Know the law: UAE residency visa of up to 5 years for property owners

Question: I am an Indian citizen residing in India. If I invest in a property in Dubai or wider UAE, am I eligible to get a visa for myself and family based solely on that? Do I have to be a resident first to invest in one?

Answer: Pursuant to your queries, an expatriate individual who invests in one or more property(s) worth Dh1 million to Dh4.99 million (Dh4,999,999) is entitled to obtain a residence visa in the UAE for three years. Individuals who invest in one or more property(s) worth Dh5 million or more are entitled to apply for residence visa in the UAE for five years, provided such property(s) are completed and handed over to its owner by the developer.

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The property owner should make an application for residence visa to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (the ‘GDRFA’), along with original passport, original and copy of title deed, passport size photograph, copy of the cancellation of residence visa or copy of visit visa (if any).

Thereafter, the owner should undergo a medical fitness test. He/she should then approach the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship to complete the procedures related to capturing of biometrics to get a UAE resident card (if the owner is applying for a UAE residency visa for the first time).

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Once the medical fitness test results are received, the owner should submit an application for residence visa stamping on the passport. Once the residence visa is issued, then such investor may sponsor his/her immediate family members in the UAE.

Further, it is not mandatory for an expatriate individual to have a residence visa of the UAE to invest in property(s) in the emirate of Dubai. For further information and clarification regarding the said matter, you may contact the GDRFA or a legal practitioner in the UAE.

Ashish Mehta is the founder and Managing Partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates. He is qualified to practise law in Dubai, the United Kingdom and India. Full details of his firm on: www.amalawyers.com. Readers may e-mail their questions to: news@khaleejtimes.com or send them to Legal View, Khaleej Times, PO Box 11243, Dubai.