Does buying property in Dubai get you a Golden Visa?

Property at or above AED 2 million is the threshold. The Dubai Land Department's own Golden Visa investor application page describes what follows as a 10-year renewable residence permit, with the property value certified by a property status statement from the DLD.

The part worth your attention is not the threshold, which has been stable. It is what changed in February 2026 about how you reach it.

What changed in February 2026

Until then, the property route had a barrier that excluded most buyers: you had to have actually paid a substantial share of the price, commonly cited as 50% or AED 1 million, before you could apply. On a payment plan or a mortgage, that meant waiting years.

A federal policy circular reported on 22 February 2026 removed that requirement. The test became the DLD-certified value of what you own, rather than how much of it you have paid for.

In practice that opened the route to two large groups who were previously shut out: mortgage buyers and off-plan buyers on payment plans.

What counts

A mortgaged property. The DLD's application guidance permits mortgaged properties, and where financing is involved you will need a no objection letter from your lender regarding issuance of the residence permit. Budget time for that; banks are not fast.

Off-plan. An off-plan purchase registered with the DLD can count. Your interest is recorded as an Oqood rather than a title deed until handover.

More than one property. The threshold is met by the total. The DLD wording refers to property "wholly owned by the investor (one or more properties) under the name of the applicant", so two or three smaller holdings that sum to AED 2 million can qualify where none of them would alone.

That last point is the one most people do not know, and it changes the calculation for anyone who already owns something.

Where the official sources disagree

Here is the honest position, and you will not find it on a page that is trying to sell you a property.

The DLD's investor application page describes a 10-year renewable permit at the AED 2 million threshold. The UAE federal government portal describes residence for real estate investors differently, listing a 5-year category and reserving its 10-year public-investment category for capital investment rather than property. The DLD page also still carries wording about a bank letter evidencing an amount paid, which reads like the pre-February position.

These are not necessarily contradictions. They may be different products described by different authorities, and government pages are not always updated the day a circular lands. But they are enough that you should not commit AED 2 million on the basis of any summary, including this one.

What to actually do

Eligibility is decided by the ICP or GDRFA, not by the DLD, and certainly not by an agent. An agent telling you a purchase "comes with a Golden Visa" is describing a likely outcome, not a guarantee they can give.

Before you buy on the strength of a visa:

• Confirm the current requirement with the ICP or GDRFA directly, for your specific situation
• If you are financing, confirm your lender will issue the no objection letter
• If you are buying off-plan, confirm the developer will register the Oqood promptly, because an unregistered interest is not evidence of anything
• Get the property status statement from the DLD rather than relying on the purchase price

The thing to keep in perspective

A visa is a consequence of owning property. It is not a reason to overpay for one. The AED 2 million threshold has a way of turning into a target, and a property bought at AED 2 million because that was the number, rather than because it was worth AED 2 million, is a bad purchase with a visa attached.

Position as of March 2026, from the Dubai Land Department's published investor application guidance and reporting of the February 2026 federal circular. Verify before you rely on it.