Like many countries in the world, the UAE has strict visa requirements that tourists or those looking to stay in the country on a more permanent basis need to adhere to.
The UAE happens to be one of our main investor locations here at Thirlmere Deacon, as we have an office out in Dubai. We’re always keen to help investors learn everything they need to know about the location of their asset so that they can make an informed purchase decision.
In today’s post, we will be covering how to stay in the UAE for more than 90 days, which may be of use for those looking to invest here, or anyone wanting to stay for longer than a typical tourist visa will allow.
Do I need a visa for the UAE?
Residents of the UK along with countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia are permitted to enter the UAE without a pre-arranged visa or residence permit for up to 30 days per year. For residents of some European countries, this can be for as much as 90 days per year.
On arrival, visitors will be required to obtain a visa at immigration, and for UK residents the 30 days can be extended for a maximum of 10 days.
This of course is fine if you are only entering the UAE as a tourist on a short holiday, or even staying a few days on a business trip. However, a short term tourist visa is not designed for those coming to the UAE to work, study or even invest in property here.
Types of UAE visas
- 30 day tourist visa
- 90 day tourist visa
- Service/14 day visa
- Entry permit for patients and their companions
- E-Visa for residents from GCC – GCC
- Transit visa
- Student visa
- UAE family visa
- UAE investment visa
- UAE retirement visa
- UAE work visa
UAE property investor visa
While there are many different types of visas that potentially will allow you to stay in the UAE for longer than 90 days, we want to focus on those that specifically apply to property investors. These fall under the ‘UAE investment visa’ branch of visas that are issued within the UAE.
Six month multi-entry visa
The six month multi-entry visa is similar to a tourist visa, but with slightly more perks. As the name suggests, this includes the ability to make multiple trips in and out of the UAE within a six month time frame.
In terms of property investors, this visa type is applicable if you own any property in any of the seven Emirates that is worth at least AED 1 million (£203,061).
Three year visa
The three year visa allows holders to claim certain benefits such as the ability to apply for a local driving licence, an identification card and family sponsorship.
Though, there are some stringent guidelines that potential property investors need to match, which includes:
- Your property investment in the UAE must be valued at AED 750,000 (£152,276) or more
- The property must be residential
- The property must be mortgage free
- The property must be off-plan
- You must have an income of AED 10,000 (£2,031) per month
- You cannot spend a consecutive six months outside of the UAE
Therefore, the three year visa is best suited to property investors who want to establish their portfolio in the UAE with the chance to return home for smaller portions of the year or even have a 50/50 split between home and the UAE.
Five year visa
As we move up the length of time that you will be allowed to stay in the UAE, a five year visa has stricter conditions attached, particularly where the value of your investment is concerned.
The stipulations surrounding a five year investment visa to the UAE include:
- The property must be worth at least AED 5 million (£1,015,484).
- The amount invested in UAE real estate must not be on a loan basis
- The property must be retained for at least three years
Therefore, it’s fair to say that anything above a three year investor visa is designed for property investors who plan on investing significant capital, and over a longer period of time as we advocate here at Thirlmere Deacon, rather than a quick property flip as may be the case on a shorter length visa.
Ten year visa
We’ve reached the maximum visa length that can be applied to property investors in the UAE, which is the ten year visa.
Interestingly, this type of investor visa does not apply to property specifically, rather an investment in the UAE as a whole. This potentially opens the door for investors with varied interests in the country to purchase property in the UAE for a lesser amount, in addition to other investments they have made in the country.
The requirements for a ten year investor visa are to invest at least 10 million AED (£2,030,506) into the UAE, through either of the following methods:
- A deposit of at least 10 million AED in a UAE based investment fund
- Establish a company with a capital of at least 10 million AED within the UAE
- Partner in a new or existing company that has a share value of at least 10 million AED
- Having a total combined investment of 10 million AED in the above areas – crucially real estate must form at least 60% of the total amount
Similar to a five year visa, a ten year visa also requires that the money has not been loaned, and that the investment must be retained for at least three years. In addition, there must also be a financial solvency of up to 10 million AED.
Buy property in Dubai
Now you know what is needed to stay in the UAE for more than 90 days, all that’s left is for you to check out some of the incredible opportunities we have for your portfolio. Namely, we have several investment properties in Dubai that are situated in a prime location having been completed to an exceptional standard.
Thirlmere Deacon is a property investment company with offices in London and Dubai. We welcome potential investors to take a look at our current buy-to-let opportunities or scroll to the top of this page to view our investor resources to find our Dubai property investment page.
If you’d like any further advice on anything we’ve mentioned above, or if you are considering investing in one of our opportunities, please drop us a message or call us on +44 (0) 203 9507939.
