Key Takeaways
- Your company gets an establishment card, the zone confirms its visa quota, and ICP issues an entry permit. ICP lists two days for the permit, and you have 60 days to use it (ICP, October 2026).
- DMCC gives its partner visa to owners with AED 50,000 of share value and keeps its investor visa for a sole owner. Meydan offers an investor or partner visa from AED 50,000 of share capital (October 2026).
- The investor options for the Golden Residence are built on AED 2 million (ICP, 10 September 2026). ICP grants 10 years in every category, including entrepreneurs and property investors.
- To sponsor your family, ICP lists a monthly income of AED 3,000 plus housing from your employer, or AED 4,000 without housing (October 2026).
- The owner visa depends on your share capital. Get the zone to tell you in writing how it wants that capital proved before you pay for the licence.
When founders ask about a business visa in Dubai, they usually mean a residence visa sponsored by their own company, with themselves named as owner or partner. That's one way to live in the UAE as a business owner. The other is a residency that stands on its own and needs no company behind it. Which one suits you comes down to how much money you're putting in and how long you want to stay.
Company visa or standalone residency
A visa sponsored by your company only works while the company can sponsor it. A standalone residency has no sponsor at all. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), the federal body behind residence visas and the Emirates ID card, grants the Green Residence for five years without a sponsor or employer (ICP guide, 12 September 2026). It also grants the Golden Residence, which has its own thresholds for investors, entrepreneurs and other groups. Use the table to see what each option depends on and how long it lasts.
| Option | What it depends on | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Investor or partner visa sponsored by your company | Trade licence, establishment card and the zone's visa quota | Set when issued. GDRFA Dubai, the emirate's residency office, lists 2 years for private-sector residence |
| Green Residence for investors and partners | Proof of the investment or business contribution, plus the licences | 5 years, renewable |
| Golden Residence for investors | AED 2 million in capital, a partner share or a deposit, or AED 250,000 a year in federal taxes | 10 years for public investments (ICP and u.ae) |
All the Green Residence categories are explained in the Green Residence guide. This page looks at the company visa first and the Golden Residence after that.
Steps for an investor or partner visa
No authority publishes a total time, because the process is a chain of separate government services. The usual order goes like this. The zone issues your trade licence, the document that lets your company do business. Next, your establishment card is activated. That's the immigration record that lets your company sponsor visas. The zone then confirms your visa quota, meaning the number of residence visas your company may apply for, and ICP issues the entry permit. Once you're in the country, you take a medical fitness test, arrange health insurance and give your fingerprints and photo for the Emirates ID. Your residence has to be completed within 60 days of entry.
- Establishment card. ICP needs a valid trade licence and an authorised signatory, the person allowed to sign for the company. A free zone company (one licensed by a zone authority under the zone's own rules) applies through that authority. ICP charges AED 100 for the application, AED 100 a year and AED 100 for smart services. On top of that come AED 2,000 to subscribe to its electronic system and an AED 1,000 guarantee (ICP service page, content dated 11 December 2024). For a Dubai mainland company, licensed anywhere in the emirate outside a free zone, GDRFA lists AED 200 plus 5% VAT (value added tax), AED 20 in levies and an AED 50 service fee. It says to expect 48 hours.
- Quota. Each zone sets its own, and there's no formula that applies across the UAE. Mainland companies get a work-permit quota from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), which says it now grants the quota instantly (February 2026). You'll need a valid Ta'qeem report first. Ta'qeem is MOHRE's check of your business before it sets the quota, and its service page puts the fee at AED 406, subject to change.
- Entry permit. ICP charges AED 100 for the application, AED 100 for issuance and AED 100 for smart services, plus any guarantee your category requires. It lists two days for this step, and you must enter the country within 60 days. Permits for staff of employers regulated by MOHRE go through MOHRE's Work Bundle service.
- Medical test, insurance and biometrics. The price of the medical test depends on the centre and how quickly you want the result. The more years of residence, the higher the Emirates ID fee.
Quota rules differ from zone to zone. You'll find them in the guide to visa quota and office size, and the free zone visa guide covers the bigger picture. Once the quota is confirmed, a PRO (public relations officer, the person who handles a company's government paperwork) can take care of the remaining steps.
How much share capital the zones ask for
Share capital is the money the owners commit to the company. The rules on how much you need for a visa come from each zone, not from federal law. DMCC, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, says in its visa guidelines that only a sole shareholder can get its investor visa. Its partner visa goes to shareholders holding at least AED 50,000 of share value (October 2026). Meydan's FAQ names AED 50,000 of share capital as the point from which an investor or partner visa is available. You also need the immigration card, another name for the establishment card, and a visa allocation (October 2026). Meydan sells visa allocations per licence, so check the current number and price with Meydan directly. GDRFA Dubai lists private-sector residence for 2 years, and it can be renewed.
The green permit for investors and partners is a different thing. GDRFA lists it for up to five years, and its green visa issuance page asks for a paid share of at least AED 1,000,000 (October 2026). An ICP service page for the Green Residence also names a minimum contribution of AED 1,000,000 (content dated 11 December 2024). ICP's 2026 guide gives no figure at all, so check with ICP which one applies. The AED 50,000 the zones mention is their own rule. It isn't a national threshold.
Settle early with the zone how you'll prove the capital. It may want a deposit slip, a share certificate, or a valuation if you're putting in assets instead of cash. If it won't accept the proof you prepared, you'll have to document the capital again, and the visa application waits until that's done. Have these papers ready.
- Your passport and the trade licence.
- The memorandum or articles of association, which show the share capital and how many shares you hold.
- Proof of the capital in a form the zone accepts.
- The establishment card and the quota confirmation.
Golden Residence options for owners
Owners who meet the thresholds can apply for the Golden Residence, which doesn't need a company sponsor. ICP's guide (10 September 2026) lists five public investment options. Three are built on AED 2 million: a deposit with an investment fund or a national bank, the capital of a company, or a partner's share. The other two depend on federal taxes of at least AED 250,000 a year, either paid by the company or matched by the partner's share. Borrowed money doesn't count. ICP and the government portal u.ae both say investors in public investments get 10 years.
Entrepreneurs have separate options, and the official pages don't line up on the term. ICP's guide gives 10 years to the owner of a UAE-registered small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) with annual revenue of at least AED 1 million. A business idea approved by an accredited incubator or a competent authority also qualifies. So does a founder whose ventures were sold for at least AED 7 million. GDRFA Dubai (October 2026) lists 10 years, with options at AED 1 million, 2 million or 7 million. It needs a nomination from the Dubai Future Foundation, and that nomination isn't the final approval. An older ICP service page, dated 11 December 2024, asked for an auditor's letter confirming a project value of at least AED 500,000. The 2026 guide uses the options above instead.
So how long does it last? ICP's guide gives 10 years to entrepreneurs and real estate investors alike, and GDRFA Dubai also shows 10 years for entrepreneurs. An older summary on u.ae (28 July 2026) still says 5 years for some categories. Confirm the term on the ICP application page. GDRFA charges AED 1,100 for the entrepreneur permit plus levies, and it takes about five days.
Sponsoring your family
Once you have residence as an owner, you can sponsor your family. ICP sets the income test. You need a monthly income of at least AED 3,000 plus housing provided by your employer, or AED 4,000 if there's no housing. That covers a spouse, unmarried daughters and sons under 25 (as of October 2026). Confirm the current figure with ICP or GDRFA before you apply, and find out what proof of income they want.
Green Residence holders can sponsor family members too, including a spouse and children, under the approved requirements. They don't need a company sponsor for this (ICP Green Residency guide, 12 September 2026).
Keeping the company able to sponsor
Your visa relies on the company staying in good standing. If it slips, the visa process stops. The licence has to be renewed, the establishment card has to stay active, and the company has to be trading. ICP lists a fine of AED 20,000 for issuing entry permits to a company with no business activity (ICP entry permit and establishment card service pages). Ask the zone what proof of activity it expects before you request the first permit. For a Dubai mainland company, GDRFA Dubai lists the establishment card renewal at AED 200 plus 5% VAT, AED 20 in levies and an AED 50 service fee (October 2026).
A few other duties come with running the company. A new company registers for Corporate Tax with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) within three months of incorporation (FTA Decision 3 of 2024). It records its beneficial owners, the real people who in the end own or control it, within 60 days of licensing (Cabinet Decision 109 of 2023). Health insurance for private-sector workers has been mandatory in every emirate since 1 January 2025, when the federal scheme reached the northern emirates. Dubai and Abu Dhabi already had schemes of their own. MOHRE lists a basic package at AED 320 a year (October 2026).
Your workspace counts as part of the visa application too. At Meydan, a flexi desk (a desk in a shared office that you use on a flexible basis) is accepted as the workspace for licensing and visa applications (Meydan, October 2026). To see how this is sold in packages, read the guide to virtual offices and flexi desks and the profile of Meydan Free Zone.
Which option to pick
Two things decide it. One is how much capital you'll put in, the other is how long you need to stay. Say you're going to commit AED 50,000 of share capital to a company anyway and you want residence now. Then the company visa is the one to price first. If you can put AED 2 million into a qualifying investment and want a residence that doesn't depend on a sponsor, talk to ICP about the Golden Residence. A freelancer working alone doesn't need a company at all, and the freelance visa guide explains the Green Residence option for that case.
For where the visa fits into the whole setup, see the step-by-step Dubai company guide. A PRO or adviser can look over your application before it's submitted. The quota, the proof of capital and the visa category are the parts most worth checking.
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