Buying property in the UAE grants a residence visa. There are two of them and the rules differ — the conditions for the shorter visa changed in 2026, and older articles online are now misleading.
Below is how it stands today, and what that means in practice: how many actual transactions clear each threshold, and which districts most often qualify for the long visa.
The two visas and their thresholds
| Visa | Term | Property condition |
|---|---|---|
| Investor visa | 2 years | With a sole owner there is no minimum amount. With multiple owners, each share must be at least 400,000 dirhams |
| Golden visa | 10 years | Property from 2,000,000 dirhams. The threshold applies to the property as a whole, with no minimum per co-owner — all of them can qualify |
The key 2026 change concerns the two-year visa: it previously required a purchase above a set amount, and now there is no threshold at all for a sole owner. If you buy alone, any apartment qualifies you for two-year residence.
The 400,000 figure applies only to joint ownership and is measured per owner’s share. So a property at 800,000 split between two people qualifies, while one at 700,000 does not.
What this means in practice
244,703 property transactions were registered in Dubai over the past twelve months.
- 98% of them were above 400,000 dirhams. So when buying jointly, almost any transaction clears the two-year visa threshold.
- 37% were above 2 million. Those are the ones that qualify for the golden visa: 91,363 purchases in a year.
Where a purchase most often qualifies for the golden visa
| District | Deals above 2m | Deals in a year |
|---|---|---|
| Al Yelayiss 1 | 98% | 4 943 |
| Palm Deira | 89% | 5 454 |
| Al Wasl | 89% | 2 002 |
| Al Yufrah 1 | 88% | 2 133 |
| Palm Jumeirah | 86% | 2 417 |
| Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah | 77% | 4 860 |
| Al Khairan First | 68% | 5 138 |
| Burj Khalifa | 66% | 5 127 |
| Marsa Dubai | 59% | 7 008 |
| Bukadra | 59% | 3 181 |
| Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid | 59% | 4 916 |
| Nad Al Shiba First | 56% | 3 288 |
Share of transactions above 2 million dirhams — those that qualify for the golden visa. Based on 244 703 transactions over the past 12 months; across Dubai 37% clear the threshold.
The spread is wide. In villa and premium districts almost every transaction clears the 2 million threshold; in high-volume areas fewer than one in ten do. If the golden visa is the goal, the district matters as much as the budget.
Find a property that matches the visa you need
Tell us which visa you need and whose name the property will be in, and we will select options that meet the conditions.
What the residence visa gives you
- The right to live in the UAE and to enter without limits on length of stay.
- Emirates ID — the resident identity card. Without it you cannot open a bank account, take out local insurance or access many services.
- Family sponsorship: spouse, children and in some cases parents.
- Access to local banks and mortgages on resident rather than non-resident terms.
What it does not give: it is not citizenship and not a route to it. A UAE passport is not issued on the basis of property ownership. The visa requires renewal, and the golden visa requires confirmation that you still own the property.
How it is issued
- Purchase and registration of title. The visa is processed once the title deed has been issued. Off-plan purchases registered through Oqood generally do not qualify.
- Medical test and biometrics in the UAE. Attendance is required; this step cannot be done remotely.
- Submission through the Land Department or GDRFA centres.
- Emirates ID is issued after approval, in anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Processing costs usually come to a few thousand dirhams per person: government fees, the medical, insurance and card issuance. The exact figure depends on the visa type and the number of family members.
Frequently asked questions
What amount is required for a visa when buying property
For the two-year visa with a sole owner there is no minimum. With multiple owners each share must be at least 400,000 dirhams. For the ten-year golden visa the property must be worth at least 2 million, and then all co-owners can qualify.
Is it true that 750,000 dirhams is required
That condition is out of date. In 2026 the threshold for the two-year visa was removed for sole owners, and joint ownership is governed by the 400,000 per-share figure. Many articles online still repeat the older number.
Does an off-plan purchase qualify for a visa
Generally no: a completed transaction and a title deed are required. While the property is under construction you hold an Oqood registration, not a title deed.
Do I have to live in the UAE for the visa to remain valid
You do not have to live there permanently, but you cannot be outside the country beyond the permitted continuous period, or the visa is cancelled. The rule is more lenient for the golden visa than for an ordinary residence visa.
Does the visa lead to UAE citizenship
No. Citizenship is not granted on the basis of property ownership, and the golden visa is not a step towards it.
Can family members be included
Yes, the owner sponsors a spouse and children, and in some cases parents. Each visa is processed and paid for separately.
What next
If the golden visa is the objective, look at properties above 2 million: the apartments page has prices by district, and the villas page covers communities where practically every transaction clears the threshold.
If the aim is simply residence with a sole owner, any budget works, and the sensible basis for choosing becomes yield — which is set out on the same pages.
Visa conditions are set by the government and change periodically. This page reflects the rules in force as of August 2026; confirm current requirements with GDRFA or with us before a transaction.
Property-owner residency: status, family members and the application sequence
A foreign buyer can apply for UAE residence as a property owner after the ownership document has been issued. This is residency, not citizenship and not a route to a UAE passport. The owner receives a residence visa and Emirates ID after approval; a spouse, children and, in some cases, parents may be sponsored separately.
The ownership structure should be settled before signing. For the current two-year route described on this page, a sole owner has no minimum property amount. Where there are multiple owners, each owner’s share must be at least 400,000 dirhams. A couple buying jointly should therefore check the percentage registered in each name rather than relying only on the total purchase price.
For a ten-year Golden Visa, the page’s current condition is property from 2,000,000 dirhams, with the threshold applied to the property as a whole. Co-owners can qualify without a separate minimum amount for each co-owner. Visa criteria can change, so the applicable requirements should be confirmed with GDRFA or ICP on the day of application, before a purchase is treated as a visa solution.
The practical order is specific: complete the purchase, register title, obtain the title deed, attend the medical test and biometrics in the UAE, then submit the residence application through the relevant channel. A tourist visa does not replace this process. It may allow entry to the UAE, but it does not provide resident status, Emirates ID, or the owner’s ability to sponsor family members.
Family applications are separate from the owner’s application. Each person has their own processing and related costs. A buyer planning to relocate with relatives should first establish whose name will be on the title deed, which visa category that ownership supports, and which family members will be sponsored after the owner’s residency is issued.
Market reference points for property-investor visa planning
Two price points are frequently used to assess the apartment market: 750,000 AED for the shorter property-investor visa discussion and 2,000,000 AED for the ten-year Golden Visa discussion. They are market reference points, not a promise of visa approval. Current GDRFA or ICP requirements remain the authority at the time of submission.
In 2025, 166,267 apartment transactions were registered. 81.6% were at or above 750,000 AED, while 28.2% were at or above 2,000,000 AED. The average transaction price was 1,933,217 AED. These figures show why a buyer seeking ordinary property-owner residency has a much broader apartment market to consider than a buyer targeting the long-term category.
In 2026, 86,391 apartment transactions were recorded, with 75.6% at or above 750,000 AED and 26.1% at or above 2,000,000 AED. The average transaction price was 1,851,957 AED. The figures should not be read as a prediction for a particular unit: eligibility depends on the registered ownership and the rules in force when the file is submitted.
A longer view also shows that the share above 2,000,000 AED has remained selective. It was 22.9% of 35,738 apartment transactions in 2021, 28.2% of 62,591 in 2022, 29.3% of 93,837 in 2023, and 27.6% of 136,617 in 2024. For buyers comparing locations before choosing a price range, the Dubai area performance page provides a useful next step alongside the ownership and visa checks.
The correct question is not whether a listing is described as “visa eligible.” Ask what will be registered on the title deed, whether the property is completed, whether each co-owner’s share fits the intended category, and whether the current immigration rules accept that ownership structure.
Apartment size and budget: where the 750,000 AED and 2,000,000 AED references appear
Apartment type changes the probability of finding transactions above each market reference point. In 2025, studios accounted for 41,796 transactions, with an average price of 774,959 AED. Only 41.9% were at or above 750,000 AED, and 0.2% were at or above 2,000,000 AED.
One-bedroom apartments recorded 73,889 transactions and an average price of 1,441,196 AED. Their share at or above 750,000 AED was 92.2%, while 18.1% were at or above 2,000,000 AED. This makes the one-bedroom segment relevant for buyers who want a broad choice around the lower market reference, while the higher reference requires a more targeted search.
For two-bedroom apartments, 39,727 transactions were recorded at an average price of 2,675,027 AED. 98.9% were at or above 750,000 AED and 59.6% were at or above 2,000,000 AED. Three-bedroom apartments had 9453 transactions, an average price of 5,393,599 AED, a 99.2% share at or above 750,000 AED, and an 88.7% share at or above 2,000,000 AED.
These are transaction patterns rather than immigration rules. A two-bedroom apartment is not automatically a Golden Visa case, and a studio is not automatically unsuitable for residence. The completed title deed, ownership allocation and current approval criteria still control the application. Buyers who need price context by district can review apartment prices in Dubai before narrowing the search to completed units.
District selection for buyers targeting the 2,000,000 AED market reference
For a buyer looking at the 2,000,000 AED reference point, district selection affects how much of the local transaction market falls within that range. In 2025, Trade Center Second recorded 765 apartment transactions, of which 99.1% were at or above 2,000,000 AED; the average transaction price was 6,356,069 AED. Zaabeel Second recorded 620 transactions, 95.5% at or above the reference, with an average price of 4,843,785 AED.
Al Wasl had 2072 transactions, 94.4% at or above 2,000,000 AED, and an average price of 4,976,665 AED. Palm Jumeirah had 1338 transactions, 92.4% at or above that level, with an average price of 9,347,479 AED. Palm Deira recorded 4221 transactions, with 85.6% at or above 2,000,000 AED and an average price of 3,059,965 AED.
There are also districts where the qualifying-price share is substantial without approaching the levels seen in the highest-priced locations. Al Kifaf recorded 775 transactions, 84.0% at or above 2,000,000 AED, and an average price of 2,805,377 AED. Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah had 5462 transactions, a share of 81.3%, and an average price of 2,976,537 AED. Burj Khalifa recorded 3933 transactions, with 72.3% at or above the reference and an average price of 4,269,412 AED.
Marsa Dubai recorded 6995 transactions, 65.7% at or above 2,000,000 AED, and an average price of 3,868,986 AED. At the other end of this selected group, Al Thanyah Fifth recorded 3831 transactions, 48.6% at or above the reference, with an average price of 2,135,858 AED. A buyer should still verify the price and legal status of the chosen unit rather than infer eligibility from a district average.
Mortgage, off-plan property and the risk of a refused or cancelled visa
A mortgage should be discussed before the reservation stage, because property financing and visa approval are separate decisions. Resident status can affect access to local mortgage terms, but a buyer should not assume that a planned residence application converts a non-resident mortgage into a resident mortgage before residency has been issued. The lender’s conditions, the title registration and the immigration application must each be checked independently.
Off-plan property requires particular caution. The present page states that an off-plan purchase registered through Oqood generally does not qualify because the buyer holds Oqood registration rather than a title deed. The residence application is processed after title has been issued. A purchaser should therefore avoid treating an under-construction unit as an immediate residence route.
In 2025, off-plan properties accounted for 121,975 apartment transactions. 85.7% were at or above 750,000 AED and 29.5% were at or above 2,000,000 AED. Existing properties accounted for 44,292 transactions, with 70.3% at or above 750,000 AED and 24.7% at or above 2,000,000 AED. Crossing a market price reference in an off-plan transaction does not remove the title-deed requirement described on this page.
A visa can be refused if the application does not meet the current rules or supporting requirements. It can also be affected if the underlying ownership condition is no longer met. The Golden Visa requires confirmation that the property is still owned, while ordinary residence has limits on continuous time outside the UAE. A buyer who plans frequent long absences should verify the applicable absence rule before relying on property ownership for residence.
For a detailed route through the long-term category, including the steps to confirm before filing, see how to get a Dubai Golden Visa in 2026. The final check should always be made against GDRFA or ICP requirements on the application date, particularly where there is joint ownership, financing, an off-plan purchase, or family sponsorship.