The United Arab Emirates has become a well-known global business hub offering an attractive golden visa program to forward-thinking individuals including entrepreneurs and investors. The program is evolving with the passage of time and is becoming more progressive, transparent, and strategically aligned with people’s goals and aspirations.
Between 2024-2025, the UAE government expanded the UAE golden visa program to attract global talent, investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and high-value professionals. This expansion and evolution reflects the UAE’s long-term strategy to move from short-term work visas to stable long-term residency pathways. These pathways also support economic diversification, innovation, and foreign investment.
What is the UAE Golden Visa?
The UAE golden visa program is a long-term residence permit granted to individuals for 10 years. The permit is renewable and allows eligible applicants to live, work, and study in the UAE without needing a local sponsor. The program attracts individuals from various parts of the world mainly due to its following key characteristics:
Long-term renewable residency granted for 10-years.
No employee sponsorship required.
Allows applicants to add dependent family members including spouse, parents, siblings, children in the application.
Entrepreneurs by living in the UAE, which is famous for ease of doing business, can establish their businesses and expand them globally.
UAE Golden Visa Expansion 2025-26: What Has Changed?
The UAE golden visa program, first launched in 2019 for investors and entrepreneurs has expanded the golden visa framework in 2025 to also include professionals from sectors such as:
Healthcare
Education
Artificial intelligence
Science
Technology
Content Creation
E-Sports
Luxury
Golden Visa UAE Requirements
Applicants can qualify for the UAE golden visa by meeting its investment requirements and eligibility criteria. The main requirements include:
Applicants must meet the investment requirement of minimum AED 2 million.
Pass the background and security checks.
Should be in good health condition.
Prove the legitimate sources of investment.
The UAE golden visa offers various diverse routes to qualify for the program and get long-term legal residence in the UAE. Those eligibility pathways include:
Investment-Based Eligibility
Under the UAE residency by investment, applicants can qualify through:
Real Estate Investment
Business Ownership
Approved Investment funds
For real estate investment, the minimum threshold is as per emirates policy.
Non-Investment Eligibility
The other pathways that do not include investment are:
Monthly income thresholds for professionals.
Academic qualifications and experience.
Government-approved achievements.
UAE Golden Visa Benefits for Investors & Professionals
Due to recent political instability, increasing taxation, and uncertainties, most wealthy individuals including high-net-worth individuals are moving to countries such as the UAE, Portugal, and Malta. But the statistics clearly indicate that UAE has reached the highest number of millionaires migrating to the country and leaving their home countries.
In 2025, more than 9,800 millionaires migrated to the UAE with an estimated wealth of USD 63 billion, showing the strongest and surging demand of the country among people. There are many reasons behind people choosing the UAE as the best choice for investment migration but some of the significant reasons are:
Long-Term Stability in a Global Hub
According to the UAE Ministry of Economy & Tourism, the United Arab Emirates ranks first globally by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-2025 leaving behind many strong economies. This reflects the country’s recognition worldwide as the best destination for startup founders and businessmen.
Numerous people including business owners and entrepreneurs benefit from 10-year residency in the UAE as they can benefit from the long-term stability in the country crucial for successful expansion and establishment of their brands or businesses.
Zero Personal Income Tax
Most global individuals prefer the UAE due to its low-tax environment where there is no personal income tax and not only this but also no inheritance tax and no capital gains. This makes it the best choice for individuals seeking relocation opportunities in a country where they can efficiently manage their finances or preserve their wealth.
Family & Lifestyle Advantages
The UAE golden visa holders enjoy plenty of benefits including a variety of business opportunities and lifestyle upgrades. The children, spouse, and parents of applicants can also be added in the application which means the family members can also benefit from healthcare facilities in the UAE and also its world-class education.
The country is also ranked top among the safest countries in the world in 2026 as per Numbeo’s Safety Index and is well-known for its high-quality infrastructure.
UAE Residency by Investment vs Citizenship by Investment
UAE Residency by Investment
The United Arab Emirates offers residency not direct citizenship. The golden visa program or residency by investment UAE is a legal and secure pathway to get UAE renewable long-term residency without changing your nationality.
UAE Citizenship Policy
UAE citizenship is not available through investment, it is granted only by government nomination under exceptional circumstances. However, the golden visa does not lead to automatic citizenship.
Why the UAE is Shifting Toward Long-Term Residency
The UAE government is putting continuous efforts towards expansion and long-term residence of the UAE to:
Retain global talent.
Encourage permanent business presence.
Reduce workforce turnover.
Conclusion: Is the UAE Golden Visa Right For You?
The UAE golden visa has evolved into one of the world’s most attractive long-term residency programs. The zero personal income tax and no capital gains makes it the perfect business hub for future oriented individuals. The UAE residency by investment program provides residents with stability, mobility and multiple lifestyle benefits.