Investor visa in Dubai and the UAE in 1 to 3 weeks after the license
An investor visa is a 2-year UAE residence visa that your own company sponsors for you, from AED 3,000. We open the file, book the medical test and file the renewal.
Who needs the visa?
What an investor or partner visa in Dubai is, and how you qualify
In Dubai the same words also name three other routes: the 2-year visa of a property owner, the 5-year Green visa and the 10-year golden visa.
The visa a company sponsors for its owner
An investor visa, also called a partner visa, is the residence visa a company sponsors for its own shareholder. You qualify by holding a share in a UAE mainland or free-zone company with a valid license. The license lists you as a partner, and the establishment card, the company's immigration file, lets the company sponsor you.
2 years to live, work and sponsor your family
The visa runs for 2 years and is renewed with the license. With it you live in the UAE, manage and work in your company and sponsor your family: a spouse, sons under 25, unmarried daughters and a child with special needs. It asks for no employer and no minimum personal wealth.
A company, a passport and one trip to the UAE
The visa asks for three things:
- The company itself, with its license and establishment card: see company formation in the UAE
- A passport valid for 6 months or more
- A medical fitness test and fingerprints for the Emirates ID, both taken in the UAE on one trip
Investor visa routes in Dubai and the UAE, side by side
| Route | Valid for | What qualifies you | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investor or partner visa through your company | 2 years | A share in a mainland or free-zone company | from AED 3,000 a visa |
| Property owner's visa, Dubai | 2 years | A Dubai property in your sole name, of any value, or a co-owner's share worth AED 400,000 | AED 10,212.50 at the Dubai Land Department |
| Green visa for investors and partners | 5 years | AED 1,000,000 put into a UAE company | in your quote |
| Golden visa | 10 years | AED 2,000,000 in property, a deposit or a company, or a salary of AED 30,000 a month | Government fee about AED 4,695 to 10,140 |
| Retirement visa | 5 years | Aged 55 after 15 years of work, with AED 1,000,000 in UAE property or on deposit, or an income of AED 240,000 a year | in your quote |
| Employment visa for your staff | 2 years | A contract with your company | from AED 3,000 a visa |
| Family visa | As long as the sponsor's visa | A relative who holds a UAE residence visa and sponsors you | in your quote |
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
We had long been looking for someone to register a company in the UAE and help with the account. With Legarithm it went as it should: a clear process, help with the documents, no red tape.
Everything is well coordinated and clear. Half an hour of the first meeting was more useful than two weeks of trying to work it out myself.
Who gets a UAE residence visa through a company
Your mainland or free-zone company sponsors your investor visa. An offshore company holds assets and sponsors none, so founders who want residence take a free zone company in the UAE or a mainland one.
The company sponsors each partner in the same way. A free-zone license with a flexi-desk carries a starter quota of visas, and a larger office adds more.
The company sponsors an employment visa for each person it hires. We file it with the free zone or with the labour ministry, and the employee finishes the steps within 60 days of entering the UAE.
With your own visa issued, you sponsor your spouse and children. We run their files right after yours.
What a 2-year investor visa in Dubai costs, line by line
A visa through your company goes into the same quote as the company and its license. The dirham lines under it are the fees that Dubai immigration and the Dubai Land Department publish.
Investor visa through your company, each
from AED 3,000Get a quote- Dubai immigration: 2-year residence permit, private sector
- AED 200
- Dubai immigration: fee when you apply from inside the UAE
- AED 500
- Dubai immigration: knowledge, innovation and delivery fees
- AED 40
- Property owner's 2-year visa, Dubai Land Department
- AED 10,212.50
- Spouse on the property route, 2 years
- AED 7,382.25
- Child under 18 on the property route
- AED 6,482.25
- Family visa through your company, each member
- in your quote
- Renewal after 2 years
- in your quote
How a UAE residence visa is issued through your company
- after the license1
Establishment card
After the license we obtain the establishment card for the company. Dubai immigration issues it in 48 hours.
- then2
Entry permit
We apply for your entry permit, or change your status when you are already in the UAE.
- in the UAE3
Medical test
You come to the UAE and take the medical fitness test, required from the age of 18. We book it.
- the same trip4
Emirates ID
On the same trip you give your fingerprints at a centre of the identity authority for the Emirates ID, the identity card of every UAE resident.
- 1 to 3 weeks in all5
Visa issued
The immigration authority issues the residence permit for 2 years, and the Emirates ID card is delivered to you.
- 1 to 3 weeks each6
Family and staff
We open the files of your family and your employees, each with the same steps, and renew every visa with the license: license renewal and PRO services in Dubai.
How a family visa in the UAE works
Your spouse, your sons under 25, your unmarried daughters and children with special needs.
A tenancy contract in your name, health insurance for each family member, and attested marriage and birth certificates. An employee also shows a salary of AED 4,000 a month, or AED 3,000 with housing from the employer.
An entry permit, a medical test from the age of 18 and an Emirates ID. Each file takes 1 to 3 weeks.
The Dubai Land Department files the family of a property owner at the same desk: AED 7,382.25 for a spouse and AED 6,482.25 for a child under 18.
Documents for a UAE residence visa
Documents
For you and each employee
- Passport valid for 6 months or more
- Passport photo on a white background
- Current UAE visa or entry stamp, if you are in the country
- Trade license that lists you as a partner
- Signed employment contract, for staff
For each family member
- Passport copy and photo
- Marriage certificate, attested
- Birth certificate of each child, attested
- Tenancy contract and a utility bill in the sponsor's name
- Health insurance policy
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformRenewal, and what UAE residence gives you for tax
2 yearsRenewed with the license, then a golden visa
The visa is renewed every 2 years, together with the license of the company. We remind you before both dates and file the two renewals together. Once you hold AED 2,000,000 in property or a deposit, the next step is the golden visa in the UAE, which runs for 10 years and needs no sponsor.
183 daysResidence and tax residence
Residence opens the way to UAE tax residence, and the country levies no personal income tax. A resident who spends 183 days a year here, or 90 days with a home, a job or a business in the UAE, is tax resident. The Federal Tax Authority confirms it in a tax residency certificate (TRC).
Questions about an investor visa in Dubai and the UAE
How much does a 2-year investor visa cost in Dubai?
From AED 3,000 through your own company, or AED 10,212.50 at the Dubai Land Department for the owner of a property.
Can I work in the UAE with an investor visa?
Yes, in the company that sponsors you. The visa names you as its partner, and you manage and work in that company.
How much money do I need for an investor visa?
The visa through a company asks for no minimum personal wealth: you need the company, from $7,000 in a free zone, and from AED 3,000 for the visa. The 5-year Green visa asks for AED 1,000,000 in a company, and the golden visa for AED 2,000,000. For a person who works alone, see freelance visa in Dubai or an LLC.
What is the difference between an investor visa and a partner visa?
Both names mean the residence visa that a company sponsors for its shareholder.
How many visas can my company sponsor?
The quota follows the zone and the office: up to 6 at Meydan, up to 50 at Shams, and by floor space on the mainland. We match the zone to the visas you need. The people you hire are paid through the Wage Protection System: see payroll in the UAE.
What is the minimum salary to sponsor a family visa in the UAE?
AED 4,000 a month for an employee, or AED 3,000 when the employer provides housing. The sponsor also shows a tenancy contract, health insurance for each family member and attested marriage and birth certificates.
Do I have to be in the UAE to get the visa?
For one trip. The medical test and the fingerprints for the Emirates ID are taken in person, and we book both for the same visit.
Who can get a Green visa or a retirement visa in the UAE?
Both run for 5 years with no sponsor. The Green visa goes to an investor or partner with AED 1,000,000 in a UAE company, to a skilled employee and to a freelancer: the Green visa for freelancers. The retirement visa goes to a person aged 55 after 15 years of work who owns UAE property worth AED 1,000,000, holds the same sum on deposit or has an income of AED 240,000 a year.
Get a quote for your UAE residence visa
Book a 30-minute call about your residence visa
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
- We email you the Google Meet link.
- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Also for a company in the UAE
Company formation in the UAE
Free zone from $7,000, mainland from $8,000, offshore from $3,000
OpenGolden visa in the UAE
10 years of residence with no sponsor, from AED 2,000,000 in property
OpenTax residency certificate in the UAE
The tax authority's proof of UAE tax residence, in 2 to 3 weeks
OpenFree zone company in the UAE
The zones compared by license fee and by visa quota
OpenGuides to a company in the UAE
All guides to a company in the UAE
Updated 13 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
