Dubai Residency Residency
Finding a long-term home in the UAE
Most people who start researching UAE residency aren't chasing a specific visa programme by name — they're looking for a stable, long-term place to live, with a process that's clear and doesn't need re-doing every year or two. This page is a map of the actual routes, starting from that question rather than from visa terminology.
The routes, in plain terms
| Route | Typical duration | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Employment visa | Tied to employment contract, typically 2–3 years | Anyone relocating for a UAE-based job |
| Property investor visa | Typically 2 years, renewable | Property owners above a set investment threshold |
| Golden Visa | 5 or 10 years, renewable | Larger property investors, business owners, and other qualifying categories — the route most people asking about long-term stability actually want |
Why the Golden Visa is usually the right question to ask
If what you actually want is not to think about your residency status again for a decade — rather than renewing paperwork every couple of years — the Golden Visa is the route built for that. The Golden Visa page covers eligibility, thresholds, and the property-investment route specifically; the family and lifestyle page covers what changes day to day once you have it.
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Residence for GCC families
Dubai's GDRFA issues UAE residence to the wives and children of GCC nationals who hold a foreign passport. The fee is AED 220, with AED 500 more for an application made inside the country; the documents are a photo, a passport copy and, over 18, a medical; the grace period after expiry is 60 days.
Golden visa at the sales centre
Buyers at the Meraas and Nakheel sales centre in Dubai can now start a UAE residency application at the same desk: a facilitation service for the 10-year Golden Visa on property worth AED 2 million or more, with the application filed by an accredited visa provider and the decision left to the authorities.
Golden visas for teachers
Dubai awarded ten-year golden visas to educators from the private sector on 5 October 2026, two years after the route opened. The UAE golden visa for teachers goes by nomination through the KHDA and judges qualifications, achievements and parent and student feedback.
