The Dubai golden visa cost is AED 9,884.75, or EUR 2,324 at the 18 August 2026 rate. Five separate fee lines, each one readable on a government page. The question tends to arrive at the same point in a first conversation, about forty minutes in and usually a little quieter. The answer is undramatic, which is why it sits at the top here.
The essentials at a glance
- Government fees for the ten year permit come to AED 9,884.75, about EUR 2,324 (Dubai Land Department, eService fee schedule, retrieved 19 August 2026).
- The threshold is AED 2,000,000 in property value, about EUR 470,252 at the UAE Central Bank mid rate of 18 August 2026.
- A mortgaged property is expressly allowed. The Land Department asks for a bank letter stating the amount paid and the outstanding balance.
- Each sponsored family member costs AED 5,774.50, plus a one off AED 318.75 for opening the file.
The golden residence is a United Arab Emirates residence permit valid for ten years, granted without a local sponsor and renewed while the conditions still hold. For property buyers in Dubai the route runs through the Dubai Land Department rather than through an employer.
Contents
What is the Dubai golden visa cost exactly?
The Dubai Land Department application route carries five separate fees adding up to AED 9,884.75. Only part of that goes to the Land Department itself, the rest to the medical centre, the Emirates ID authority and the residency authority.
| Item | AED | EUR at the 18 Aug 2026 rate |
|---|---|---|
| Medical examination | 700.00 | 165 |
| Emirates ID, 10 years | 1,153.00 | 271 |
| Residence permit confirmation, 10 years | 2,856.75 | 672 |
| Dubai Land Department fees | 4,020.00 | 945 |
| Administration | 1,155.00 | 272 |
| Total | 9,884.75 | 2,324 |
Euro figures use the UAE Central Bank mid rate of 18 August 2026, 4.25304 dirham to the euro. The common shortcut of dividing by four overstates the euro amount by almost six percent. On the Dubai golden visa cost that is about EUR 150, on the property itself close to EUR 30,000.
Do all five items go to the same authority?
No. AED 4,020 goes to the Dubai Land Department, the remaining AED 5,864.75 is split across the medical, the Emirates ID, the residence confirmation and administration. That is why different sources quote different partial amounts and none of them is wrong.
Is that an annual figure?
No, and this is the most common misreading. The Dubai Land Department fee schedule lists the Emirates ID and the residence confirmation explicitly for ten years. The AED 9,884.75 therefore covers the full term and does not recur every year. Spread across the term, the Dubai golden visa cost works out at roughly EUR 232 a year while the property is held.
Which property value unlocks the ten year permit?
The threshold is AED 2,000,000 in property value, about EUR 470,252 at the 18 August 2026 rate. The Dubai Land Department accepts a single property or several counted together, as long as they are registered in the applicant’s own name.
Processing takes five working days according to GDRFA, the Dubai residency authority. The permit runs for ten years and is renewed while the conditions still hold, so the ownership is a state to be evidenced rather than a one off step. Note that the fee schedule is flat: the Dubai golden visa cost is the same whether the property sits just above AED 2 million or far beyond it. Properties above the threshold are listed in our UAE property portfolio.
Does the Dubai golden visa cost change with a mortgage?
No, the fee schedule is the same. The Dubai Land Department expressly accepts a mortgaged property and asks for a letter from the financing bank stating the amount paid and the outstanding balance, so a running mortgage does not rule the application out.
Then what does wholly owned mean?
Wholly owned refers to the ownership position, not to being debt free. The property must be in the individual’s name, not a company’s, and not held as a fraction. A bank mortgage does not conflict with that. A co-ownership share below the threshold does.
This is where online guidance diverges most. Arriving at the appointment without the bank letter costs the appointment, not the fee.
What do family members cost?
Spouse, children and parents can be sponsored. The Dubai Land Department charges AED 5,774.50 per person for the ten year residence permit, plus a one off AED 318.75 to open the file and AED 100 for each additional person sponsored.
| Item | AED | EUR at the 18 Aug 2026 rate |
|---|---|---|
| Residence permit per family member, 10 years | 5,774.50 | 1,358 |
| File opening, one off | 318.75 | 75 |
| Each additional person | 100.00 | 24 |
A family of four therefore adds roughly AED 17,600 on top of the applicant, a little over EUR 4,100. Even with a family the Dubai golden visa cost stays a four figure euro amount rather than the budget item it is often assumed to be.
Parents carry the same AED 5,774.50 per person for ten years, plus AED 100 for each additional parent. The Dubai Land Department lists spouse, children and parents separately in its fee schedule but charges them at the same rate. Sponsoring the family later rather than at once still means paying the file opening fee only once.
What about the Dubai golden visa cost is still unclear?
Two things. First, since spring 2026 a claim has circulated that the AED 1 million down payment requirement has been dropped and that off plan units count from 50 percent of the price paid. It is not documented. The best available source is a Gulf News report of 29 April 2026 citing a federal circular from February 2026, and that circular is not findable on the u.ae government portal or at the federal ICP authority.
Second, the distinction that is missing most often: these are visa fees, not purchase costs. The Dubai Land Department transfer fee of 4 percent of the purchase price falls before this, not after, and is many times larger. What else a purchase carries is set out in our guide to buying an apartment in Dubai, and the tax side in Dubai property tax.
The verifiable figures sit with the authorities themselves: the fee schedule at the Dubai Land Department and the programme conditions on the u.ae government portal. Anyone checking the Dubai golden visa cost before deciding will find every line itemised there.
If you are the kind of buyer who does the math before deciding: send us your budget. We will put together which fees actually apply up to the AED 2 million threshold. No financing advice, no sales call, just a cost breakdown: napinvest.me/contact/
Fees as at 19 August 2026, sources Dubai Land Department and u.ae. Government fees change, figures without warranty, not legal advice.
