Dubai 2-year property investor visa: the rules after the April 2026 change

Since 29 April 2026, anyone who is the sole owner of a completed property in Dubai can apply for the renewable two-year property investor visa, whatever the property is worth. The previous AED 750,000 minimum has been removed. Joint owners must each hold a share worth at least AED 400,000 (about £82,000 at £1 = AED 4.88 on 12 November 2026). The published fee is about AED 10,200 to AED 10,500 for the main applicant. This guide sets out exactly what changed, who qualifies, where sources disagree, and how the visa compares with the 10-year Golden Visa. It is general information as of 12 November 2026, not immigration or legal advice.

What changed on 29 April 2026?

The change was not made by decree or press release. The Dubai Land Department (DLD) updated the criteria on its Cube platform, the service centre that handles investor residence. Khaleej Times and Gulf News reported it the same day, and Khaleej Times noted that no formal announcement had been issued. The immigration firms Fragomen, Erickson Immigration Group and Envoy Global confirmed the new criteria to clients in the following days.

On the date: one consultancy gives 1 May 2026. We use 29 April, the date of the Khaleej Times and Gulf News reports of the Cube update.

What did not change:

• The 10-year Golden Visa still requires property worth AED 2 million.
• The five-year retirement visa still requires AED 1 million and an applicant aged 55 or over.
• The visa is processed by the DLD, under the service name Taskeen, and issued by Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).
• It is a Dubai rule for Dubai property. The Cube states that title deeds from other emirates, or issued by DIFC, are not accepted. Do not assume the change applies elsewhere: Abu Dhabi developer Modon's September 2026 guide still lists AED 750,000 for the two-year investor visa.

Who is eligible now?

The DLD Cube's wording is short. You may apply if you own a completed property in Dubai. For a sole owner there is no minimum property value requirement. Where there are several owners, each must hold a minimum share of AED 400,000. The DLD's own service page says the same: an owner may apply, and a co-owner may apply provided their share value is not less than AED 400,000.

Three practical conditions sit alongside:

• A Dubai title deed in your name. The name must match your passport exactly.
• Sole ownership means sole. Khaleej Times stressed that the no-minimum rule applies only where the applicant is the only owner.
• The AED 400,000 test is per person. It applies even when shares are equal.

Worked examples

The published rules do not say whether a share is valued on the purchase price or on a current valuation. If your share is close to AED 400,000, ask the Cube before you buy.

The joint-owner floor is a relaxation as well, since each co-owner previously had to meet AED 750,000. It does create a trap. A couple who buy a home under AED 800,000 in joint names get no visa from it, while the same home in one name qualifies that owner at once. Decide whose name goes on the title deed before the sale is registered; changing it afterwards is a further registration with its own fees.

Do off-plan and mortgaged properties qualify?

This is where published sources differ. Here is what each says.

Off-plan. The sources agree in substance. Oqood is the DLD's register for homes still under construction, and an Oqood registration is not a title deed. An off-plan buyer becomes eligible when the building is completed and the title deed is issued. If you want residence during the construction period, this visa will not provide it. The Golden Visa, at AED 2 million, is the route reported to accept off-plan contracts.

Mortgage. A mortgage does not disqualify you. The open question is whether a minimum amount must already have been paid. The figure Khaleej Times reported, 50% or AED 375,000, is half of the old AED 750,000 threshold, and it does not appear on the Cube's page as it stood on 12 November 2026. We treat the DLD's own pages as authoritative. If you have paid less than half the price, do not assume: submit your documents to the Cube's online eligibility check, which returns a written answer by email, before you plan around the visa.

Post-handover payment plans. The application rests on a title deed plus the developer's payment statement. If you bought on a plan that continues after handover, ask the developer when the title deed will be issued in your name.

How much does the 2-year investor visa cost?

Published fees, checked 12 November 2026. The two official sources do not match exactly.

Budget the higher figure where two are shown. Health insurance from a UAE insurer is compulsory for every residence application and is extra.

Worked example. A buyer, spouse and one child under 18: AED 10,545 + AED 7,382.25 + AED 6,482.25 + AED 318.75 = AED 24,728 (about £5,070), before insurance, then renewal fees every two years.

For comparison, the main applicant's fee works out at roughly AED 5,300 a year on this visa and about AED 1,000 a year on the 10-year Golden Visa.

How do you apply? Step by step

Documents the DLD Cube lists

• Dubai title deed
• Bank no-objection certificate, or developer payment statement, if the property is financed
• Passport valid for more than six months
• Photo to ICP specification
• Emirates ID, if you have held one
• Health insurance from a UAE insurer
• Good conduct certificate from Dubai Police, addressed to the Dubai Land Department. Residents obtain it through the Dubai Police app; non-residents must visit the Port Rashid police station
• National ID for nationals of Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan
• For family: attested marriage and birth certificates

The steps

1. Check eligibility if anything is unusual: a mortgage, a joint share near AED 400,000, or you are abroad.
2. Travel to Dubai. The police certificate for non-residents and the medical test both require you to be there.
3. Submit online through the DLD Cube and pay the fee. The Cube asks applicants not to visit its office, as submission is online; the DLD also lists service centres and approved registration trustees.
4. Approval.
5. Medical test.
6. Emirates ID application and biometrics.
7. Residence issued by GDRFA.

The Cube says the visa is typically issued within 10 to 15 working days, depending on documents and approvals. The DLD's service page gives 7 to 10 business days. Plan your travel around the longer estimate.

How does renewal work?

The visa is renewed every two years for as long as you own the property. The Cube's renewal page asks for your passport including the visa page, a photo, the title deed and health insurance, followed by a new medical test and Emirates ID renewal. The listed fee is AED 8,215 on the main visa page and AED 7,958.50 on the renewal page.

If you sell the property the basis for the visa ends. Sell and buy again, and you apply afresh on the new title deed.

What does the visa give you, and what does it not?

It gives you

• UAE residence for two years, with an Emirates ID, the identity document banks, utilities and telecoms providers ask residents for.
• The ability to sponsor your spouse and children for two years, and parents for one year at a time.
• A renewable status with no employer or local sponsor.

It does not give you

• The right to work. It is a residence permit. Betterhomes notes that employment needs a separate work permit.
• Freedom to stay away indefinitely. Unlike the Golden Visa, ordinary residence is subject to the usual six-month rule. Stay outside the UAE for longer than that and the visa can lapse.
• Security independent of the property. No property, no visa.
• A change in your tax residence. That is decided by the rules of the country you live in. See the UAE property tax guide.
• Citizenship or permanent residence.

How does it compare with the Golden Visa?

If your budget is close to AED 2 million, the Golden Visa is cheaper to hold and far less work to maintain. Below that, the two-year visa is now open at any price for a sole owner. Our Golden Visa checker tests a purchase against both.

Should you buy a cheaper property just for the visa?

The rule change makes residence available with some of the lowest-priced completed apartments in Dubai. Before treating that as a reason to buy, weigh the following:

• The visa is not the return. A studio that lets poorly or carries a high service charge is a weak investment with or without a residence permit.
• Running cost. About AED 5,300 a year in visa fees for the main applicant, plus insurance, plus a visit for the medical test at each renewal.
• Market conditions. Dubai's transaction volumes and mainstream prices fell from their 2025 peak during 2026. IMI Daily quoted one residency adviser describing the change as a demand-side measure aimed at the lower and middle of the market, which is a reason to negotiate carefully there.
• Completed property only. You pay the full price, or arrange a mortgage, before you can apply. Buying costs of 6% to 7% on a resale apply.
• Rules set on a web page can change on a web page. There is no published decree behind the new criteria. Check the DLD Cube page on the day you commit.

If residence is the main aim and the budget allows, compare this route with the Golden Visa. If you want help finding completed or near-complete homes that fit either, contact us, or start with our guide to buying property in Dubai.