UAE Golden Visa. 10 years of residency. No income tax.
The UAE Golden Visa gives you a renewable 10-year residency permit, 0% personal income tax, UAE banking access, and the ability to sponsor your entire family. AED 2M property purchase is the most common qualifying route. Mortgages count.
Not a tourist visa. A real residency.
The UAE Golden Visa is a long-term residency permit introduced in 2019 and expanded significantly in 2022. It's renewable indefinitely and gives you the same rights as a UAE resident, including banking, company formation, and family sponsorship. It doesn't require you to give up your EU citizenship or passport.
What you get
- 10-year UAE residency permit, renewable indefinitely
- 0% personal income tax on all worldwide income while UAE resident
- UAE bank account access (tier-1 banks: Emirates NBD, ADCB, Mashreq)
- UAE company formation rights (freezone and mainland)
- Family sponsorship for spouse, children, and parents
- UAE Tax Residency Certificate after 183 days in-country
- Emirates ID for seamless travel and banking across GCC
What it doesn't require
- Giving up EU citizenship or passport
- Living in the UAE full-time (visit once every 6 months)
- Paying AED 2M in cash (mortgage-financed properties qualify)
- Employing UAE nationals or meeting local workforce quotas
- Renewing annually — 10-year window, one renewal every decade
Four ways to qualify.
The property route is the most common for EU entrepreneurs, but it's not the only one. Entrepreneurs, investors, and skilled professionals all have direct paths. Many of our clients combine two qualifying criteria for added security.
The Golden Visa isn't just a residency stamp. It's the mechanism that makes your UAE tax residency real, bankable, and defensible.
Without the Golden Visa, UAE banking is harder to obtain, UAE tax residency is harder to prove, and your EU home country's tax authority has grounds to challenge your departure. With it, everything is clean.
What changes when you have it.
The Golden Visa doesn't just provide residency. It changes your banking options, your tax position, your family's status, and your ability to build a UAE business. Here's what actually shifts.
No tax on salary, dividends, capital gains, or investment income for UAE tax residents. The TRC (Tax Residency Certificate) formalizes this, and it's accepted by most EU tax authorities as proof of departure.
Tier-1 UAE banks (Emirates NBD, ADCB, Mashreq, FAB) require a UAE residency visa for personal accounts. The Golden Visa is the cleanest qualifying document. It also helps with corporate banking for UAE freezone entities.
Sponsor your spouse, all children (no upper age limit for unmarried daughters), and parents. All sponsored family members receive the same 10-year visa. No separate investment required for family members.
Golden Visa holders can form UAE companies without a local sponsor in most freezone structures. Combined with the residency, this creates a clean path to full UAE tax residency and operational credibility.
Emirates ID opens visa-on-arrival or visa-free access to GCC countries. UAE residency also smooths applications for US, UK, and Schengen visas. Your EU passport remains valid and unchanged.
Just visit once every 6 months to keep the visa active. No minimum number of days per year, unlike most EU residency programs. You can spend most of your time in Europe if that's where your life is.
From property purchase to visa stamp.
Typical timeline: 6–10 weeks from property purchase completion to Golden Visa in hand. ETERAX handles all documentation, government liaison, Emirates ID coordination, and family visa applications alongside your main application.
We confirm which pathway you qualify for, review your property or investment documentation, and map out any complications (e.g., existing EU residency, dependent children, business income) before we file anything.
All required documents prepared and apostilled: passport copies, property title deed (or investment certificate), medical test coordination, Emirates ID application, passport photos to UAE specification.
Online application submitted to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. We track status and handle any compliance follow-up or additional document requests from the authority.
One visit to the UAE for biometrics and medical testing. We schedule all appointments back-to-back to minimize your time. Visa stamped in passport. Emirates ID issued 5–10 days later.
Golden Visa questions answered.
Six things people ask before starting the application.
Do I need to pay AED 2M in cash?
No. Mortgage-financed properties qualify as long as the paid-up equity reaches AED 2M. You can put down less than the full amount and qualify based on the portion you've paid off. Multiple properties can also be combined to reach the AED 2M threshold. ETERAX coordinates the property purchase alongside the visa application for clients going down this route.
Will I lose my EU citizenship?
No. The UAE Golden Visa is a residency permit, not citizenship. Your EU passport and citizenship are entirely unaffected. You keep all EU rights, including the right to live and work anywhere in the EU. The only thing that changes is your tax residency, and only once you meet the time requirements and obtain a UAE Tax Residency Certificate.
Is the Golden Visa linked to my property? What happens if I sell?
The visa is linked to you, not the property. However, the property must maintain AED 2M+ value at renewal time for the visa to be renewed based on the property route. If you sell before renewal and don't replace the qualifying asset, the visa may not renew automatically. Selling and reinvesting in another qualifying property has no impact. We advise on the timing of property transactions relative to renewal dates.
Can my whole family come?
Yes. The Golden Visa holder can sponsor a spouse, all children (with no upper age limit for unmarried daughters), and parents. All sponsored family members receive the same 10-year visa. There's no separate investment requirement for family members, just documentation proving the relationship and your qualifying status as primary holder.
How long do I need to stay in the UAE?
To keep the visa active: visit at least once every 6 months. No minimum number of days required. To obtain a UAE Tax Residency Certificate, you need 183 days in-country in a calendar year. Many of our clients live primarily in Europe and maintain UAE residency for tax purposes, spending 183+ days in UAE during the transition year to get the TRC, then travel freely afterward.
Can I hold multiple residencies?
Yes. There's no legal conflict between holding UAE residency and Panama residency simultaneously. Many ETERAX clients hold both. The key is tax residency: you should establish primary tax residency in one jurisdiction to avoid dual taxation claims from your EU home country. UAE is usually the primary jurisdiction for tax purposes, with Panama as the secondary asset protection and citizenship-path residency.
Check your UAE eligibility today.
Free assessment. We'll map which pathway fits your situation, the total cost, and a realistic timeline. No commitment. Confidential. 48-hour turnaround.