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Home / Visa / Residency · Retire in the UAE

Retire where you already feel at home

From age 55, owning UAE property worth AED 1M qualifies you for a 5-year renewable retirement visa for you and your spouse. Savings and income routes exist too — here's how the property route works.

Hala's decision for you

Hala is reading the figures on this page…

5 YRValidity · renewable
55Minimum age · at time of application
AED 1MProperty route · owned property value
SpouseFamily · included
GDRFA / ICPIssued by · Dubai · federal

Three ways to qualify

  • Own property · AED 1M — Own one or more UAE properties with a combined value of at least AED 1,000,000. This is the route PropDirect helps with.
  • Savings · AED 1M — Hold financial savings of at least AED 1,000,000, typically evidenced by a fixed deposit.
  • Income · AED 20K / month — Show an active monthly income of at least AED 20,000 — for example a pension or rental income.

You need to meet the age requirement and at least one of the three routes. Figures are the current published thresholds and can be revised by the authorities.

GDRFA / ICP decides.

Who does what

  • Surface homes at AED 1M and above that meet the property routePropDirect
  • The asking price on each listing, which /visa sets against the AED 1M figure when you open it from a homePropDirect
  • The title deed on completion — the ownership proof your application needsPropDirect
  • A tidy purchase pack you (or your PRO) can submit alongside the applicationPropDirect
  • Submit the retirement-visa application to GDRFA or ICPYou & GDRFA / ICP
  • Evidence the qualifying route (title deed, deposit letter, or income proof)You & GDRFA / ICP
  • Provide passport, photo, medical and health-insurance coverYou & GDRFA / ICP
  • Renew every 5 years while you continue to qualifyYou & GDRFA / ICP

Do I have to own the property outright?

The property route looks at owned value reaching AED 1M. If part of that value is still financed, check the current requirement with GDRFA — rules on the paid-up portion can apply.

Can I combine the routes?

You need to satisfy at least one route in full. Some applicants qualify on property, others on savings or income — you don't have to meet all three.

Is my spouse covered?

Yes — the 5-year retirement visa lets you sponsor your spouse.

What happens after five years?

It's renewable. As long as you still meet the age and one qualifying route, you can renew for another five-year term.

Hala refused by subject

I cannot advise on residency from a property purchase - the rules change and we hold no authoritative text on them. The ICP and the emirate's land department publish the current thresholds, and a licensed conveyancer will confirm what a specific purchase qualifies for.

What is left

  1. 1
    Check your route

    You're 55+ and meet the property, savings, or income route. This page covers the property route.

    Not started
  2. 2
    Find a qualifying home

    Browse AED 1M+ homes — a comfortable place to settle that also clears the threshold.

    Not started
  3. 3
    Buy and register

    Complete the purchase; the land department registers the property and issues your title deed.

    Not started
  4. 4
    Apply for the visa

    Submit the title deed and purchase pack to GDRFA / ICP for the 5-year retirement residence.

    Not started
Browse homes from AED 1MSee all homes for sale

Every residency route in one place — What each one needs, and who issues it

Buying from overseas? — LRS, FC-GPR, DTAA and a power of attorney — the diaspora desk

We are not an immigration agent, and we file nothing on your behalf.

A property purchase is the qualifying step — it does not, by itself, grant residency. PropDirect can tell you what a purchase qualifies for and put the paperwork in one place; the application itself goes to GDRFA / ICP. Eligibility thresholds and rules are set by the government and can change — confirm the current requirements with GDRFA / ICP before you buy.

What the specialists did on this page

1 ran · 0 stopped to ask · 1 did not run · each row opens its sources

Regulatory Intelligencetrust.regulatoryWhether an authoritative text on residency is heldRefused by subject: no authoritative text on residency is held, so Hala gives no residency answer—

The rules of each emirate, retrieved and cited: tenancy law, short-stay rules, cross-border rules for NRI buyers - marked where we have not confirmed them.

  • The ICP and the emirate's land department publish the current thresholds
Off-Plan Intelligenceoffplan.intelligenceA residency intent on an off-plan reservationDid not run here: a residency intent is recorded on a reservation, never on this page—

A project from interest to reservation: the briefing, the payment plan against escrow milestones, and what a default or a residency intent means - never inventing availability.

Hala did itHala asks firstdid not run