It is an undeniable fact that Dubai is one of the most demanding and sought-after places in the world. When it comes to a lavish lifestyle, there is no competition. Thousands of businessmen try to find investment opportunities in Dubai and if you are one of them, you’re in great luck!

You can enjoy the lucrative lifestyle and high-quality standards of Dubai by scoring an investment visa. If you want to learn the core basic information regarding Dubai’s investment visa, keep on reading.

What is an investment visa?

Investment visa is a category of visa for people who want to do their business in Dubai’s free zones or mainland area. It’s also called a partner visa. Since there are various methods of investing in Dubai, different ways exist to gain this visa. The investment visa is different from an Emirate to another. This article focuses only on Dubai’s investment visa.

How to achieve an investment visa in Dubai?

There are 4 procedures to achieve an investment visa.

1.  Invest in a property

When you invest in a property, it becomes one way to unlock the Investment Visa. The following rules and conditions should be taken into mind:

• With the Investment Visa, you cannot invest in an off-plan property. Only freehold properties will be your option.
• If you purchase property individually, it needs to cost a minimum of AED 1 million with a maximum of 50% under the mortgage.
• It needs to be a residential property, not a commercial one.
• If you purchased a property with a partnership, each individual should have a share of at least AED 1 million.

2.  Invest in a company

This is for the people who want to open or invest in a business in Dubai’s free zones or mainland. This is also called a 3-year investor visa of Dubai. The capital of the company you start or if you have a share in a preexisting company, it should have at least AED 72,000 of capital. If someone has a company in the free zones of Dubai, they do not require local partners.

Moreover, they will be removed from giving taxes and enjoy full ownership of their business. But the procedure of achieving the visa can vary depending on different factors such as the category of business or the area of a free zone.

3.  Apply for a retirement visa

If you have been investing in Dubai and you are above 50 years, you are eligible for getting the investment visa. A retirement visa can be achieved when you invest in a residential property having a minimum cost of AED 2 million.

4.  Apply for a golden visa

This type allows a 5 or 10 years long stay to the investors, but only if they adhere to the conditions. But for an investor to gain an investment visa in Dubai, there’s a set of minimum funds required to be eligible. You have to follow the below demands to have a 10-year long investment visa in Dubai:

• Your own company’s capital investment should be at least AED 10 million.
• You need to fund a Dubai Investment spending a minimum of AED 10 million.
• Having a partnership in a current company and your share should be a minimum of AED 10 million.
• You need to have a total investment of AED 10 million in all the above areas.

However, you can apply for a 5-year long investment visa if you are investing in a property that has a worth of at least AED 5 million. This is called the 5-year Golden visa. The following conditions should be followed to gain both the 5-year and 10-year Golden visa:

• If you are investing in real estate, it should not be carried out by loans.
• You need to keep your business stable for at least 3 years.
• You need to have total ownership of your investment amount.

You can also gain the Golden visa if you are an entrepreneur, with a current project having a capital of a minimum of AED 500,000.

The validity period of an investment visa in Dubai

The validity of the investment visa depends on the way the person achieved it. Below are the validity periods of each case:

1. Retirement: 5 years, renewable
2. Via a company: 3 years
3. Via investing in a property: 3 to 5 years, depends on the value of property
4. Golden visa: 5 to 10 years. It depends on the amount of investment

Required documents to apply for an investment visa

By investing via a company

1. License of trade
2. Passport copy
3. Memorandum of Association. This showcases that the capital of your company is AED 72,000.
4. Personal picture having a white background.
5. Contract of the partnership between you and the local sponsor
6. Bank statement for the past 3 months
7. Immigration Establishment Card

By a golden visa

1. Passport copy
2. Utility bill
3. Title deed for the property
4. Current visa status copy
5. A good conduct certificate
6. 6 passport pictures
7. Health insurance
8. Bank statement

Retirement visa

1. Emirates ID copy
2. Copy of Title deed
3. Copy of current visa
4. Passport copy
5. Copy of marriage certificate, only if you want to sponsor your spouse

Advantages of investment visa

1. The freedom to travel outside of the UAE during the visa period.
2. A stable residency in the UAE
3. Unlocking the Emirati phone numbers such as home phone, Du, or Etisalat.
4. Although you will be required to pay taxes in the UAE, you won’t have to pay taxes in your native country. However, this depends on the regulations of a specific home country.
5. You can open a personal bank account.
6. You can apply for a driving license and an Emirates ID.
7. You can sponsor your parents, spouse, and children to live with you in the UAE.

Cost

The cost depends on the case. If you will achieve the visa through a real estate investment, it will require around AED 13,000. For people who will get the visa by investing in a company, it demands AED 1,035. However, the fee for the 5-year Golden visa is AED 650 whereas the 10-year Golden visa requires AED 1,150.