Unveiling the UAE’s Golden Visa and Green Visa: A Gateway to Long-Term Residency and Business Opportunities

This article was updated on July 07th, 2025.

The residency landscape in the United Arab Emirates drastically changed with the launch of the Golden Visa and Green Visa programs. This long-term residency option provides opportunities to foreign investors, entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, and people with extraordinary talent, making the UAE even more appealing to those who wish to reside, work or invest in the region.

A TURNING POINT: REDEFINING FOREIGN OWNERSHIP & ECONOMIC GROWTH

Before 2018, there was a limit of 49% foreign ownership in mainland UAE, meaning that a local Emirati had to sponsor the other 51% stake. The Golden Visa program, alongside the Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020, broke down these walls of restrictions by allowing 100% foreign ownership of businesses on the mainland. The motivation was:

• Attract Foreign Investment: The UAE was hoping that removing foreign business ownership restrictions would incentivise foreign investors to create business operations contributing to the economic growth of the country.
• Boost the UAE’s Economy: Foreign investment would foster economic activity, job creation and diversification away from oil and gas ownership.

GOALS OF THE UAE’S GOLDEN VISA AND GREEN VISA PROGRAMS

The Golden Visa and Green Visa programs share the following objectives:

• Talent Attraction and Retention: The UAE desires to attract and retain individuals with exceptional talent, furthermore, including researchers, scientists, and professionals across different fields.
• Promoting Entrepreneurs: The Golden and Green Visa program also aims to foster an environment where entrepreneurs are able to set up and run their businesses in the UAE for stronger entrepreneurial growth.
• Economic Diversification: By taking advantage of foreign investors and businesses, the UAE is looking to become less reliant on oil and gas, allowing for a more diversified economy.

NAVIGATING THE DIVERSE LANDSCAPE OF GOLDEN VISA & GREEN VISA CATEGORIES

Both the Golden Visa and Green Visa programs offer residency options tailored to various categories of individuals:

Golden Visa Categories:

• Professional: Recognised professional with educational qualification and professional experience, high-level practitioners in the professional fields listed above.
• Talented: Those who hold accomplishments in culture, arts, sports, digital technology, or another paramount field.
• Entrepreneurs: Business owners, or partners of start-ups registered in the UAE with an annual turnover of at least AED 1 million.
• Spouse/Dependents: Spouses and children of Golden visa holders.
• Investors in real estate: People who invest in properties valued at AED 2 million or above.

Green Visa Categories:

• Freelancers/Self-Employed: People with self-employed income for the last two years of no less than AED 360,000, or proof of financial solvency in any way.
• Skilled Employees: Employees hired on a contract with a salary starting from AED 15,000 monthly.
• Investors/Partners: People who have invested in the UAE in an approved investment.

UNLOCKING RESIDENCY: THE APPLICATION PROCESS

The requirements for Golden Visa or Green Visa applications will be contingent on which category you are applying for. The application process seems to follow an approximate sequence of steps:

1. Expert Guidance: You should enlist the assistance of a UAE visa consultancy like Creation Business Consultants to help you with your visa submission and assessment of eligibility for a straightforward procedure. You can explore our full range of UAE visa services for more information.
2. Document Gathering: In most instances, you will be asked for documents including your passport, visa application, proof of income/investments, educational certificates and others according to the category you apply.
3. Category-Specific Requirements: As those requirements vary according to categories, there are some requirements on your application, property value (Golden Visa), minimum salary (Green Visa), etc.
4. Application Submission: Your application is submitted to the relevant authority once the documents are collected.

EMBRACING THE ADVANTAGES OF LONG-TERM RESIDENCY

Both the Golden Visa and Green Visa offer significant advantages, including:

• Long-Term Residency: These visas provide you with a residency of either 5 or 10 years and can help you avoid multiple renewals.
• Business Ownership: Golden Visa holders have the capacity to own a business on the UAE mainland free from an Emirati sponsor.
• Family Sponsorship: Golden and green visa holders are able to sponsor their spouse and children, and in some cases, other dependents.
• Quality of Life: Residents are offered many benefits which come with living in the UAE, which include high living standards, good infrastructure, and a great deal of cultural diversity.

CONCLUSION: A GATEWAY TO A THRIVING FUTURE

The UAE Golden Visa and Green Visa are a big step forward in citizenship policies, making it attractive and simple for foreign nationals to relocate to the UAE. This will help to attract skilled people, businesses and investors to the public to create a more diversified economy, and collectively, we want to facilitate business and grow prosperity for the UAE.

If you would like to apply for a Golden Visa or Green Visa, please contact Creation Business Consultants, who are well-positioned to help advise and guide you on the application process. Please contact Creation Business Consultants for a free quote and get started with your vision for residency in the UAE.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

It’s important to note that each program has its nuances. Here’s a deeper dive into some key details:

• Golden Visa: 
  • Provides 10 years’ residency for most categories, real estate investors only receive 5 years’ residency.
  • Allows ownership of 100% of your business on the UAE mainland.
• Green Visa: 
  • Provides 5 years’ residency for all categories.
  • May or may not provide 100% ownership of the business; this may depend on the kind of activity of the business.

Be advised, policies are subject to change over time, and the government updates its visa regulations on a regular basis. It is a good idea to keep up to date with these changes and monthly programmes and speak to specialists like Creation Business Consultants. Contact a member of our team to learn more about setting up a company in the UAE, email us at [email protected], or call UAE at +971 4 878 6240 and Saudi Arabia at +966 54 511 2494

Michelle Camacho,
Senior Client Relationship Executive