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UAE’s regional hotspot, Dubai has lifted the minimum property value requirement for its two-year real estate investor residency visa, allowing sole property owners to qualify regardless of how much they invest, in a move to boost demand and widen access for smaller investors.
The change, rolled out via the Dubai Land Department’s Cube platform in April, sharply lowers the entry barrier for foreign buyers and widens access to residency-linked property investment.
As the city came under thousands of Iranian attacks in March, Dubai’s red-hot property market cooled, with transactions dropping up to 30% year-over-year during the Middle East conflict, after a record $185 billion in sales in 2025.
Under the previous system, buyers needed to invest at least AED 750,000 ($204,184) to qualify for the two-year visa. That requirement has now been removed for sole owners.
Fully owned properties now qualify for residency with no minimum value, while joint ownership rules remain in place. Each co-owner must still hold a share worth at least AED 400,000 to apply individually.
Authorities continue to require that properties are officially registered with the Dubai Land Department and that ownership is legally clear. The visa remains renewable as long as the investor keeps the property.
The removal of the entry threshold opens the market to a wider pool of investors, particularly those targeting smaller units. Buyers can now enter with lower budgets, including studio apartments or compact properties, without stretching finances just to meet visa criteria.
The policy shift applies only to the short-term residency route. Requirements for Dubai’s 10-year Golden Visa remain unchanged. Investors must still commit at least AED 2 million in real estate—either in one property or across multiple holdings—to qualify for long-term residency.
In April, Dubai recorded 14,083 property transactions worth AED 48.43 billion ($13.18 billion), both down more than 20%, with residential units accounting for 12,053 of them, according to official data.
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