DLD)
- e-Certificate of Title or title deed
- DLD property status certificate, or a valuation certificate from an office licensed by DLD
- Bank no-objection letter showing the paid amount and the balance, if mortgaged
- Passport, photo, Emirates ID and residence copy if you have them
You attend the DLD accredited centre yourself. DLD does not accept a representative.
Bank deposit
- Bank certificate showing at least AED 2,000,000 with an accredited local bank, frozen for at least two years
- Proof of housing in Dubai
Company owner or partner
- Certified financial report from an accredited UAE audit firm showing your share of at least AED 2,000,000
- Valid trade licence with the partners appendix
- Company bank statement
- Tax registration and receipts for the last year
- Free zone certificate, for free zone companies
Tax investor
- Letter from the Federal Tax Authority showing at least AED 250,000 a year in tax
- Trade licence with the partners appendix
GDRFA notes that full-year tax receipts used to be needed for this route. That is suspended, and the authority's letter is used instead. More in the investor golden visa guide.
Entrepreneurs
- Passport copy
- Nomination letter from the Dubai Future Foundation (Dubai files)
- Health insurance for you and your family at application
Skilled professionals
- Valid UAE employment contract, or a salary certificate from a government, semi-government or free zone employer
- Proof of a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000
- Bank statement with salary transfers for the last 6 months
- Bachelor's degree or higher, with a Ministry of Education recognition report if foreign, or attestation if from the UAE
- Licence to practise, for professions that need one, such as physician, pharmacist or teacher
The full rules are on the skilled professionals golden visa page.
Nominated routes
| Route | Letter you need | Extra papers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare specialists | Ministry of Health and Prevention or local health authority | ICP approval |
| Scientists | Emirates Scientists Council recommendation | Master's or PhD accredited by the Ministry of Education |
| Education specialists | Ministry of Education or local authority | ICP approval |
| Religious scholars | Ministry of Culture and Youth or local authority | ICP approval |
| Creatives | Ministry of Culture, Dubai Culture or Emirates Media Council | Portfolio of achievements |
| Athletes | Ministry of Sports or Dubai Sports Council | Passport, nothing else listed |
| Humanitarian pioneers | The federal community ministry named on the GDRFA page | Degree, Dubai residence file |
| Frontline heroes | Recommendation from the concerned government agency | Residence copy, per the renewal page |
Source: GDRFA golden residency service pages and the ICP Golden Residency guide, checked .
Students and graduates
- Grade 12 certificate with at least 95%, attested by the Ministry of Education, for school students
- Degree and transcript with the GPA, attested, for graduates, within 2 years of graduating
- ICP approval, and in Dubai a residence file issued by Dubai
Grade and university cut-offs are on the golden visa for students page.
Family members
- Attested marriage certificate for a spouse
- Attested birth certificates for children
- Undertaking that sons or daughters over 18 are not married (DLD)
- NOC from the father if the mother is the sponsor
- Dependency certificate from your consulate for each parent
- Health insurance for each person
Fees you pay with the documents
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| GDRFA permit | AED 1,100 |
| GDRFA Knowledge and Innovation | AED 10 each |
| GDRFA inside the country | AED 500 |
| ICP application | AED 100 |
| DLD property package | AED 9,884.75 |
Source: GDRFA, ICP and DLD service pages, checked . Every line is explained on the golden visa cost page. Dubai agencies publish AED 2,711.75 to AED 2,992.90 for the GDRFA residence stage (2 Amer centres, checked ).
Processing time
Once the papers are complete, GDRFA lists 48 hours for skilled professionals and 5 days for investors. DLD lists 7 to 10 business days. Attestation abroad is usually the slowest step, and no official page gives a time for it.
Document problems that get files refused
- Degree not recognised. A foreign degree without the Ministry of Education report fails the skilled and scientist routes.
- Short salary history. Four months of transfers when GDRFA asks for six.
- Deposit not frozen. A normal fixed deposit letter is not the frozen certificate GDRFA asks for.
- Old letters. Abu Dhabi asks for a salary certificate under one month old. Get fresh letters for any emirate.
- Missing licence. Doctors, pharmacists and teachers need a valid practising licence.
How it works with us
Send scans of what you already have on WhatsApp or through the form on this page. A visa adviser checks them against your route's list, marks what is missing or needs attestation, and tells you which letters to request. You get one total price before you pay. The team then uploads the file to GDRFA or ICP, or books the DLD centre, and follows the application until the residence is issued. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service. The authorities check your papers and make the decision.
Fees paid to GDRFA, ICP or DLD are not returned by them if the visa is refused. Your adviser tells you in writing before you pay which part of our total, if any, comes back after a refusal.
Official sources
- ICP Golden Residency guide: category conditions and health insurance rules.
- GDRFA investors page: deposit, company, tax and property documents.
- GDRFA specialized scientists page: skilled, health, education and scientist documents.
- GDRFA top students page: student documents and the Dubai file rule.
- DLD golden visa for investors: property and family documents.
- ADRO specialists page: Abu Dhabi salary certificate rule.
