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United Arab Emirates · 2026 Edition
UAE Golden Visa: The Complete Guide
The UAE golden visa is a five or ten year renewable residence permit that needs no employer or national sponsor, extends to a spouse, children of any age and parents, and survives long absences that would void an ordinary residence visa. It is also widely misunderstood: it is not a route to a passport, it does not by itself make anyone a UAE tax resident, and it cannot be bought as a packaged product. This guide sets out every route and threshold as written in the Cabinet Decision, the true cost of the property route, and the honest state of the Dubai market.
Every golden visa category with the exact criteria from Cabinet Resolution 65 of 2022. The property route in full, including the AED 2 million threshold, off-plan and mortgage rules, and the complete cost stack. A comparison of the UAE against Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus on current 2026 figures. The tax residency chapter, with Cabinet Decision 85 of 2022 quoted in full and a blunt account of what the visa does and does not achieve. Leaving the UK, Indian and US tax nets. A self-assessment, two worked scenarios, the statistics with their gaps named, and the July 2025 scam episode in full.
Prefer to read online? The complete guide is also published in full on this site.
