The United Arab Emirates government has constantly revamped its laws, rules, and regulations. The purpose behind it was to ensure that the country remains at the forefront of any new opportunity to excel globally. The result of this adaptation technique has yielded great success for the United Arab Emirates as it is now globally recognized as the go-to business hub and a travel destination as well.
With a lot of overseas investment, UAE was forced to revamp its visa and immigration programs as well, which were mainly designed to cater to the wealthy and the highly skilled foreigners. Long-term golden visas, with a validity of 5 or 10 years, were introduced to help investors become more comfortable; this is the reason why the visa is also renowned as UAE Investor Visa.
Although obtaining the UAE Investor Visa is not a simple task as it requires the applicant to invest a substantial amount of money in the UAE to qualify.
This guide is dedicated to understanding all the process behind the UAE Investor visa, its requirements, and much more.
UAE Residence Visa Requirements
Obtaining a long-term residence visa, as mentioned before, requires you to invest a specific amount of money within the UAE, and only after that will your application be considered.
There are two types of long term residence visas and both of them have different requirements and are following:
10 Year Golden Visa UAE Requirements
According to the official documentation, following are the complete and authentic requirements if you are to apply for a 10-year golden visa in the UAE.
For Investors
The first and foremost requirement is making a public investment of at least AED 10 million. Once you have done that, there are some additional things to be considered which are as following:
- A deposit of at least AED 10 million in an investment fund inside the country
- Establishing a company in the UAE with a capital of not less than AED 10 million
- Partnering in an existing or a new company with a share value of not less than AED10 million
- Having a total investment of not less than AED 10 million in all areas mentioned, on condition that the investment in sectors other than real estate is not less than 60 percent of the total investment
There are certain conditions put in place as well in regards to granting visa, these conditions must be followed and will be verified by the authorities upon receiving your application submission.
- The amount invested must not be loaned.
- The investment should be retained for at least three years.
- There should be financial solvency of up to AED 10 million
It is worth mentioning that this visa program does allow you to include your spouse and children, as well as one executive director and one advisor; these are the kind of perks that have been smartly put in place to entice the investors and make them feel comfortable in investing in the UAE.
The 10 year golden visa can also be extended to include business partners, on the condition that each partner contributes AED 10 million. Investors from abroad may apply for a multiple-entry permit for a six-month period.
For Specialised Talents
The second 10 year golden visa is given out to those who have specialized talents in the fields of science and knowledge. This includes doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, as well as creative artists which can belong to the culture and arts line of work.
This visa, like for investors, is also extended to your spouse and children. However, all categories are required to have some sort of a valid employment contract in the specialised field of a priority in the UAE prior to submission of their application. This is a requirement to ensure that the applicant has a guaranteed job if their application is processed and approved.
The conditions which are required to be met in this category are as following:
- Scientists must be accredited by Emirates Scientists Council or holders of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Excellence
- Creative individuals in culture and art must be accredited by the Ministry of Culture and Youth
- Inventors must obtain a patent of value, which adds to the UAE’s economy. Patents must be approved by the Ministry of Economy
- Exceptional talents must be documented by patents or scientific research published in a world-class journal
- Executives must be owners of a leading and internationally recognized company or holders of a high academic achievement and position
- Doctors and specialists must meet at least two of the following conditions:
- a Ph. D. degree from one of the top 500 universities in the world
- an award or certificates of appreciation in the field of the applicant’s work
- contribution to major scientific research in the respective field of work
- published articles or scientific books in distinguished publications in the respective field of work
- membership in an organization related to the field
- a Ph. D. degree, in addition to 10-year professional experience in his field
- specialization in areas of priority to the UAE
5 Year Golden Visa UAE Requirements
There are three categories which are included and qualify for obtaining a 5-year golden visa in UAE. The requirements for these are slightly less than the ones mentioned for the 10-year golden visa but the competition remains extensive for these applications as well.
For Investors
The conditions for investors are extremely straightforward as there is no way to misconstrued these requirements.
- The investor must invest in a property of a gross value, which is not less than AED 5 million
- The amount being invested for the real state should be on a loan basis
- Lastly, the said property should be retained for at least three years by the applicant owner
For Entrepreneurs
With each passing year, more and more investors are trying their luck to obtain the long-term visa because UAE has blossomed into one of the best business hubs across the globe. In order for entrepreneurs to apply, here are some things that they need to adhere to:
- The applicant must have a project with a minimum capital of AED 500,000
- This can also include the approval of an accredited business incubator in the country as well
If this condition is met then you can become eligible for the visa. In addition to that, the entrepreneur will be allowed a multi-entry visa for up to 6 months which can be renewed for additional 6 months.
The golden visa enables them to also move their spouse, children, and a company partner along with three company executives as well.
Outstanding Students
UAE has boosted its reputation on the global stage by forging new paths for talented people to shine and students are one of that group. Any student which shows outstanding performance can become eligible for a golden visa in the UAE.
The conditions for this are as following:
- The student must have a minimum grade of 95 percent
- This means both the public and the private secondary schools
- The student must also have a distinction GPA of at least 3.75 upon their graduation
- This is applicable to universities within and outside the country as well
It is worth adding that this visa type also includes the families of the outstanding students, which is a huge benefit.
Investor Visa UAE Requirements
Apart from a specific condition, there are general conditions that are imposed and also need to be fulfilled. These conditions include:
- Financial Requirements
- You will need to submit a statement of accounts. A monthly income of AED 10,000 or equivalent currency is required. You can earn the said amount within or outside the UAE
- Criminal Record
- Medical Testing
- You will need to submit a complete medical certificate and it has to be verified by a health professional who is licensed
- Investment Proof
- Proof of investment is often also required which includes a property deed, or bank letter to prove the deposit of the AED 10 million or AED 5 million, depending on which one you are applying for
Although there is no condition imposed on parents who can be sponsored but when it comes to children, the children have to be up to the age of 18. After the age limit has been crossed: daughters with a single martial status can remain under their sponsorship whereas boys over 18 can only stay on a student visa otherwise they will have to apply for an employee or investor visa of their own.
Documents Required for Residence Visa in UAE
As you are aware, at Rizmona, we have reiterated the impact of good documentation many times. Having complete documentation can literally make or break your application. In order to ensure that, here is a list of documents required when you apply for the entry permit:
- Copy of your passport
- Passport-size pictures
- Bank Statement for the past 6 months
- Any additional documents related to your purpose:
- Company Trade License Copy
- Copy of Partnership Contract (if applicable)
- ID of other partners (if applicable)
- A copy of the Memorandum of Association (for LLC)
- Proof of accreditation by the relevant UAE authority (for specialized talents)
- Proof of patent (for investors)
The long-term residence visa in the UAE has the following requirements which need to be completed in order for you to have your application processed:
- Entry permit
- Medical test
- Typed application
- Passport and visa copy along with photographs
- Passport
- Pictures
- Immigration Establishment Card
- Any documents related to your purpose of travel
The visa stamping has its own documents requirement as well, which includes photographs with white background, Emirates ID form, original visa, medical certificate, passport, immigration establishment card, LLC agreement, partner’s list, and a license copy of any agreement signed by the partners.
It is worth mentioning that UAE rules and regulations change time after time, which is why it is important to check the official website for any updates. Depending on the candidate, the authorities might require some additional documents which need to be produced in a certain amount of time. Furthermore, due to the sensitive nature of the visa applications, it is also advised that you get the help of an attorney who specializes in this field to guide you through the process.
Benefits of UAE Investor Visa
Although we have extensively covered most of the benefits that come along with the long-term UAE residence visa but here is a to-the-point list of all the benefits you can enjoy:
- You will get 100 percent repatriation of investments and profits made
- There will be no corporate taxes which will be imposed, hence that is a cost that can be completely removed from the equation altogether
- The investors will benefit from hiring international employees, which has proven to be a great recipe for success
- The validity of visa tenure can be elongated which is a huge benefit
- The UAE Investor Visa can act as a pathway for the applicants to then apply for a residence visa
- Opening a corporate bank account in the UAE becomes extremely easy for all people on a UAE Investor visa
- The investors can legally hold Emirates ID, through which they can enjoy all the perks and benefits that come along with it
How to Apply for UAE Investor Visa?
Generally speaking, any foreigner who is looking to apply for a visa has to be sponsored by someone who is present in the United Arab Emirates. This person could be their employer (which would mean a work visa), or a school fellow (which would indicate a student visa).
However, for the long-term residence visa, you are required to have a sponsor and there are some additional requirements for it as well:
- For UAE Investor Visa
- The registered company serves as your sponsor
- For UAE Property Visa
- The property you purchase or invest in serves as your sponsor
Our Visa Services
We RIZ & MONA Consultancy assist our clients at every stage starting from inception to completion of the visa, including medical, emirates ID processing, and a wide range of visa services in Dubai/ UAE. We work very closely with the high officials of the Dubai government and ministries. Reach us at Whatsapp. #: 00 971 54582 1012 – Email: info@rizmona.com
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