The UAE offers a ten-year renewable Golden Visa from a 545,000 USD property investment, with no personal income tax and no minimum stay. One point to be clear about: this is residence, not citizenship — the UAE has no citizenship-by-investment programme.
Ask whether the UAE sells citizenship and the honest answer is no: the ten-year Golden Visa is residence, obtainable from 545,000 USD in property, and nationality remains an exceptional discretionary grant with no application right. What draws people is the tax side — zero personal income tax on salary, dividends or capital gains — but that headline stops at the individual; company profits above 102,000 USD have paid 9 percent since June 2023. Holding the visa does not by itself make anyone tax-resident, and without a registered will an estate here defaults to Sharia succession. Compare the UAE with Cyprus or Andorra for lower-tax European alternatives on our golden visa comparison table.
| Programme | Status | Verified on | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE Golden Visa (Long-Term Residence) | Open | The Official Portal of the UAE Government — Golden visa |
Residency by investment
| Route | Official minimum | Real total, family of four | Hold | Recoverable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real estateOne or more properties worth at least 545,000 USD (about 545,000 USD), free of loans. Grants a ten-year renewable residence. | env. $545 000 | ≈ $726 934 | — | No |
| Bank depositApproved investment or deposit of at least 545,000 USD, or annual taxes of at least 68,000 USD. Ten-year residence. | env. $545 000 | ≈ $726 934 | — | Yes |
| BusinessEntrepreneur route: an innovative project of at least 136,000 USD with a letter from an approved incubator or emirate. Five-year residence. | env. $136 000 | ≈ $181 734 | — | No |
The programme announces 1–3 months. That is the official figure, not a commitment.
The UAE levies no personal income tax on individuals — no tax on salary, dividends, capital gains, rental income or interest. This federal position is the core reason people relocate here on a UAE golden visa from higher-tax countries. It is the same headline as the Caribbean programmes, but backed by a large, diversified economy rather than a small island.
Since June 2023 the UAE applies a federal corporate tax of 9% on business profits above 102,000 USD (about USD 100,000); profit below that threshold is taxed at 0%. Very large multinational groups within the scope of the OECD global minimum tax can face a 15% effective top-up. Many free-zone businesses that meet the “qualifying income” conditions still enjoy a 0% rate. Crucially, this is a tax on business profit — an individual’s personal income remains untaxed.
On the indirect side the UAE charges VAT at 5%, one of the lowest standard rates in the world, on most goods and services, with zero-rating and exemptions for some categories such as certain exports, healthcare and education. Separate excise taxes apply to tobacco, energy and sugary drinks. There is no additional sales or luxury tax layered on top.
For individuals there is no wealth tax, no capital gains tax and no inheritance or estate tax. One real planning point: in the absence of a registered will, an estate located in the UAE defaults to Sharia succession rules — non-Muslim residents typically register a will (for example through the DIFC Wills service) to direct their assets instead.
The golden visa is a ten-year residence permit, not automatic tax residency. The UAE issues a Tax Residency Certificate to those who meet the presence and ties tests (broadly 183 days, or 90 days with a permanent home and ties). And as everywhere, moving here does not by itself end obligations to a country that taxes on citizenship — the United States — or that applies exit taxes on departure. We set this out in our guide to second citizenship and taxes.
The UAE has an extensive network of double-taxation treaties and takes part in the automatic exchange of financial-account information (CRS), so structures need genuine substance to hold up — a letterbox arrangement will not. If a low-tax base is the goal, weigh the UAE against a zero-income-tax residency such as Bermuda or EU options such as Portugal’s golden visa on our golden visa comparison, and read how the route works in practice in our timeline guide. Confirm your own position with a qualified tax adviser, and see our methodology for how we verify every figure here.
| Route | Official minimum | Real total, family of four |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate | env. $545 000 | ≈ $726 934 |
| — | Mexico | Malta |
|---|---|---|
| Official minimum | $78 000lower | env. $80 800 |
| Real total, family of 4 (fees included) | ≈ $104 130lower | ≈ $107 860 |
| Announced processing | 2–6 monthsfaster | 12–18 months |
| Presence required | Temporary residents should not be absent from Mexico for more than two consecutive years to keep the status; permanent residence is more flexible. | None. |
| Years to citizenship | 5 yearsfaster | — |
| Investment routes | Capital transfer, Business, Bank deposit | Real estate |
| A route returns the capital | Yes | No |
| Open to Russian applicants | YesIdentical on this line | YesIdentical on this line |
| Region | Latin America | Europe |
Freedom. Anywhere.
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