Key takeaways
- The threshold is AED 2,000,000 in total property value, and it grants a 5-year Golden Visa — not the 10-year one most sites describe.
- What changed is flexibility: mortgaged property counts with a bank NOC, off-plan from approved developers counts, and multiple properties can be combined.
- The decisive document is a letter from the Real Estate Registration Department confirming ownership at or above AED 2 million.
- Valuation is assessed on the application date — not what you paid, and not what you hope it is worth.
More confusion surrounds the property route than any other Golden Visa category, and most of it comes from advice that has simply aged. People are still told that mortgaged property does not count, that off-plan disqualifies them, or that they need one single AED 2 million asset. None of those is the current position.
This guide sets out what the requirement actually is, verified against the official sources listed at the end.
The threshold
| Requirement | Position |
|---|---|
| Minimum value | AED 2,000,000 |
| Visa granted | 5 years, renewable — the 10-year duration applies to public investment, not real estate |
| Ownership | Wholly owned by the applicant |
| Single or multiple properties | Either — combined value counts |
| Mortgaged property | Accepted, with a bank no-objection letter |
| Off-plan | Accepted, from approved developers |
| Key evidence | Letter from the Real Estate Registration Department |
AED 2 million has been the figure for several years and remains so. What was relaxed in February 2026 was the requirement to demonstrate a minimum upfront payment before a mortgaged property would count.
That distinction matters. If someone tells you “the Golden Visa property threshold changed”, they are describing the flexibility, not the number. The number is AED 2,000,000.
The UAE Government portal lists investor durations as 10 years for public investments and 5 years for real estate investments. A great many advisory sites describe the property route as a 10-year visa. It is not.
The threshold, the documents and the flexibility below are all still correct — it is the duration that is commonly misreported.
What “value” actually means
This is where most applications come unstuck. Three different figures get confused:
- What you paid. Irrelevant on its own, particularly for a property bought years ago.
- What you think it is worth. Also irrelevant — market opinion is not evidence.
- The certified value on the assessment date. This is the number that decides the application.
The Real Estate Registration Department — the Dubai Land Department in Dubai — issues the letter confirming your ownership and its value. That letter, on the day it is issued, is what the authority assesses. A property bought at AED 1.8 million that has since appreciated past AED 2 million can qualify. One bought at AED 2.1 million that has fallen below can fail.
Mortgaged property
A mortgage does not disqualify you. The property may be mortgaged provided you obtain a no-objection letter from the bank, and the total certified value reaches the threshold.
Before February 2026 there was an additional hurdle: applicants had to show a minimum amount already paid down before a financed property counted. That requirement was removed. The financing structure is no longer the question — the certified total value is.
That assessment may simply be out of date. Someone told two years ago that their mortgaged apartment did not qualify may now qualify on exactly the same asset, with nothing changed but the rule.
It costs nothing to have the position re-checked, and it is one of the more common pleasant surprises in this category.
Off-plan property
Off-plan units purchased from approved local developers can count toward the AED 2 million threshold. This is the point most often stated incorrectly, including by people selling property.
Two caveats are real, though:
- The developer must be an approved one. Not every project qualifies, and this is worth confirming before you buy on the strength of a visa expectation.
- The evidence still has to come from the registration department. An off-plan purchase that cannot yet be evidenced in the required form is not ready to support an application, however large the contract value.
If a Golden Visa is part of the reason you are buying, make the eligibility check part of the purchase decision rather than a step afterwards.
Combining multiple properties
You do not need one AED 2 million asset. Multiple properties held in your own name can be combined, provided the certified total reaches the threshold and each is wholly owned by you.
This helps investors who diversified deliberately — two or three smaller units across different areas rather than a single large one — and it is a route people frequently do not realise is open to them.
What does not work is aggregating property held with other people. Ownership must be yours. A jointly held asset is assessed on your share, and a share below the threshold does not carry the application.
What you will need
- Title deed or deeds for each property being counted
- Letter from the Real Estate Registration Department confirming ownership and value at or above AED 2 million
- Bank no-objection letter, where any property is mortgaged
- Passport and current visa, plus Emirates ID if you already hold one
- Passport photograph to UAE specification
- Medical fitness certificate and medical insurance, at the residence stage
Note that for this route the applicant is generally expected to be inside the UAE when applying. Plan the trip around the application rather than assuming it can be done remotely.
Why property applications get refused
Valuation short on the day
Purchase price is not the test. If the certified value is below AED 2 million when assessed, the application fails regardless of what was paid.
Ownership share misunderstood
A jointly owned property counts only to the extent of your own share. Two owners of a AED 3 million property do not each hold AED 3 million.
Missing bank NOC
Mortgaged property is accepted, but not without the bank’s letter. Applications are lodged without it surprisingly often.
Developer not approved
On off-plan purchases, this is the detail that decides eligibility — and it is checkable in advance.
Outstanding fines on the file
As with every category, anything unresolved stops the application without formally refusing it.
What happens at renewal
The Golden Visa runs ten years, but it is not unconditional for ten years. The qualifying basis is expected to persist. Selling the property that supported the application, without replacing it with another qualifying asset, removes the basis on which the visa was granted — and dependants sponsored under it are affected too.
If you are considering selling, work out the replacement basis first. That might be another property, or it might be a different category entirely: salary, business investment, or a professional route. The options are set out in our eligibility criteria guide, and what it costs is broken down in Golden Visa cost.
Before you buy on this basis
If the visa is a material part of the investment case, three checks are worth doing before you sign anything: confirm the developer is approved if the unit is off-plan, confirm how the value will be certified, and confirm that the ownership structure puts the asset wholly in your name.
All three are answerable in advance. All three are expensive to discover afterwards — application fees are not refunded, refusals are recorded, and a property bought partly for a visa that it does not support is a difficult position to unwind.
Thinking of buying, or already own?
Send us the title deed, or the details of the unit you are considering. We will tell you whether it supports a Golden Visa application, what evidence you will need, and what the whole process costs — before you commit.
Property route questions
What is the property threshold for the UAE Golden Visa?
AED 2,000,000 in total certified property value, giving a 5-year renewable residence. The 10-year Golden Visa is granted for public investment, exceptional talent and certain other categories — not for the property route.
Does a mortgaged property count?
Yes, with a no-objection letter from the bank, provided the total certified value reaches AED 2 million. The upfront payment requirement that previously applied has been removed.
Does off-plan property qualify?
Off-plan units from approved developers can count toward the threshold. The developer being approved is the detail that decides it, so confirm that before buying if the visa matters to your decision.
Can I combine several properties?
Yes. Multiple properties wholly owned in your own name can be combined, provided the certified total reaches AED 2 million. Jointly held property counts only to the extent of your own share.
Is it the purchase price or the current value?
The certified value on the assessment date. A property that has appreciated past AED 2 million can qualify even if it was bought for less — and one that has fallen below can fail even if it was bought for more.
Do I need to be in the UAE to apply?
For the real estate investor route the applicant is generally expected to be inside the country when applying. Plan accordingly rather than assuming it can be completed remotely.
What happens if I sell the property?
The basis on which the visa was granted is removed unless another qualifying asset or category replaces it. Because dependants are sponsored under the same visa, the whole family’s residency rests on it — plan the replacement before selling.
If you are applying on the property route, see our Golden Visa service for property investors in Dubai.
Please note. The AED 2,000,000 threshold and the conditions above were verified against the official sources listed on 27 August 2026. Criteria are set by the ICP and issuing authorities and can be revised without wide announcement. Confirm the current position before purchasing property or committing funds. General information, not financial or legal advice.
If you would rather have it handled
Golden Visa applications fail on preparation far more often than on eligibility — a document that was never attested, an equivalency that was never obtained, a supporting file assembled in the wrong order.
We prepare and submit these as part of our PRO services in Dubai, including the attestation and equivalency work that usually sits behind them.
