Sofia Sands Realty · Dubai & RAK Buyer guide · UAE Golden Visa · 14 September 2026 RERA 41793
Buyer guide · UAE Golden Visa

UAE Golden Visa through property

The property route to a UAE Golden Visa requires property worth at least AED 2 million. One or more properties may be combined to reach that threshold. Mortgaged property is accepted. DLD and GDRFA Dubai state that the permit lasts 10 years and is renewable, subject to the same conditions being met.

Official wording

The rule, in the government's own words

TL;DR AED 2 million is the threshold. Multiple properties are expressly permitted.
"The applicant must own a property or a group of properties with a total value of no less than AED 2 million."

That is GDRFA Dubai's wording. DLD requires "a purchase value of which is equal to or more than 2 million AED at the time of purchase", applying to "one or more properties".

Sources: GDRFA Dubai, gdrfad.gov.ae and DLD, dubailand.gov.ae, both fetched 14 September 2026.

Combined ownership

Can you combine several properties?

TL;DR Yes. Both official pages explicitly allow it.

For part-ownership, GDRFA Dubai states: "the value of the share must not be less than AED 2 million." Your share must meet the threshold, not merely the whole jointly owned unit.

A Bay Views one-bedroom at AED 1,200,000 plus a Bay Residences unit at AED 1,191,000 passes AED 2,000,000. The AED 3,450,000 Marina Shores two-bedroom clears the value threshold alone. So does the AED 18,000,000 Bay Views full floor. These are value comparisons, not visa approvals.

Finance and evidence

Mortgaged property

TL;DR Mortgages are accepted. DLD specifies evidence of the paid amount.

GDRFA Dubai states: "Mortgaged property is acceptable, and includes all types of properties."

DLD requires "a bank letter indicating 2 million AED paid amount" as proof for a mortgaged property. We do not add conditions that these pages do not state.

An explicit gap

Off-plan: what the official pages do NOT say

TL;DR Silence is not confirmation of eligibility or exclusion.

Neither the DLD page nor the GDRFA Dubai page fetched on 14 September 2026 addresses off-plan property as a distinct category. We therefore will not tell you it qualifies or that it does not. If relying on an off-plan purchase, confirm with ICP or GDRFA before committing money.

A completed property removes this question; our Bay Views stock is handed over and ready now.

Duration and application

How long it lasts, and where to apply

TL;DR DLD and GDRFA Dubai state 10 years, renewable.

DLD calls it a "10-years renewable residence permit". GDRFA Dubai says it is "valid for 10 years and can be extended if the same conditions are met".

The u.ae Golden Visa page lists ICP federally, GDRFA Dubai for Dubai and TAMM for Abu Dhabi. Two fetches on 14 September 2026 returned inconsistent summaries of the property-route duration. We therefore cite 10 years to DLD and GDRFA Dubai, which both state it plainly, rather than u.ae.

A Ras Al Khaimah purchase is a UAE property purchase: use the federal ICP route. We could not verify a RAK-specific Golden Visa page today.

Fees and source discrepancies

What the visa itself costs

TL;DR DLD publishes the following government fee package.
ApplicantGovernment fees
Single applicant, 10-year permitAED 9,884.75
Each sponsored family memberAED 5,774.50

Source: DLD Golden Visa investor e-service, fetched 14 September 2026. These are government fees only. They exclude medical, Emirates ID delivery and any typing-centre charges, which we did not verify today.

Purchase costs are separate. A correction to older content on our site: RAK Municipality's ZL13 service card says "the seller and buyer each pay 2% of the market value of the property". The total transfer charge is 4%: 2% buyer plus 2% seller, the same structure as Dubai. The widely repeated “RAK 2% versus Dubai 4%” comparison compares RAK's buyer half with Dubai's combined figure. Confirm at the counter who pays which half.

DLD sale registration states "Seller: 2% of the sale value" and "Buyer: 2% of the sale value". Its trustee fee is AED 4,000 + VAT for sales of AED 500,000 or more, or AED 2,000 + VAT below that. Its mortgaged-sale page instead lists “Registrar Fee” figures of AED 2,100 / AED 4,200. The two official pages disagree; confirm the applicable charge.

DLD does not state the developer-charged NOC fee. We could not confirm a separate official Oqood fee line today. See the buying-costs guide.

Practical options

Reaching AED 2 million with ready stock

TL;DR Compare values, then verify ownership and application evidence.
PropertyPrice
Bay Views one-bedroom — ready nowFrom AED 1,200,000
Bay Residences one-bedrooms, units 1001 and 1101 — readyAED 1,191,000 each
Marina Shores, Dubai Marina — two-bedroom, unit 4008AED 3,450,000
Bay Views full floor — 12 residences, one lot, ready nowAED 18,000,000

Bay Views is handed over on Hayat Island, Mina Al Arab, Ras Al Khaimah. Studio and two-bedroom prices are on request.

We could not verify from an official page today the designated RAK freehold-zone list for foreign buyers, any RAK escrow-account law, any equivalent of Dubai's Oqood registration, or RAK Owners Association or service-charge regulation. Confirm with RAK Municipality. Secondary sources consistently name Al Marjan Island, Al Hamra Village and Mina Al Arab; our RAK stock sits in Mina Al Arab. This is not an officially verified list.

The Real Estate Regulatory Administration page states only its general mandate and refers escrow and owners-association questions to the Ras Al Khaimah Real Estate Regulatory Department.

RAK's sanad service card says "3 working days" for sale-contract processing; the rak.ae e-service page says "18 minutes". The official pages disagree.

Read the RAK buying guide and the ownership-checks guide. We are brokers, not a visa agent. Applications go through the UAE authorities.

Choose the right combination

Put together a property shortlist

Tell us what the money has to do. We will put together a combination that clears AED 2 million with ready, income-producing stock.

Questions we are actually asked

FAQ

How much property do I need for a UAE Golden Visa?

At least AED 2 million. GDRFA Dubai states: “The applicant must own a property or a group of properties with a total value of no less than AED 2 million.” The Dubai Land Department states the property must have “a purchase value of which is equal to or more than 2 million AED at the time of purchase”, applying to one or more properties. Both pages fetched 14 September 2026.

Can I combine several properties to reach AED 2 million?

Yes. GDRFA Dubai's wording is explicit: “a property or a group of properties with a total value of no less than AED 2 million”, and the Dubai Land Department applies the threshold to one or more properties. For a share in a property, GDRFA Dubai adds that “the value of the share must not be less than AED 2 million”.

Does a mortgaged property qualify for the Golden Visa?

Yes. GDRFA Dubai states: “Mortgaged property is acceptable, and includes all types of properties.” The Dubai Land Department requires “a bank letter indicating 2 million AED paid amount” as proof. We do not add conditions beyond what those pages state.

Does off-plan property qualify for the Golden Visa?

We will not tell you either way. Neither the Dubai Land Department page nor the GDRFA Dubai page we fetched on 14 September 2026 addresses off-plan property as a distinct category. If your plan depends on an off-plan purchase, confirm the current position with ICP or GDRFA before committing money. A completed property removes the question entirely.

How long does the property Golden Visa last?

Ten years, renewable. The Dubai Land Department describes a “10-years renewable residence permit” and GDRFA Dubai says the visa is “valid for 10 years and can be extended if the same conditions are met”. We cite the duration to those two pages rather than to u.ae, because two fetches of the u.ae Golden Visa page on 14 September 2026 returned inconsistent summaries for the property route.

Where do I apply, and does a Ras Al Khaimah property count?

A Ras Al Khaimah property is a UAE property. The u.ae Golden Visa page lists the routes as ICP federally, GDRFA Dubai for Dubai and TAMM for Abu Dhabi, so the federal ICP route is the one to use for a Ras Al Khaimah purchase. We could not verify a Ras Al Khaimah-specific Golden Visa page on 14 September 2026. We are brokers, not a visa agent: the application goes through the UAE authorities.

What does the visa itself cost?

The Dubai Land Department's Golden Visa investor e-service page, fetched 14 September 2026, states a government fee package of AED 9,884.75 for a single applicant on a 10-year permit, plus AED 5,774.50 per sponsored family member. Those are the government fees only; medical testing, Emirates ID delivery and typing-centre charges are not included and we did not verify them.

Which of your units clear the AED 2 million threshold?

On its own, the Marina Shores two-bedroom in Dubai Marina at AED 3,450,000, and the Bay Views full floor of 12 residences at AED 18,000,000. Combined, a Bay Views one-bedroom from AED 1,200,000 plus a ready Bay Residences one-bedroom at AED 1,191,000 clears it. All are completed, so there is no off-plan question. Bay Views studio and two-bedroom prices are on request.

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