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UAE Green Visa for Investors

This is the route for people who own part of a business here rather than property. What it rests on is not a headline figure but an assessment of the investment itself.

Check Investor Eligibility Call +971 52 933 0454

Business Investment Not property

Assessed, Not Priced ICP reviews it

Deira Office Talk to a person, not a portal

How does the green visa work for investors?

It is granted to people establishing or participating in a commercial activity in the UAE, and it runs for five years, self-sponsored. Approval rests on ICP accepting the investment under the rating system it applies, supported by proof of the investment. Unlike the property route to the golden visa, there is no single published figure to measure yourself against, so the investment is assessed rather than simply totalled.

UAE Green Visa for Investors at a glance
Duration	Five years
Applies to	Investors and partners in a UAE business
Decided by	ICP assessment of the investment
Evidence	Proof of the investment
Not	A property-based route
Sponsorship	Yourself

Last updated 10 September 2026 · Reviewed by Mohammed Shareef A, Senior PRO Consultant, Dubai government liaison. Fees and timelines are set by the issuing authority and change without notice — confirm current figures before you budget.

This route is assessed, not priced

The investor green visa turns on ICP approving the investment under the rating system it applies, rather than on clearing a stated threshold. That is genuinely different from the golden visa property route, where a figure is published and you can measure yourself against it.

So the useful question is not how much, but whether the investment stands up when it is looked at.

Approval is an assessment, not an arithmetic test
Proof of the investment is what carries the file
How the shareholding is structured matters
A quoted "minimum" from an agency is guesswork

Trade licence and corporate documents on a desk beside a dark passport

Business investment, not property

This route is about a commercial activity you have established or taken a share in. Property ownership leads to the golden visa route instead, which does carry a published threshold.

People conflate the two constantly, and they are different applications with different evidence.

Commercial activity, not real estate
Property investors look at the golden visa route
Trade licence and shareholding carry this file
Different evidence entirely from a title deed

Trade licence and identity card beside a desk calendar

What the file looks like

The trade licence, your shareholding, and evidence that the investment is real and yours. Where the company has partners, how the shares are held matters, in the same way it does for the property route.

Send the licence and the share document together. Assessing one without the other tells us very little.

Trade licence for the business
Memorandum or share certificate showing your holding
Evidence the investment is genuine and yours
Partner structures need the full picture

Compared with an investor visa

A standard investor or partner visa is typically tied to the company and shorter. The green visa route gives five years in your own name, which matters if you might sell, restructure or step back from the business.

For an owner planning an exit within a few years, that difference is worth real money.

Standard investor visas are usually company-linked
This is five years, self-sponsored
Survives restructuring or stepping back
Worth considering before a sale, not after

How we handle an investor application

Review the structureLicence, shareholding and how it is held.
Assemble proof of investmentDocuments that show it is real and yours.
Sanity-check the routeInvestor green visa, or a better-fitting option.
File with ICPFor assessment under its rating system.
Medical, Emirates ID, stampingThe standard residence sequence.
DependantsSponsored by you afterwards.

Which route suits an owner

Situation and route
You are	Likely route
A partner in a UAE trading company	Investor green visa
An owner of qualifying UAE property	Golden visa property route
An employee of your own company	Compare with the skilled employee route
Self-employed under a freelance permit	Freelancer green visa
Planning to sell the business soon	Self-sponsored routes are worth weighing

The mistake we see most: Treating this as a priced product and asking us what the minimum investment is. It is an assessment, not a price list, and an agency that answers that question with a confident number is guessing on your behalf.

MSM tip: If you draw a salary from your own company, compare this against the skilled employee route before filing. Owners routinely qualify on salary at AED 15,000 with far simpler evidence than proving the investment.

What documents do you need?

What we need

Trade licence for the business

Memorandum of association or share certificate

Evidence of the investment made

Passport copy and current UAE visa status

Whether you draw a salary from the company

Details of any other UAE business or property you hold

Tell us if you draw a salary from the business. It quite often opens a simpler route than the one you came here for.

UAE Green Visa

The parent service, all three routes.

Investor & Partner Visa

The company-linked alternative.

Golden Visa for Property Investors

The property route.

Sources

Green visa for investorsThe UAE Government Portal
Types of visasThe UAE Government Portal
Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port SecurityUAE Government
General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, DubaiGovernment of Dubai

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum investment for a green visa?

The published criteria do not state a figure. Approval rests on ICP assessing the investment under its rating system, so anyone quoting a precise minimum is guessing.

Does property count for this route?

No. This route is about establishing or participating in a commercial activity. Property leads to the golden visa route, which does carry a published threshold.

What evidence is needed?

The trade licence, your shareholding document, and proof that the investment is genuine and yours. Partner structures need the full picture.

How is it different from an investor visa?

A standard investor visa is usually tied to the company and shorter. This is five years in your own name and survives you restructuring or stepping back.

I own the company and pay myself a salary. Which route?

Compare this with the skilled employee route at AED 15,000. Owners often qualify there with far simpler evidence.

Can I sponsor my family?

Yes, sponsorship sits with you as with the other green visa routes.

Start Today

Check Investor Eligibility

Licence and shareholding first. Salary, if you draw one, second.

Hotline: +971 52 933 0454

Email: info@msmdoc.com

Office: Deira, Dubai — serving all seven emirates.