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Golden Residency — Entrepreneur

United Arab EmiratesStarting a business

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Get your free results Read the five questions ↓

Is this for a founder, startup entrepreneur, self-employed person, freelancer, company owner or another business profile?

This is the Golden visa's Entrepreneurs category: a long-term residence visa for a person who runs an economic project of an innovative or technical nature, as opposed to an employee, investor or student track.

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What must actually exist or be demonstrated: business plan, company, innovation, clients, contracts, economic activity, job creation or other substance?

The applicant must prove the project is innovative or technical in nature, with documents proving the project's value and a letter from a business incubator or the relevant authority in the emirate.

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What investment, capital, income, revenue, funding or viability evidence is central to this pathway?

ICP's Golden Residency Guide lists for entrepreneurs: owning or being a partner in a UAE-registered venture classified as an SME in an approved field with annual revenues of at least AED 1,000,000; approval of the venture idea by an accredited business incubator, the Ministry of Economy, the Authority or a relevant local authority; and being a founder of one or more ventures previously sold for a total of at least AED 7,000,000.

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Limits of the record
  • The ICP guide does not state whether these criteria are cumulative or alternatives.
  • https://icp.gov.ae/en/services/uae-golden-residency/
    The applicant must own or be a partner in an entrepreneurial venture registered in the UAE, classified as a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) and operating in an approved field, with annual revenues of at least AED 1,000,000.
  • https://icp.gov.ae/en/services/uae-golden-residency/
    The applicant must obtain approval for their entrepreneurial venture idea from an accredited business incubator, the Ministry of Economy, the Authority, or a relevant local authority, in order to establish and operate the proposed business activity in the UAE.
  • https://icp.gov.ae/en/services/uae-golden-residency/
    The applicant must be the founder or one of the founders of one or more entrepreneurial ventures that have previously been sold, with a total value of at least AED 7,000,000.

What business/self-employed activity may the holder conduct? Are there important restrictions? What is the family position where clearly stated?

As with other Golden visa categories, the holder does not need a sponsor inside the UAE and may sponsor family members, including spouses and children. The official source does not state what business activity the holder may carry out or its restrictions.

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What approval/application sequence applies, how long is the status granted, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction is officially stated?

Under the Golden Residence annex to Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022, the ICA may, after the approval of the competent authorities, issue a long-term residence permit for 10 years; the Golden Residence Permit is subject to renewal, for certain categories of foreigners and their families, allowing them to self-reside without the need for a guarantor or host party inside the UAE for work, investment, business start-up or stay, in accordance with the resolution's terms and conditions. Golden Residence Permits are renewed with the approval of the ICA and the competent authorities, in accordance with the same standards and conditions under which they were granted, and after paying the prescribed fees. To maintain the permit, the holder must be able to support themselves and their family without the need for government support and maintain valid health insurance for themselves and their family members throughout the validity of the permit or in accordance with the terms set by the competent local authority. The UAE government portal lists the residency duration for entrepreneurs as 5 years, so the official sources differ on the term. The official source does not state a longer-term residence direction.

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Limits of the record
  • The official source does not state a longer-term residence direction.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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