The UAE Golden Visa
Foreign talent can live, work, or study in the UAE with the Golden Visa, which offers long-term residents special benefits.
So far, over 100,000 Golden Visas have been issued to professionals, students, entrepreneurs, athletes, creatives and various other exceptional candidates who are all living, working and studying across the UAE.
Below, we cover all you need to know about the UAE’s Golden Visa, including the benefits it brings, what it costs and how you can apply.
What is the UAE’s golden visa?
This groundbreaking scheme enables foreign talents to live, work or study in the UAE without having a national sponsor for up to ten years.
While all standard residency visas for international workers must be renewed every two or three years, the Golden Visa can last a whole decade. Plus, as long as the recipient still fulfils all the requirements, it can also be renewed for another 10 years upon expiry.
However, Golden Visas should not be confused with Emirati citizenship, which can only be granted by the UAE government, or royal court officials.
The following professions are eligible to apply for a UAE Golden Visa in Abu Dhabi:
- Investors
- Entrepreneurs
- Scientists
- Specialists in engineering and science
- Humanitarian pioneers
- Outstanding students and graduates
- Doctors and frontline heroes
- Athletes
- Creative specialists in culture and art
- Executive directors
Can a golden visa holder sponsor his or her family?
Yes, one of the most attractive benefits of the UAE’s Golden Visa is that recipients can sponsor their spouse and children, regardless of how old they are. Furthermore, if the visa holder passes away, their family can still remain living in the UAE until the visa expires.
What other golden visa UAE benefits are there?
Aside from the obvious advantage of having a 10-year residency and none of the expenses and admin involved with regular renewals, there are a number of other perks and benefits that come with the golden visa.
- Greater employment freedom
Unlike those on regular UAE working visas, Golden Visa holders are not required to gain local employment or have a national sponsor. Instead, they have the option of working for themselves, working for international companies, or setting up their own business with 100 percent ownership.
- Extended overseas time
Golden Visa recipients can spend more than six months out of the country at a time without facing any penalties.
- Sponsored domestic helpers
Golden Visa recipients can sponsor and employ an unlimited number of domestic helpers.
What are the UAE golden visa requirements?
The requirements for each Golden Visa category are slightly different.
For example, real estate investors must own properties worth more than
AED 2 million, and people with ‘specialised talents’, such as inventors, engineers or creatives, require a letter of recommendation from a government entity.
How to apply for golden visa UAE
Endorsed applicants who already have a UAE residency can apply for their Golden Visa through twofour54’s Tawasol department.
You must be inside the UAE from the moment you pay your application fees, and you can only leave the country once the entire process has been completed.
The Tawasol team will guide and support you through every step of the application procedure. First, they’ll ask you to submit a number of documents and pay the required fees, and then they’ll apply for the initial approval of your Golden Visa on your behalf.
twofour54 will also tell you when and where you should go for your medical screening, and notify you when your residency status has been changed, and your Emirates ID is ready for collection.
What is the cost of a 10-year golden visa in the UAE?
If you are applying through twofour54, the following fees apply:
Normal fees
All inclusive: AED 4,723
Without VIP medical screening: AED 4,523
Fast track fees
All inclusive: AED 5,723
Without VIP medical screening: AED 5,223
- Once the payment has been processed, twofour54 will apply for the initial approval of the Golden Visa on your behalf.
- Upon submitting your completed application, UAE residents will also need to cancel their current residency.
- Any dependents on the same residency should also be temporarily placed on hold until the main Golden Visa process is completed.
- You can manage the hold request through the ICP self-service portal, or ask twofour54 to manage the process on your behalf.
Hold service fees:
Refundable deposit to immigration: AED 5,000*
Service charges: AED 480*
Please note that all prices are exclusive of VAT.
For more information about the UAE Golden Visa, please contact our Golden Visa team on golden.visa@twofour54.com.
About twofour54
twofour54 is a dynamic media free zone that provides the infrastructure and services to attract international, regional, and local media businesses to Abu Dhabi. Tasked with enabling a new generation of creative leaders and building Abu Dhabi as the Middle East’s leading hub for content creation, twofour54 offers everything from customizable office space, world-class production facilities and services and business support services.
Named after the geographical coordinates of Abu Dhabi, twofour54’s community includes more than 600 partner companies, including Sky News Arabia, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Unity Technologies, CNN, Fox, Flash Entertainment and M&C Saatchi, and an extensive pool of freelance professionals and aspiring talent. twofour54 is part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a diverse portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s non-oil economy.
Yas Creative Hub, a twofour54 flagship community, is the first purpose-built 270,000 sqm (2.9 million sq.ft) connected campus that offers first rate production facilities and business support services. Yas Creative Hub promises to accelerate the evolution of media and entertainment into a knowledge-based academy that will be one of the main drivers of the creative economy, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s position as the capital of content creators, where creatives can thrive.
Golden Visa
The Golden Visa Abu Dhabi is a highly sought-after residency scheme that enables expats to live, work or study in the UAE, all without having a national sponsor, for up to ten years.
While standard residency visas for international workers must be renewed every one, two or three years , the Golden Visa Abu Dhabi can last a whole decade. Plus, as long as the recipient still fulfils all the requirements, it can also be renewed for another 10 years upon expiry.
If you are wondering how to apply for the Golden Visa UAE, twofour54’s Tawasol department will be able to answer any questions you may have and guide you through every step of the process. In fact, endorsed applicants who already have a UAE residency can apply for their Golden Visa directly through Tawasol.
After you have submitted the required documents and paid the fees, the Tawasol team will apply for the initial approval of your Golden Visa on your behalf. They will also tell you when and where you should go for your medical screening, and notify you when your residency status has been changed, and your Emirates ID is ready for collection.
Aside from the obvious major benefit of having no visa renewal fees for up to ten years, there are a number of additional Golden Visa UAE benefits. Golden Visa holders are not required to gain local employment or have a national sponsor, and they are free to work for themselves, international companies, or set up their own businesses with 100 percent ownership.
Other benefits include being able to sponsor family, and having the freedom to spend more than six months out of the country at a time without facing any penalties.
Those who fall under the following categories will be considered for this much sought-after visa:
- Investors
- Entrepreneurs
- Scientists
- Specialists in engineering and science
- Humanitarian pioneers
- Outstanding students and graduates
- Doctors and frontline heroes
- Athletes
- Creative specialists in culture and art
- Executive directors
Yes. UAE Golden Visa holders can sponsor their family members, including their partners and children.
The Golden Visa requirements in the UAE differ according to which category you are applying for. To find out more, please contact the Tawasol Golden Visa team on golden.visa@twofour54.com, or by calling 02 401 2454.
When looking into how to apply for a Golden Visa UAE, you also need to consider the monetary requirements. If you are applying through twofour54, the following processing fees apply for both UAE residents and non-UAE residents.
‘Normal’ processing fees:
All inclusive: AED 5,223*
Without VIP medical screening: AED 4,723*
‘Fast track’ processing fees:
All inclusive: AED 6,223*
Without VIP medical screening: AED 5,723*
Once the payment has been processed, twofour54 will apply for the initial approval of the Golden Visa on your behalf.
Upon submitting your completed application, UAE residents will also need to cancel their current residency. Any dependents on the same residency should also be temporarily placed on hold until the main Golden Visa process is completed. You can manage the hold request through the ICP self-service portal, or ask twofour54 to manage the process on your behalf.
Hold service fees:
Refundable deposit to immigration: AED 5,000*
Service charges: AED 480*
Please note that all prices are exclusive of VAT and are subject to change at any point.
Both UAE residents and non-UAE residents can apply for their Golden Visa through twofour54’s Tawasol department. After submitting all the required documents, paying the fees and completing the medical screening, successful applicants will receive their visa and Emirates ID via twofour54.
The UAE Golden Visa requirements state that a minimum investment of AED 2 million is needed. This must not be raised through loans or borrowed money. However, for any additional investment over AED 2 million, loans or borrowed money may be used.
The Golden Visa is a long-term residency visa. It is not a permanent visa and it must be renewed every 10 years.
Each category of Abu Dhabi Golden Visa has a different set of supporting documentation. For more details, please contact the Tawasol Golden Visa team by emailing golden.visa@twofour54.com or by calling 02 401 2454.
A Golden Visa holder is a long-term resident of the UAE for a renewable period of 10 years; they are neither permanent residents nor UAE citizens.
No, one of the main benefits of the Golden Visa UAE is that you do not need a sponsor to obtain a Golden Visa. You also don’t need one in order to renew it, provided you still fulfill all the relevant requirements.
Once you have submitted the required documents and paid your fees, the amount of time the application process takes will depend on whether you paid for a ‘Normal’ or a ‘Fast Track’ service.
The Tawasol team will give you regular updates throughout the process, and let you know when your new Emirates ID is ready to be collected. For more information, please contact the Tawasol Golden Visa team by emailing golden.visa@twofour54.com or by calling 02 401 2454.
The minimum investment of AED 2 million must not be raised through loans or borrowed money. However, for any additional investment over AED 2 million, loans or borrowed money may be used.
The Golden Visa Abu Dhabi aims to give exceptional talents and foreign investors the chance to become more deeply rooted in the UAE, whilst also allowing the country to profit from their expertise.
Yes, those with a valid UAE Residence Visa are able to apply for the Golden Visa UAE. The strength and merits of each Golden Visa application determines whether the outcome is successful.