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Golden Visa
The AED 2 Million Rule: What Qualifies for the Golden Visa in 2026
The threshold, the freehold areas that count, how several properties combine, and how the Dubai Land Department certifies the value.
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To qualify for the 10-year UAE Golden Visa on the property route, you need Dubai freehold real estate with a Dubai Land Department value of AED 2 million or more. You can meet it with one property or combine several, as long as each is qualifying freehold and the total certified value reaches AED 2M on your application day.
The property must be freehold residential in a designated area, and the basis of value is DLD certification (recorded contract value for off-plan).
How the AED 2 Million Line Is Measured
Start with the instrument that creates the visa. The annex to Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022, which regulates Golden Residence Permits, sets the property condition in one sentence: "The Investor shall own one or more Real Estate with a total value of not less than (AED 2,000,000) two million dirhams, and that the Real Estate is wholly owned by the Investor. It may be a loan, on condition that the loan is from one of the local banks determined by the Competent Local Authority." Total value, wholly owned, a local mortgage allowed. Nothing about what you have paid.
GDRFA Dubai, which issues the permit, applies it the same way: "The applicant must own a property or a group of properties with a total value of no less than AED 2 million." The proof is a Land Department document: "The property value must be certified by a property status statement certificate issued by the Dubai Land Department", and "A property valuation certificate may be accepted through offices licensed by the Dubai Land Department." A share in a joint property counts only if "the value of the share must not be less than AED 2 million", and a lien is placed on the property for the ten-year term.
Now the Land Department's own page, which describes the service for an investor "owning a property the purchase value of which is equal to or more than 2 million AED at the time of purchase". That is a different test: what you paid, when you paid it. Three official texts, two measures: the regulation and GDRFA say total value today; DLD says purchase value then. For a buyer who paid AED 1.8 million for a flat now worth AED 2.2 million, the difference is the visa. Our revaluation page works that case; a DLD valuation certificate is market value by law, since the 2015 valuation resolution defines the basis as "the market value of the Real Property".
The paid-amount confusion comes from the same DLD page. Its description says: "In the event that a mortgaged property, a bank letter indicating 2 million AED paid amount as a proof to be provided." Its service terms say the letter should indicate "the paid amount and the balance". One reading demands AED 2 million already paid; the other asks for a statement of the split. The regulation above allows a local-bank loan without any paid-amount condition. We hold both DLD wordings on the bank NOC page and in the Rule Tracker; the earlier "AED 1 million cash upfront" and "50% equity" versions that circulated in the press rest on no instrument we could find. If a staged or mortgaged purchase is your route, get GDRFA's reading of your file in writing before you rely on it.
Off-plan and mortgage buyers
A mortgaged property is accepted with the bank letter above, and off-plan can qualify on recorded contract value once the unit is registered in your name. See the off-plan guide and the mortgage guide.
What Counts as Qualifying Property
The property must be freehold residential in a designated area. Foreign freehold ownership in Dubai is permitted only in designated communities, defined under Regulation No. 3 of 2006 (issued under Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006) and expanded several times since. Well-known examples include:
| Area type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Prime waterfront | Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, JBR, Bluewaters, Emaar Beachfront, Dubai Creek Harbour |
| Central | Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, DIFC, Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) |
| Villa and family communities | Dubai Hills Estate, Arabian Ranches, Tilal Al Ghaf, The Valley, Town Square |
| Value apartment areas | Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), JVT, Dubai South |
Property outside a designated area is not eligible for foreign freehold, so it cannot support the visa. Confirm any specific building or plot with DLD before you buy.
Combining Multiple Properties
You do not need one AED 2 million property. You can add together several qualifying freehold properties to reach the threshold - for example two apartments at AED 1.1 million each. Each must be qualifying freehold, held in your name, and DLD-certified. This makes the route workable for buyers who prefer smaller, rentable units over one large home.
Want to know if your properties add up to AED 2M?
Ownership shares, spouses, mortgages and off-plan - see whether your holdings qualify and the route that fits.
Do you qualify? →Worked Examples
| Scenario | Qualifies? |
|---|---|
| One ready apartment, DLD value AED 2.1M, bought cash | Yes - clears the threshold outright |
| Off-plan villa, recorded contract value AED 2.4M, 20% paid so far | Likely - can qualify on recorded contract value; confirm the off-plan document basis with DLD |
| Two apartments, AED 1.1M + AED 1.0M, combined | Yes - combined AED 2.1M meets the line |
| One apartment, DLD value AED 1.6M | No - below AED 2M; add another qualifying property to reach it |
| Property outside a designated freehold area | No - not eligible for foreign freehold |
How long does it last? The sources now disagree: the federal portal shows 5 years, DLD and GDRFA Dubai say 10. The exact wording from each.
Value Can Move - Check Before You Rely on It
Because the regulation and GDRFA test total value, a property bought below AED 2 million that has since appreciated can qualify once a licensed valuer certifies it, and a property bought above the line can fall below it. DLD's own test is purchase value, so the two authorities can give different answers to the same flat. Ask for the current certified value, and GDRFA's position on which measure it will apply to your file, before you pay the fees.
Two more things to keep straight. The federal portal's summary table still gives "5 years (real estate investments)" for this visa; the regulation, ICP, GDRFA and DLD all say ten, and we keep the texts side by side on five or ten years. And a partner service centre's Arabic page states that a valuation "is not accepted" for the ten-year route, which contradicts GDRFA's card above; it is a private operator's page, but it tells you what a counter may say.
Will your property reach AED 2 million?
Tell us what you own or plan to buy and what you paid. We'll tell you how the value is tested, whether combining properties works, and where the official sources disagree. A person replies by email, usually within a working day. If you'd like an introduction to a licensed agency, say so. That introduction is how this site makes money, and it's disclosed.
Thanks. We've got it and will reply by email, usually within a working day.
Sources
- Cabinet Resolution No. (65) of 2022, Executive Regulations of Federal Decree-Law 29 of 2021, annex Regulating Golden Residence Permits - Article 7, investor in real estate: total value AED 2,000,000, wholly owned, local-bank loan allowed - accessed 16 October 2026
- GDRFA Dubai - Investor Golden Residence, service card - total value, property status statement, valuation certificate, share of AED 2 million, lien - accessed 16 October 2026
- Dubai Land Department - Golden Visa, investor - purchase value at the time of purchase; both bank-letter wordings - accessed 16 October 2026
- Executive Council Resolution No. (37) of 2015 Regulating the Real Property Valuation Profession - Article 15, market value basis - accessed 16 October 2026
- Dubai Land Department - Property valuation (e-service) - fees and issued certificate - accessed 16 October 2026
- u.ae - Golden visa - summary table, 5-year real estate row; updated 28 July 2026 - accessed 16 October 2026
- Regulation No. (3) of 2006 Determining Areas for Ownership by Non-UAE Nationals - designated areas - accessed 16 October 2026
- Partner service centre (Al Taresh) - ten-year residency page - private operator; share wording; Arabic valuation line - accessed 16 October 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the threshold AED 2 million or AED 1 million?
AED 2 million of DLD-certified value. The old "AED 1 million cash upfront" interpretation no longer applies under current DLD and GDRFA Dubai conditions.
Can I combine two properties to reach AED 2 million?
Yes. Multiple qualifying freehold properties held in your name can be combined, as long as the total DLD-certified value reaches AED 2 million.
Does the property have to be residential?
The property route is based on freehold residential property in a designated area. Confirm any specific unit with DLD, as eligibility depends on the area and title type.
Is the value the price I paid or something else?
It is the DLD-certified value - the registered transfer value for ready property, or the recorded contract value for off-plan - not necessarily the amount you have paid.
Can I use property outside the designated freehold areas?
No. Foreign freehold ownership, and therefore the property visa route, applies only within Dubai's designated communities.
What if my property is worth just under AED 2 million?
It will not qualify on its own. You can add another qualifying property to reach the line, or wait for a certified revaluation if the market supports it. Confirm with DLD.