Saved to your Wishlist

Turn this option into a real plan.

The free Mobility Match Assessment uses your priorities, timing, and household to surface countries and routes worth a deeper look. Your saved item stays in your Wishlist either way.

Take the free assessment
Back to mobility assets

ae_swv2

UAE Golden Visa: Exceptional Talent and Skilled Professionals

UAE · Middle East

Source: Mobility Asset DatabaseLifecycle: UnknownExtended ResidencyHighly Skilled Worker Visas

Program facts from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database. Unknown facts are shown as Unknown, never as zero.

Check your optionsCompare mobility assetsExplore UAE
Publication state
Mobility Asset Database
Lifecycle status
Unknown
Facts checked through
Sep 21, 2026
Source snapshots
Database edition

Identity and current status

The route identity and current status.

Present
Year establishedPublished
2019
Governing lawPublished
Cabinet Decision No. 56 of 2018 (UAE Golden Visa framework)
Responsible authorityPublished
Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP)

What the program provides

What the program gives the holder.

Present
What the program providesPublished
Secure a government recommendation as an exceptional talent in arts & culture, innovation, sport, digital technology/AI or another priority field and hold a renewable, sponsor-free 10-year UAE residency

Best suited for

Who the program tends to suit. Research only, never a personal recommendation.

Absent

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Eligibility

Personal qualifications an applicant must establish.

Present
Minimum ageUnknown
Unknown
Clean criminal record requiredPublished
Yes
Local health insurance requiredPublished
Yes
Nationality restrictionsPublished
No
Basic eligibilityPublished
Recognized exceptional talent in arts & culture, innovation/invention, sport, digital technology/AI, or another priority field, with a recommendation or approval from the relevant competent UAE federal or local government entity
Employment statusPublished
Full-time employee or self-employed
Generational limitPublished
Not applicable

Household inclusion

How spouses and children are treated.

Present
Family sponsorshipPublished
Yes
Spouse includedPublished
Yes
Children includedPublished
Yes
Child age limitUnknown
Unknown
ChildrenPublished
General Golden Visa family-sponsorship benefit covers spouse and children; the entrepreneur sub-category is documented as sponsoring children 'regardless of age' and this ICP page did not state a narrower cap for the Talents route, but that was not independently confirmed for this specific category

Documents

Evidence categories and filing documents.

Absent

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Process and timeline

How you apply and how long it takes.

Present
Processing timePublished
0.3 weeks
Can apply without travelingPublished
Yes
How you applyPublished
Online via ICP Smart App / ICP Smart Services website (24/7), or in person at an ICP Customer Happiness Centre, after securing the category-specific government recommendation
Required in-person stepPublished
Standard UAE residence-visa medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics after approval
What the processing time measuresPublished
ICP's published 2-working-day processing time for the visa-issuance step itself, once the category recommendation/approval is already secured (that upstream nomination step has no published timeframe)
Official application routePublished
https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details?serviceid=68e34f2a5ae59b00117383dc

Costs and investment

Fees, income and savings thresholds, and investment amounts.

Present
Minimum investmentPublished
None required
Minimum passive investment (July 2026)Published
None required
Minimum active investment (July 2026)Published
None required
Processing feePublished
$54
Application feePublished
$27
Total cost to applyPublished
$81
Monthly income requiredUnknown
Unknown
Monthly pension income requiredPublished
None required
Monthly rental income requiredPublished
None required
Savings requiredUnknown
Unknown
Proof of sufficient fundsUnknown
Unknown
Local bank deposit requiredPublished
No
Minimum local bank depositPublished
None required
Fees paidPublished
Before approval
Cost notesPublished
Total ICP fee AED 300 (AED 100 each for application, issuance, and smart-services fee) ≈ US$82 at Sept 2026 rates; overstay daily fine AED 50 (≈US$14/day)

Presence and maintenance

Stay, renewal, and how long the status lasts.

Present
Stay required to keep statusPublished
None
Physical presence requiredPublished
No
In-country visit requiredPublished
Yes
Move-in windowUnknown
Unknown
Length of residencyPublished
120 months
Residency is lifetimePublished
No
RenewablePublished
Yes
Maximum durationUnknown
Unknown
Maximum duration is lifetimePublished
Yes
Stay rule (Sept 2026)Published
None: Golden Visa holders are explicitly permitted to stay outside the UAE beyond the standard six-month absence limit that applies to ordinary residence visas, without losing status
Tax residency rulePublished
Residents staying more than 183 days per year (or a conditional 90-day test) will be considered tax residents under Cabinet Resolution 85/2022
Personal income taxPublished
No personal income tax

Rights and onward pathways

Work, healthcare and other rights, and the path to permanent residence and citizenship.

Present
Time to permanent residencyPublished
Immediate
Time to citizenshipPublished
30 years
Work for a local employerPublished
Yes
Start a businessPublished
Yes
Remote or freelance workPublished
Yes
Local healthcare accessPublished
Yes
University accessPublished
Yes
Can buy landPublished
Yes
Local bankingPublished
Yes
Permanent residence timeline basisPublished
Immediate upon approval
Citizenship timeline basisPublished
Years stated

Risks, limitations, and uncertainty

Notes on changes, conflicts, and limits.

Present
Plan B note (Sept 2026)Published
No investment or deposit is required; eligibility runs entirely on a government recommendation/approval for the applicant's talent category. Golden Visa is a genuine Plan B asset: sponsor-free, 10-year renewable term, no minimum stay to keep status. Naturalization is a separate, largely discretionary 30-year Arabic-proficiency route unrelated to this visa (UAE nationality law); dual citizenship has been allowed since 2021 for some investor/professional/specialized-talent categories and their families.

Sources, freshness, and conflict disclosure

Where the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database took these facts from.

Present
Official program websitePublished
https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/residence-visas/golden-visa
Plan B sources (Sept 2026)Published
https://icp.gov.ae/en/services-details?serviceid=68e34f2a5ae59b00117383dc | https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/residence-visas/golden-visa | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirati_nationality_law

Every fact on this page comes from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database (Sep 21, 2026 edition). A blank is shown as Unknown.

This anonymous dossier is read-only research. It does not establish personal fit, eligibility, legal or tax advice, filing, approval, residence, citizenship, or a held Right.