The rule in one sentence
If you own property in Dubai worth AED 2 million or more, in your own name, you can apply for a ten-year Golden Visa. The property can have a mortgage on it. That is the whole rule, and most of the confusion online comes from people quoting versions of it that were retired in January 2024.
What changed, and when
Until January 2024, a mortgaged property only counted if you had paid at least AED 1 million toward it. In practice that meant a 50% deposit on a AED 2 million home. The UAE removed that condition. The National reported at the time that the Dubai Land Department confirmed the change at its Cube centre. Brokers described it as opening the visa to almost everyone who had bought property. Since then, the eligibility test has been the value of the property, not the amount you have paid.
In February 2026, Arabian Business reported that a federal circular reaffirmed this position. A property valued at AED 2 million or more qualifies, whatever the down payment, and whether it is completed, off-plan, mortgaged or unencumbered. If you have read that the 50% rule was "scrapped in 2026", that is what the reports refer to. The practical effect is the same either way. The amount you have paid is not the test.
What the Dubai Land Department actually asks for
The DLD's own service page for the investor Golden Visa sets out the conditions plainly. The property must be worth AED 2 million at the time of purchase and wholly owned by the applicant, and it can be one property or several that add up. For a mortgaged property, the applicant must submit a no-objection letter from the bank. The letter has to state that the bank does not object to a residence permit being issued on the property, and it has to show the paid amount and the outstanding balance. The applicant has to be physically in the UAE when applying.
The documents are short: passport, the title deed or e-certificate of title, a photograph, and your Emirates ID and current residence permit if you already have them. Processing is quoted at 7 to 10 business days. The total government fee for the ten-year permit is AED 9,884.75, which covers the medical test, Emirates ID, residency stamping and the departmental charges. Sponsoring family members costs AED 318.75 to open the file and AED 5,774.50 per person.
Two worked examples
A resident expat buying at AED 2.5 million. The Central Bank allows up to 80% financing on a first property under AED 5 million, so the bank lends AED 2 million and you pay AED 500,000 plus roughly 6% to 7% in transaction costs. The title deed shows a property worth AED 2.5 million in your name. The bank issues the no-objection letter showing AED 500,000 paid and AED 2 million outstanding. You qualify. Before 2024, this buyer would have been turned away for paying less than AED 1 million.
A non-resident buying at AED 2.5 million. Non-resident mortgages typically run at 50% to 60% of value, so expect to put down AED 1 million to AED 1.25 million. The visa logic is identical. What differs is the bank's willingness to lend and the paperwork it wants, which is where a broker earns their fee. Our non-resident mortgage service covers which banks lend to overseas buyers and on what terms.
The bank letter is where applications fail
The no-objection letter sounds like a formality. It is not. The DLD is specific about what it must say, and a letter that confirms the mortgage exists but does not state that the bank has no objection to a residence permit, or that omits the paid and outstanding figures, will be sent back. Some banks issue the letter in a day. Others take two weeks and charge for it. A few ask for the visa application reference before they will issue anything, which creates a circular problem if you have not planned for it.
Three things reduce the risk. First, ask the bank about its Golden Visa letter process before you sign the facility offer, not after. Second, make sure the property value on the title deed, the bank's valuation and the price in the sale agreement all clear AED 2 million comfortably. A property bought at AED 2.05 million with a valuation that comes in at AED 1.98 million is a genuine problem. Third, keep the property wholly in your name. Joint ownership is handled differently and each owner is assessed on their own share.
Off-plan: possible, but read the fine print
The DLD's residency guidance lists off-plan among the eligible property types, subject to conditions, and the February reporting was explicit that completed and off-plan property both qualify. In practice, off-plan applications depend on the developer's registration with the DLD and the stage of the project, and several advisers now describe completed property as the cleaner route. There is also a financing constraint: the Central Bank caps mortgages on off-plan property at 50% of value, so the deposit is larger. If your priority is the visa rather than the specific development, a ready property with a title deed is the faster path. Our off-plan mortgage page explains how bank financing works on under-construction units.
What the visa gives you
Ten years, renewable, with no local sponsor required and no minimum number of days you must spend in the UAE each year. You can sponsor your spouse and your children regardless of their age, along with up to three domestic staff. The visa is tied to the qualifying property, so treat the AED 2 million holding as a condition you maintain, not a one-time hurdle.
Why the mortgage structure matters more than it looks
Because the test is property value and not cash paid, the financing decision becomes a residency decision. A buyer with AED 1 million in cash can either buy a AED 1 million home outright and take the two-year investor visa, or put the same AED 1 million toward a AED 2.5 million property with a mortgage and qualify for the Golden Visa. The second option carries more debt and more interest, but it is the same cash and a very different outcome.
This is the conversation we have most often with buyers now. Getting a pre-approval first tells you the size of loan a bank will actually offer, which then tells you which properties bring you over the threshold. It takes 24 to 48 hours and does not affect your credit score.
Before you rely on any of this
Visa rules in the UAE change by circular, and the reporting around the 2024 and 2026 changes was not always consistent. Everything above matches the DLD's published requirements as of September 2026, and we have cited the sources. Confirm your own position with the DLD Cube centre or an authorised typing centre before you commit to a purchase on the strength of the visa, and make sure your bank will issue the letter in the form the DLD requires.