Some questions about Dubai golden visa / Dubai residency

[LegitBananas]

I'm learning about the Dubai golden visa which gives you a 10 year residency card for investing in real estate and I'm finding it interesting, however I have some questions for those who might be more knowledgable about this:

1. Are there any obligations for staying/entering Dubai in order to maintain this visa? I would like the freedom to stay out of Dubai for however long I please and not lose it, even it means leaving for more than 1 year without visiting.

2. Does obtaining this visa make me a legal tax resident of the UAE meaning I have to file taxes and have some bureaucratic obligations every year? (I know there is no personal income tax, but I'm assuming there are still some formalities). Also can I claim I'm a UAE tax resident to a 3rd country i want to open a bank account in? (but not live in).

3. Would obtaining the visa give me the freedom to move all of my personal stock or cash to a UAE brokerage/bank?

thanks in advance!

 

[Shories]

1. Are there any obligations for staying/entering Dubai in order to maintain this visa? I would like the freedom to stay out of Dubai for however long I please and not lose it, even it means leaving for more than 1 year without visiting.

- No minimum stay requirement for Golden Visa holders
- Can remain outside UAE for unlimited duration
- Visa remains valid even if you don't enter UAE for multiple years
- Visa must be renewed every 10 years
- Property investment must remain active during visa validity

2. Does obtaining this visa make me a legal tax resident of the UAE meaning I have to file taxes and have some bureaucratic obligations every year? (I know there is no personal income tax, but I'm assuming there are still some formalities). Also can I claim I'm a UAE tax resident to a 3rd country i want to open a bank account in? (but not live in).

- Obtaining Golden Visa alone ≠ Automatic tax residency
- For UAE tax residency, need to meet specific criteria: Physical presence needed of 183+ days in UAE per year, primary home in UAE and center of vital interests in UAE
- UAE tax residency certificate requires: Emirates ID, proof of accommodation and minimum stay requirements
- Cannot claim UAE tax residency solely based on Golden Visa
- Third-party banks likely require additional proof beyond visa

3. Would obtaining the visa give me the freedom to move all of my personal stock or cash to a UAE brokerage/bank?

- Golden Visa allows: Opening UAE bank accounts, trading with UAE brokerages and maintaining financial assets in UAE
- No restrictions on capital movement
- Can maintain investments globally
- UAE financial institutions still require: KYC documentation, source of funds verification, compliance with international regulations (FATCA/CRS)

Remember too:
- Minimum real estate investment: AED 2 million
- Property must be fully paid (no mortgage)
- Investment can be in multiple properties
- New regulations allow for off-plan purchases from approved developers

This response was prepared by on-the-fly research; it was not made by our consultants. I do not guarantee 100% accuracy.

 

[LegitBananas]

- No minimum stay requirement for Golden Visa holders
- Can remain outside UAE for unlimited duration
- Visa remains valid even if you don't enter UAE for multiple years
- Visa must be renewed every 10 years
- Property investment must remain active during visa validity


- Obtaining Golden Visa alone ≠ Automatic tax residency
- For UAE tax residency, need to meet specific criteria: Physical presence needed of 183+ days in UAE per year, primary home in UAE and center of vital interests in UAE
- UAE tax residency certificate requires: Emirates ID, proof of accommodation and minimum stay requirements
- Cannot claim UAE tax residency solely based on Golden Visa
- Third-party banks likely require additional proof beyond visa


- Golden Visa allows: Opening UAE bank accounts, trading with UAE brokerages and maintaining financial assets in UAE
- No restrictions on capital movement
- Can maintain investments globally
- UAE financial institutions still require: KYC documentation, source of funds verification, compliance with international regulations (FATCA/CRS)

Remember too:
- Minimum real estate investment: AED 2 million
- Property must be fully paid (no mortgage)
- Investment can be in multiple properties
- New regulations allow for off-plan purchases from approved developers

This response was prepared by on-the-fly research; it was not made by our consultants. I do not guarantee 100% accuracy.

Thanks a lot! This is very helpful

 

[kristoher]

It would appear you can now qualify whilst having a mortgage

 

[PinkCat]

Until recently it was 2M AED property investment with at least 50% paid (if it is on off plan on a payment plan) beginning of this year they changed it so that even down payment is enough which is usually 10 or 20% of the property value. So for 200 to 400K aed you can start the process.

 

[kristoher]

I thought the lowest was 20%?

 

[Brutus]

Until recently it was 2M AED property investment with at least 50% paid (if it is on off plan on a payment plan) beginning of this year they changed it so that even down payment is enough which is usually 10 or 20% of the property value. So for 200 to 400K aed you can start the process.

The timing of this post is amazing! I wanted to start doing more research into the UAE golden visa now since past few years my funds were invested in crypto and I didn't want to cash out 500k from crypto in order to buy a property but with the current rates I would diversify. Where would be the best place to start doing research? I mean looking for banks that offer these mortgages or brokers that do this or the actual developers, etc..?

 

[PinkCat]

@kristoher for bank financing probably yes, actually even more if you are not a resident yet.
For off plan properties with a payment plan, often the first payment is 10% but also often the second payment is again 10% within just few months.

actually Im not even sure if that works with mortgage for the golden visa, but for sure works for an off plan property.

@Brutus I looked very shortly into bank financing, since they what to see salary and other workers stuff, which I don't have since my income is from dividends from my own businesses and investments. But I know there are credit consultants which can direct you.

About the property itself, that is so overwhelming! There are so many projects I was dizzy for a time. So I found couple of brokers that I trust, they made me several suggestions of stuff they think is good and I hand picked few that I like. Basically they did the broad narrow down, I did the final.

Beware though, most brokers are not professional and will recommend even a dumpster fire. First they don't care, second they are not investors themselves so they don't think like one and don't see the potential or red flags we see. Actually I feel like in Dubai every second person is a broker. Most are idiots and even if they did care they are not bright enough to cater to your interest.

 

[kristoher]

@kristoher for bank financing probably yes, actually even more if you are not a resident yet.
For off plan properties with a payment plan, often the first payment is 10% but also often the second payment is again 10% within just few months.

actually Im not even sure if that works with mortgage for the golden visa, but for sure works for an off plan property.

@Brutus I looked very shortly into bank financing, since they what to see salary and other workers stuff, which I don't have since my income is from dividends from my own businesses and investments. But I know there are credit consultants which can direct you.

About the property itself, that is so overwhelming! There are so many projects I was dizzy for a time. So I found couple of brokers that I trust, they made me several suggestions of stuff they think is good and I hand picked few that I like. Basically they did the broad narrow down, I did the final.

Beware though, most brokers are not professional and will recommend even a dumpster fire. First they don't care, second they are not investors themselves so they don't think like one and don't see the potential or red flags we see. Actually I feel like in Dubai every second person is a broker. Most are idiots and even if they did care they are not bright enough to cater to your interest.

Thanks for all that info. Actually looking to buy in Dubai for golden visa. Would you be able to recommend the broker?

 

[Brutus]

@kristoher for bank financing probably yes, actually even more if you are not a resident yet.
For off plan properties with a payment plan, often the first payment is 10% but also often the second payment is again 10% within just few months.

actually Im not even sure if that works with mortgage for the golden visa, but for sure works for an off plan property.

@Brutus I looked very shortly into bank financing, since they what to see salary and other workers stuff, which I don't have since my income is from dividends from my own businesses and investments. But I know there are credit consultants which can direct you.

About the property itself, that is so overwhelming! There are so many projects I was dizzy for a time. So I found couple of brokers that I trust, they made me several suggestions of stuff they think is good and I hand picked few that I like. Basically they did the broad narrow down, I did the final.

Beware though, most brokers are not professional and will recommend even a dumpster fire. First they don't care, second they are not investors themselves so they don't think like one and don't see the potential or red flags we see. Actually I feel like in Dubai every second person is a broker. Most are idiots and even if they did care they are not bright enough to cater to your interest.

Finding trusted people is the hardest part most of the time