FAZAK
The Owner's Choice
We offer comprehensive services that help you make informed decisions and achieve your financial goals.
FAZAK
The Owner's Choice
We offer comprehensive services that help you make informed decisions and achieve your financial goals.
FAZAK
The Owner's Choice
The Investor Visa in the UAE is a type of residence visa granted to individuals who make a substantial investment in the country. This investment can be in the form of starting or owning a business, or investing in property, or even specific financial investments. An investor visa (sometimes called a Partner Visa when tied to a company) allows the holder to reside in the UAE and enjoy the benefits that come with residency, such as opening bank accounts, obtaining driving licenses, and sponsoring family members. For entrepreneurs setting up a company, the investor visa is often the next step after the company license is issued – it is essentially your reward for investing in the UAE economy.
If you establish a company in the UAE (whether mainland or free zone) and you are a shareholder in that company, you typically qualify for an investor visa. In Dubai mainland, the investor/partner visa is usually issued for 3 years at a time (recent info suggests 2 years in some cases, but Dubai has been moving to 3-year visas standard for most categories). In free zones, it’s generally 3 years. To get this visa, your company must first be registered and have what’s called an establishment card from immigration. Then you as the investor apply under that company sponsorship. The process involves: an entry permit (if you’re outside UAE or status change if inside), medical test, fingerprinting for Emirates ID, and visa stamping in your passport. We handle all these steps for our clients. There is no fixed minimum share capital for the company that you must show for the visa (except you should hold shares in the company – even a single share is enough). Historically, Dubai required a refundable deposit of AED 10,000 for an investor visa, but that has been largely phased out in favor of just paying normal visa fees and a small innovation fee. So it’s relatively straightforward – invest in the company setup, then the visa comes as part of the package.
Another route is through real estate investment. If you buy a property in the UAE above a certain value, you become eligible for a residence visa. Currently, the rule in Dubai is that if you own property worth at least AED 1 million, you can get a 2-year renewable residency visa (often called a Property Investor Visa). In some emirates or under newer rules, properties of AED 2 million or more can even qualify for a Golden Visa (10-year)[39][35]. For example, Dubai introduced a 5-year visa for property of AED 5 million, and a 10-year for AED 10 million total investment (this can be split across properties or a combination of property and business). But focusing on the standard scenario: many expats who buy an apartment or office use this to reside in UAE. We can assist in referring to property consultants, but our domain is mainly the company route.
The UAE’s Golden Visa program grants 10-year residency to investors and entrepreneurs meeting certain criteria. If you invest AED 2 million or more in a UAE property or have business investments of a significant scale (like setting up a company with AED 2M capital or in certain incubators), you can be eligible for a Golden Visa. There’s also the Green Visa (5-year) for investors and entrepreneurs, which has slightly lower requirements. For instance, the Green visa can be given to someone who partners in a company with capital contribution of around AED 1 million, etc. The specifics can get detailed, but the existence of these programs shows that UAE is keen to encourage investors to stay long-term by offering extended visas with perks (like not needing a local sponsor, ability to stay outside UAE longer without visa getting cancelled, etc.). If you’re coming in via the standard business setup route, you usually start with the normal 3-year investor visa, and as your investment grows, we can explore Golden Visa options for you down the road.
As an investor visa holder, you are a UAE resident which means you can sponsor your immediate family (spouse, children, and even parents under certain conditions). You also get the tax residency benefits – UAE has no personal income tax, and as a resident, you could take advantage of treaties etc., if applicable to your situation. You have the freedom to enter/exit the country easily. Notably, unlike employment visas that are tied to a job, an investor visa is tied to your own company or investment – you are your own sponsor, which gives a sense of stability because it’s under your control as long as your company/investment is maintained. Also, investor visas allow you to stay outside UAE for up to a year continuously without the visa getting cancelled (normal work visas get cancelled if you stay out 6+ months). This is great flexibility if you travel often or split time between countries
For a company-related investor visa, you’ll need to maintain your company (renew the license each year) to keep the visa valid. The visa itself will be renewed every 3 (or 2) years. Property visas similarly require you still own the property when renewing. The medical insurance is now mandatory for visas – so you must have a health insurance policy (basic policies for residents are available at a few hundred dirhams and we can help arrange that too). Other than that, renewal is straightforward – just redo medical and ID, and you’re extended if your documentation is in order. If for any reason your company is closed or property sold, the visa would be at risk, but you often have a grace period to switch to another status (or another investment).
The costs involve government fees for issuance and processing. Roughly, for a 3-year investor visa in Dubai, government fees (entry permit, medical, visa stamping, Emirates ID) come to around AED 4,000 - 5,500 (it can vary slightly depending on whether inside country or outside, and urgent processing or not). In free zones, some packages include a visa or at least the entry permit. We always give the breakdown of these costs. There may also be a cost for immigration establishment card for your company (if going via company) which is about AED 650 per year in mainland or around AED 1,000-2,000 in free zones – this is needed to sponsor any visas. For Golden Visas, costs are higher (since 10-year visa fees and medical etc., but that’s an optional path only for those who qualify).
Looking to secure your residency in the UAE through investment? Contact FAZAK to learn more about obtaining an Investor Visa. We’ll assist you with the entire process – whether it’s through establishing a company or other investment routes – making it easy for you to call the UAE your home while you grow your business.
An Investor Visa (also called Partner Visa in some contexts) is tied to your own investment in the UAE – typically your own company or property. You become the sponsor of yourself (through your company or investment) rather than needing an employer to sponsor you. A Work Visa (Employment Visa) is when a company (employer) sponsors you to work for them in the UAE. The investor visa usually has a longer validity (3 years vs 2 years for work visas in some emirates) and gives you more autonomy – you aren’t tied to a job, you are here because you invested. With an investor visa via a company, you also get the designation of a partner or owner in the license. Both types of visas allow residency, but if you leave the company that sponsored your work visa, that visa would be cancelled; whereas an investor visa remains as long as you maintain the business or asset. In summary: investor visa = you’re here on your own business, work visa = you’re here as an employee. We often arrange investor visas for our clients once we set up their company, so they have control over their residency.
If going the company route, there isn’t a strict monetary threshold for the standard investor visa. Even a fairly small setup (license plus a small office, etc.) qualifies you – for example, setting up a free zone company for ~AED 10k and holding shares in it is enough to be eligible. The key is that you are listed as a shareholder (partner) in the commercial license of a UAE company. Now, for the long-term Golden Visa, the threshold is higher: typically an investment of AED 2 million or more (either in property or in a company or a fund) is required for a 10-year visa[39]. But to reiterate, a normal investor visa that most of our business setup clients get does not require investing millions. It’s basically part of the business setup process – once your trade license is out, you can get the investor visa regardless of company size (one exception: some free zones have a rule like you need to show a share capital of AED 50k or 100k in your account for issuing the visa the first time – but that’s not common, most issue without that). For property, AED 1M property value is the minimum in Dubai for a property-linked 2-year visa. So, the investment could be starting a company (cost of company setup) or buying a property (at least AED 1M). We’ll guide you based on which path you’re taking.
Yes. As an investor visa holder, you are considered a resident like any other and you can sponsor your immediate family members. This includes your wife (or husband) and children, and even parents under certain conditions. You’ll need to show proof of relationship (attested marriage certificate for spouse, birth certificates for kids, etc.) and meet the financial requirements (usually having a suitable income – having an investor visa and company typically suffices, or a minimum salary if you had one). For children, male dependents can be sponsored up to age 18 (or 21 if studying), female dependents until marriage usually. If sponsoring parents, you must typically show a higher income (like ~AED 20k/month salary or equivalent earnings) and pay a deposit. But many of our clients easily sponsor their spouse and kids once they have their investor visa. We assist in all the family visa applications too. So, your family can enjoy the UAE life alongside you as dependents of your visa.
Not necessarily to initiate the process – much can be done remotely. Dubai’s government has enabled online business registration for many license types[10]. We can handle applications on your behalf with digital copies of documents. However, certain steps like signing the final incorporation documents or opening a bank account may require your presence or a Power of Attorney to our representative. Also, if you plan to get a visa, you will need to visit the UAE for medical and ID processing. In summary, the company can be set up largely remotely, and we’ll guide you on when you might need to travel.
No, UAE does not levy personal income tax. Whether you are on an investor visa or work visa, individuals don’t pay income tax to the UAE government. The introduction of corporate tax (9%) is at the company level (if applicable), but that doesn’t tax your personal income or salary drawn. Even if you earn profits or dividends from your company, that’s not taxed personally. There is VAT of 5% on goods and services, but that’s borne by end consumers and businesses collect/remit it – as an individual, you’re just paying VAT when you buy stuff like everyone. So as an investor visa holder, you enjoy the same tax-free personal income status as any resident. In fact, many people from high-tax countries move to UAE on investor visas specifically to optimize taxes (though they should also consider their home country’s tax rules on foreign income, etc.). The UAE also issues Tax Residency Certificates to residents who stay 180+ days a year, which can help in claiming treaty benefits if applicable. We can help with that certificate if needed when you qualify. Overall, the investor visa coupled with no income tax is a big win for entrepreneurs.
Yes, essentially. “Partner Visa” is a term often used for the visa given to partners (shareholders) in a mainland company. It’s the same as an investor visa – just terminology. In free zones, they usually just call it investor or owner visa. In mainland, because an LLC could have multiple partners, each partner gets a “partner visa.” It has the same conditions and benefits. The entry permit that comes when applying might say “Partner” on it. So don’t be confused – if you hear partner visa, it means you are a partner in a firm and that’s your residency basis. It’s a subset of investor visas (investing via being a partner). All these fall under the category of self-sponsored visas via investment, as opposed to being someone’s employee.
There are possibilities: for example, if you invest a sizable amount in a UAE investment fund or set up a venture capital investment worth AED 2 million, you might qualify for a Golden Visa as an investor in a fund (the UAE government has outlined criteria for that). If you are just a minority investor in someone else’s business, how you get the visa is by becoming a shareholder on the license. So one way is, if that business adds you legally as a shareholder (maybe you take 10% equity officially), then you are a partner and can get the visa. If it’s just a loan or informal investment, that doesn’t count. Some people invest in existing businesses and negotiate to be added as a partner (it could be a nominal share purely for visa, but that has to be an actual amendment of the license). There’s also the Green Visa for investors which is a 5-year visa if you are starting a business with a certain capital or you’re a partner in a company of a certain size – specifics are still being fine-tuned by authorities. So yes, you don’t necessarily have to be the sole founder – being a partner in a UAE company is sufficient for the standard investor visa. We often help people with adding a partner to a license if needed for visa purposes, but there are costs and implications to consider with the main business owner. It’s usually easier to just start your own small venture for the visa unless you have a close arrangement. And for fund investments, that’s more for high-net-worth individuals aiming for Golden Visas. We can provide guidance on those programs too, connecting with legal experts if needed, as that veers into immigration law more than company setup.
