Introduction
Long-term residency has become one of the more practical reasons to set up a business in the UAE — not just a lifestyle perk. As the Golden Visa programme has expanded its eligible categories over 2025 and 2026, more founders, business owners, and capital investors now have a realistic path to 5- or 10-year renewable residency, without needing an employer or local sponsor.
Why This Matters Beyond Immigration
For founders setting up a UAE company, residency and business structure are closely linked. A Golden Visa holder sponsors their own status, sponsors family members, and isn’t tied to a single employer or licence the way a standard employment visa is. For business owners actively building a company in the UAE, that stability changes long-term planning — around banking, schooling for family, and simply not having to re-qualify every one to three years.
The Routes That Matter for Business Owners
The programme now covers six broad categories, but three are most directly relevant to anyone setting up or running a business in the UAE:
Entrepreneurs with a qualifying project. Founders of an innovative business project can qualify for a 5-year Golden Visa with a minimum project value of AED 500,000, verified through an auditor’s letter confirming the project’s value plus endorsement from an approved incubator or relevant government authority such as the Ministry of Economy. This route is aimed specifically at technology, innovation, and future-economy projects rather than conventional trading businesses.
AED 2m
AED 500,000
Capital investors. Business owners who place AED 2 million or more into an approved UAE fund, or hold that value in company capital, can qualify for the 10-year route — the same threshold used for real estate investors, but structured around business capital rather than property.
Established business owners. Owners of an existing, operating business can qualify by demonstrating audited annual revenue or asset value that meets the relevant threshold for their category, rather than starting a new qualifying project from scratch.
What's Changed Recently
The eligibility framework has broadened meaningfully over the past year. Categories that previously sat outside the programme — including skilled professionals in high-demand sectors, outstanding students, and a range of specialist and creative professions — have been added alongside the core investor and entrepreneur routes. For skilled professionals applying through employment, the relevant minimum basic salary was set at AED 30,000 per month as of October 2025.
The direction of these changes is consistent: the programme has shifted from being purely capital-driven toward also recognising skills, innovation, and demonstrated business contribution — which widens the door for founders whose UAE business is real and growing, but not yet at AED 2 million in deployed capital.
Processing Time and Cost
For the entrepreneur route specifically, processing typically takes 30 to 90 days depending on how complete the application is and how complex the underlying business structure looks to the reviewing authority. Total costs for a single applicant typically range from roughly AED 10,000 to AED 15,000 or more, depending on the emirate and pathway — and that figure excludes any business setup or investment costs incurred separately.
Structure Your Residency and Your Business Together with MNK Group
A Golden Visa application is far easier to get right when it’s planned alongside your company formation, rather than treated as a separate step afterward. MNK Group’s business setup team can assess which route fits your business and capital position, prepare the supporting evidence correctly, and manage the process end to end alongside your UAE company formation.
Speak to MNK Group about your Golden Visa eligibility as a business owner or entrepreneur.
