The UAE golden visa is a long-term residence permit that you hold without a sponsor (the employer or family member who renews a standard residence visa). As of October 2026, ICP (the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security) lists it at 10 years with automatic renewal, while the u.ae government portal (updated 28 July 2026) lists 5 years for property investors and entrepreneurs. The benefits the authorities name are no sponsor, stays outside the UAE beyond six months, residence for your spouse, children of any age and parents, domestic workers, and the freedom to live, work, study and invest.

You qualify through a route, the condition the golden visa is granted under, such as owning property, investing, running a business or working in a senior job. The routes, government fees and filing steps are on our golden visa services page. The golden visa does not give you citizenship, a company, a bank account or a tax status.

If you do not meet a route’s condition, a residence visa through your own company in a free zone gives you some of the same things on shorter terms. A free zone is an area with its own authority that licenses companies, such as Meydan or IFZA. First Idea’s Standard package, a company and one residence visa, is AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA.

Key takeaways (rules checked 27 October 2026)

  • ICP lists the golden visa at 10 years, with automatic renewal and no sponsor (page updated 10 September 2026); u.ae, updated 28 July 2026, lists 5 years for real estate investors and entrepreneurs.
  • GDRFA Dubai (the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai) says golden residence holders are exempt from the 180-day rule; under that rule, u.ae says, a residence visa is generally nullified after more than 180 days in a row outside the UAE.
  • On a golden visa, ICP lists permits for your spouse, children regardless of age and parents; on the Dubai property route, sons and daughters over 18 must be unmarried (Dubai Land Department).
  • u.ae’s family sponsorship rule for residents, which it says covers employers and employees, lists a spouse, unmarried daughters and sons under 25, from a salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation.
  • The golden visa does not give citizenship, a company, a bank account or a tax status. First Idea quotes golden visa work in writing; a company with one residence visa is AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA on our Standard package.

By First Idea Consultant. Reviewed by Amir Aslam, Founder. Updated October 2026.

WhatsApp Amir: golden visa or a visa through my own company

What are the benefits of the UAE golden visa?

The benefits of the UAE golden visa, as ICP, u.ae, GDRFA Dubai and the Dubai Land Department word them, are long-term residence without a sponsor, time outside the UAE beyond six months, family and domestic worker sponsorship, and the freedom to live, work, study and invest. Not needing a sponsor matters because, on a standard residence visa, u.ae says your sponsor must renew it before it expires and normally only the sponsor can cancel it. Each benefit comes with a condition or a limit, and the table gives the authority’s own words, where they are published and the limit attached, read on each publisher’s site on 27 October 2026.

Golden visa benefits as the authorities word them, checked 27 October 2026
Benefit The authority’s wording Publisher Condition or limit
No sponsor “without the need for a sponsor” (ICP); “the privilege of not needing a sponsor” (u.ae) ICP, updated 10 September 2026; u.ae, updated 28 July 2026 You keep meeting your route’s conditions. GDRFA Dubai adds that holders must be able to support themselves and their families without government support
Long-term residence “ten years, with automatic renewal” (ICP); a “10-years renewable residence permit” on the property route (Dubai Land Department) ICP; Dubai Land Department, site updated 14 October 2026 u.ae lists “5 or 10 years”, with 5 for real estate investors and entrepreneurs. GDRFA Dubai says investor and entrepreneur permits can be extended “if the same conditions are met”
Time outside the UAE “more than the usual period of six months” (u.ae); holders “are exempt from the 180-day residency law” (GDRFA Dubai) u.ae; GDRFA Dubai GDRFA Dubai says the permit is void only if it expires while you are outside the country, so the permit itself must stay valid
Family Permits for “spouses and children, regardless of their age, as well as for parents” ICP; u.ae names spouses and children ICP asks for valid health insurance for you and your family. On the Dubai property route, the Dubai Land Department asks for an undertaking that sons and daughters over 18 are not married. Each family permit has its own government fees, listed on our golden visa services page
Domestic workers Sponsorship “in accordance with the applicable regulations and procedures” ICP ICP gives no number, and neither do the u.ae, GDRFA Dubai or Dubai Land Department pages we read
Live, work, study and invest “The freedom to live, work, study and invest” ICP ICP’s guide does not set out how a holder gets a work permit, and the visa does not create a company (see what it does not give)
Family after the holder’s death Sponsored family members “may remain in the UAE” ICP Only while their own residence permits are valid
Entry visa while you apply A “six-month, multiple-entry entry visa, renewable for an additional six months” ICP For eligible applicants outside the UAE. The property route still needs you inside the UAE to apply (Dubai Land Department)

Every benefit in this table is on the website of ICP, u.ae, GDRFA Dubai or the Dubai Land Department. Some news and agency pages list more, such as an unlimited number of domestic workers. We left out anything we could not find on those four publishers’ own pages.

What does First Idea charge for golden visa work or a company visa?

First Idea quotes golden visa work in writing, and a company with one residence visa costs AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA on the Standard package. Golden visa work has no fixed price because the government fees change with your route and the number of family members. Send your golden visa route and the number of family members on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote that separates government fees from our service fee. The authorities’ own fees for each route are on our golden visa services page.

A company with one residence visa has fixed package prices at Meydan and IFZA, as of October 2026. Meydan and IFZA are separate packages, so read one column.

First Idea Consultant packages with a residence visa, as of October 2026
Package What it covers Meydan IFZA
Standard Company and one residence visa, with establishment card, medical, Emirates ID and corporate tax registration AED 23,136 AED 23,436
Premium Company, one residence visa and business bank account opening assistance AED 28,136 AED 28,436

The residence visa in Standard and Premium is a standard residence visa through your own company, not a golden visa. Premium is account opening assistance, not a delivered account.

KYC, short for know your customer, is the bank’s own check on the company, its owners and the source of funds. Bank account opening is subject to each bank’s KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank’s requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next.

Other free zones and extra visas have no First Idea package price. Send your business activity and visa count on WhatsApp and you get an itemised written quote. The line-by-line breakdown of each package is on our business setup cost in Dubai page, and all four packages are on Dubai company setup packages.

Which benefits depend on your golden visa route?

The golden visa benefits that change with your route are the term the authorities publish for the route, the family conditions, and what has to stay in place for the permit to be extended. The conditions and fees for each route are on our golden visa services page; this table shows only what changes.

What changes by golden visa route, checked 27 October 2026
Route Term as published What changes on this route Publisher
Property investor (Dubai) 10 years (Dubai Land Department; ICP). u.ae lists 5 years 10-year family and parents permits; sons and daughters over 18 must be unmarried; a mortgaged property can qualify with a bank letter showing AED 2 million paid (Dubai Land Department). A lien on the property “to ensure the continuity of ownership”, and the property may not be disposed of during the permit (GDRFA Dubai) Dubai Land Department; GDRFA Dubai
Public investment 10 years (ICP; u.ae; GDRFA Dubai) The permit can be extended “if the same conditions are met”. Deposit option: the deposit may not be withdrawn during the 10-year permit, and the bank certificate GDRFA Dubai asks for states a freeze of at least two years. Company option: your share of the company’s assets, shown in a certified financial report from an accredited UAE audit firm GDRFA Dubai
Entrepreneur 10 years (ICP; GDRFA Dubai). u.ae lists 5 years In Dubai, a nomination from the Dubai Future Foundation, which GDRFA Dubai says is not final approval; the permit can be extended if the same conditions are met GDRFA Dubai
Skilled professional 10 years (ICP) The route rests on a job: ICP asks for a valid UAE work permit under an approved employment contract ICP
Close up of one hand passing a house key on a silver house shaped key ring to another, with a smiling woman out of focus behind, like a buyer receiving the keys to a property
Buying property is one route to the golden visa, and this section shows which benefits change on that route. Photo: Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels

On the property route, the Dubai Land Department issues a 10-year renewable permit to an owner of Dubai property with a purchase value of AED 2 million or more, wholly owned in the applicant’s name (checked 27 October 2026). The property may be mortgaged, in which case the Department asks for a no-objection letter from the bank showing AED 2 million paid. Your husband or wife, children and parents can be sponsored on 10-year permits, and for sons and daughters over 18 the Department asks for an undertaking that they are not married.

The property is what keeps the permit in place. GDRFA Dubai requires a lien on the property “to ensure the continuity of ownership”, placed under the Land Department’s procedures, and says the property may not be disposed of during the 10-year permit. The Dubai Land Department also says you apply yourself, from inside the UAE, with no representative, so First Idea does not file property route applications for you.

GDRFA Dubai says investor and entrepreneur permits can be extended “if the same conditions are met”. On its investor page it adds that a deposit may not be withdrawn during the 10-year permit, and that it reserves the right to take the necessary measures to make sure holders keep meeting the conditions throughout the permit. On the skilled professional route, the condition is a job: ICP asks for a valid UAE work permit under an approved employment contract.

Golden visa or a residence visa through your own company: what is the difference?

A golden visa needs no sponsor and runs for up to 10 years, while a residence visa through your own company is a sponsored visa of 1, 2 or 3 years that your sponsor renews. A residence visa through your own company is a standard residence visa issued because you own or run a licensed company, for example in a free zone such as Meydan or IFZA. The table sets the two side by side.

Golden visa and a residence visa through your own company, checked 27 October 2026
Point Golden visa Residence visa through your own company
Sponsor None: “without the need for a sponsor” (ICP) Sponsored: u.ae describes residence visas sponsored by a family member or by your employer, and here the employer is your own company
Term 10 years on ICP’s page; 5 years for real estate investors and entrepreneurs on u.ae 1, 2 or 3 years on a sponsored visa (u.ae)
Time outside the UAE Exempt from the 180-day rule (GDRFA Dubai) Generally nullified after more than 180 days in a row outside the UAE; u.ae lists exceptions, including “investors holding valid residence visas in the UAE”
Spouse and children Spouse and children regardless of age (ICP); on the Dubai property route, sons and daughters over 18 must be unmarried (Dubai Land Department) u.ae’s family sponsorship rule for residents, which it says covers employers and employees: spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs, from a salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. GDRFA Dubai’s humanitarian cases service also lists children aged 25 and above, with certified proof of continued studies or a university graduation certificate
Parents Yes (ICP); the Dubai Land Department lists a 10-year parents permit on the property route In Dubai, through GDRFA Dubai’s humanitarian cases service: a one-year renewable permit; a salary certificate or employment contract showing at least AED 10,000, and if the sponsor is a partner or investor, GDRFA Dubai asks for the partnership agreement, trade licence and partners’ annex; an attested tenancy contract and three months of bank statements. Each request is reviewed case by case, and on approval GDRFA Dubai asks for “a financial guarantee of AED 5,000” per request, up to AED 15,000 in total
Family if the sponsor dies or the visa is cancelled If the holder dies, sponsored family may stay while their own permits are valid (ICP). ICP’s guide does not say what happens to family permits if the golden visa is cancelled If your visa is cancelled, your family’s visas have to be cancelled too, with a 6-month grace period to get a new permit (u.ae). If a husband who sponsors his wife dies, u.ae’s general provisions page says she gets a one-year extension from the date of death, renewable once, which also covers children who were on his visa
Work “The freedom to live, work, study and invest” (ICP); ICP’s guide does not set out how a holder gets a work permit Through your own company, which sponsors the visa
Renewal “automatic renewal” (ICP); extended “if the same conditions are met” (GDRFA Dubai) “Your sponsor must renew your residence visa before it expires” (u.ae)
First Idea price Quoted in writing, government fees itemised Standard, company and one residence visa: AED 23,136 at Meydan, AED 23,436 at IFZA

The 180-day rule is the general rule on u.ae: an expatriate resident who lives outside the UAE for more than 180 days in a row has the residence visa nullified automatically. u.ae lists exceptions, and one of them is “investors holding valid residence visas in the UAE”. The page does not define which permits count as investor visas. For golden visa holders, u.ae says they can enter the UAE directly at any time while their residency is valid.

Your company also holds a trade licence, which is renewed on its own terms. No professional service fee on licence renewals; government and authority fees still apply. The steps are on our trade license renewal Dubai page, and the visa side is on free zone visa Dubai.

For the full rules on sponsoring a spouse, children and parents on a standard visa, see our family visa UAE guide. For other residence routes, including a visa through an employer, see UAE residence visa.

What does the golden visa not give you?

The golden visa does not give you citizenship, a company or trade licence, a bank account or a tax status: it is a residence permit. Each point below gives what the official pages say.

Citizenship. ICP calls the golden visa long-term residency and u.ae calls it a long-term residence visa. Neither page lists citizenship among the benefits (checked 27 October 2026).

A company or a trade licence. ICP lists the freedom to invest, but the visa does not create a company. A company is licensed separately, for example by a free zone authority such as Meydan or IFZA. On some routes, such as the company options on ICP’s public investment route, the company comes first and has to meet the route’s condition before you apply.

A bank account. None of the golden visa pages we read gives holders a right to a bank account. Bank account opening is subject to each bank’s KYC, compliance review and final approval. We prepare the file, pre-check it against the bank’s requirements, and if one bank declines we apply to the next.

A tax status. The golden visa pages of ICP, u.ae, GDRFA Dubai and the Dubai Land Department list no tax benefit for holders; tax appears there only as a qualifying condition, as taxes a company pays on the investor route.

0% personal income tax. Corporate tax is 9% only on profit above AED 375,000, and registration is included in every package from Standard upward. The rates match the u.ae corporate tax page (updated 30 March 2026) and the u.ae taxation page, both checked 27 October 2026.

Example: two founders, two routes

Two men at a wooden office desk going through printed papers, a younger man in a white shirt holding a sheet and a pen and an older man in a dark suit reading, like two founders comparing their routes to UAE residence
Two founders with different budgets can end up on different routes, one on the golden visa and one on a residence visa through their own company. Photo: Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels

Example: two founders who want to live in Dubai and run a business end up on different routes, one on the property golden visa and one on a residence visa through a Meydan company. Founder A owns a Dubai apartment with a purchase value of AED 2 million, wholly in their own name, which meets the Dubai Land Department’s property route threshold. Founder B owns no property and sets up a Meydan free zone company on First Idea’s Standard package, AED 23,136 for the company and one residence visa. The two founders are made up to show how the rules work; they are not clients.

What each founder holds, from the rules checked 27 October 2026
Point Founder A: property golden visa Founder B: Meydan Standard
How they apply Themselves, from inside the UAE, with no representative (Dubai Land Department) After the company is incorporated, once it has its immigration card and visa allocation (Meydan FAQs)
Sponsor None (ICP) Their own company
Term 10 years (Dubai Land Department) 1, 2 or 3 years on a sponsored visa (u.ae)
Time abroad Exempt from the 180-day rule (GDRFA Dubai) The 180-day rule, unless an exception applies (u.ae)
Spouse and children Spouse, and children of any age (ICP); on the property route, sons and daughters over 18 must be unmarried (Dubai Land Department) Spouse, unmarried daughters and sons under 25, from a salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation (u.ae’s rule for residents); in Dubai, children aged 25 and above with proof of studies or a graduation certificate (GDRFA Dubai)
Parents 10-year parents permit (Dubai Land Department) One-year renewable permit through GDRFA Dubai’s humanitarian cases service: a salary of at least AED 10,000, and from a partner or investor the partnership agreement, trade licence and partners’ annex; on approval, “a financial guarantee of AED 5,000” per request, up to AED 15,000 in total (GDRFA Dubai)
Work ICP lists the freedom to live, work, study and invest; its guide does not set out how a holder gets a work permit. A company of their own is licensed separately Works through their own company
Cost Government fees on the property route are on our golden visa services page. Founder A files in person; our route and document check is quoted in writing AED 23,136 (Meydan Standard)

In this example, Founder A gets the longer, unsponsored permit and the wider family rights, because the property already meets the condition. Founder B pays for a company that runs the business and carries the visa. If Founder B’s company later meets an ICP route, for example a UAE company with capital of at least AED 2 million, fully owned and not from a loan, the golden visa can become an option. In Dubai, GDRFA Dubai asks for a certified financial report from an accredited UAE audit firm proving the value of the founder’s share of the company’s assets, and evaluates the size of the company’s investment or employment, its administrative efficiency and its financial solvency before final approval (GDRFA Dubai; ICP, both checked 27 October 2026).

Golden visa benefits: frequently asked questions

The answers below use the same official sources as the rest of this guide, checked 27 October 2026. Each answer names the authority it comes from.

What are the benefits of the UAE golden visa?

As the authorities word them, the UAE golden visa gives you long-term residence without a sponsor (10 years with automatic renewal on ICP’s page), stays outside the UAE beyond six months, residence permits for your spouse, children regardless of age and parents, domestic workers in line with the regulations, and the freedom to live, work, study and invest. If the holder dies, sponsored family may stay while their permits are valid (ICP, u.ae and GDRFA Dubai, checked 27 October 2026).

Can I sponsor my family on a golden visa?

Yes: ICP lists residence permits for your spouse, children regardless of their age and parents, and the Dubai Land Department lists 10-year family and parents permits on the property route. On the property route, the Dubai Land Department asks for an undertaking that sons and daughters over 18 are not married. ICP asks for valid health insurance for you and your family, and each family permit has its own government fees (checked 27 October 2026).

Can I stay outside the UAE for more than six months on a golden visa?

Yes. u.ae lists the ability to stay outside the UAE for more than the usual six months, and GDRFA Dubai says golden residence holders are exempt from the 180-day rule; the permit is void only if it expires while you are outside the country. u.ae adds that golden visa holders can enter the UAE directly at any time while their residency is valid (checked 27 October 2026).

Can I work or run a company on a golden visa?

ICP lists the freedom to live, work, study and invest, but its guide does not set out how a holder gets a work permit. The visa does not create a company: a company is licensed separately, for example by a free zone such as Meydan or IFZA. Some routes, such as the company options on ICP’s public investment route, need a UAE company that already meets the route’s condition (checked 27 October 2026).

Does the golden visa give UAE citizenship?

No. ICP calls the golden visa long-term residency and u.ae calls it a long-term residence visa, and neither page lists citizenship among the benefits (checked 27 October 2026). It is a residence permit, extended while you still meet your route’s conditions.

Golden visa or a company residence visa: which do I need?

That depends on whether you meet a golden visa route’s condition, such as Dubai property with a purchase value of AED 2 million or more (Dubai Land Department, checked 27 October 2026). If you do not, a residence visa through your own company is the route this page compares: First Idea’s Standard package, a company and one residence visa, is AED 23,136 at Meydan or AED 23,436 at IFZA. That visa is sponsored, runs for 1, 2 or 3 years, and follows the 180-day rule unless an exception applies (u.ae).

What happens to the golden visa if I sell the property or close the company?

GDRFA Dubai says the property may not be disposed of, nor the financial deposit refunded, throughout the 10-year residency period, and it requires a lien on the property “to ensure the continuity of ownership” under the Land Department’s procedures. For the company option, GDRFA Dubai says investor permits can be extended “if the same conditions are met”, and it reserves the right to take the necessary measures to make sure holders keep meeting the conditions throughout the permit. Its investor page does not set out a separate procedure for a sale or a closure (checked 27 October 2026).

Ask Amir which route fits you

To ask Amir whether the golden visa or a visa through your own company fits you, send three things on WhatsApp: your nationality, whether you own UAE property or a UAE company, and how many family members will live with you. We usually reply within a couple of hours.

WhatsApp Amir: golden visa or a visa through my own company

First Idea Consultant LLC, founded 2015, Office 812, ParkLane Tower, Park Regis, Business Bay, Dubai. Call or WhatsApp +971 56 500 6694, Monday to Friday 9:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 9:00 to 14:00.

Sources and how we checked

Every rule on this page comes from the official sources below, each read on its publisher’s own website on 27 October 2026. Rules change, so check the source before you file.

About the reviewer

Amir Aslam is the Founder of First Idea Consultant LLC, a business setup firm in Dubai since 2015. He works from Park Regis, ParkLane Tower, Office 812, Business Bay, Dubai.

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