Residency

2-Year UAE Investor Visa guide: requirements, timeline and family

Setting up a company in the UAE is the first step; what makes the structure truly useful is the investor visa that comes with it. With it come tax residency, Emirates ID, personal account opening, and the ability to sponsor your family. Here is the process, in detail.

What the Investor Visa is

The Investor / Partner Visa is a 2-year renewable residency permit granted to the shareholder or director of a UAE-registered company. It provides:

• Free entry and exit to the UAE without an additional visa.
• Right to live and work in the UAE.
• Emirates ID — the official residency document, required to open a bank account, rent property, contract services.
• Access to UAE tax residency (0% personal tax).
• Ability to sponsor dependants (spouse, children, parents).

The 10-year Golden Visa has its own requirements — typically AED 2M real-estate investment or special professional criteria — and is outside the scope of this guide.

Requirements

• Be a shareholder or director of a UAE company (Free Zone or Mainland).
• Passport valid for at least 6 months.
• Pass the medical exam (HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis B/C).
• No relevant criminal record.
• Pay applicable immigration fees.

The process, step by step

1. Entry Permit

After your company licence is issued, the Free Zone (or DED, for Mainland) immigration authority issues an electronic Entry Permit, valid for 60 days. That is the document with which you enter the UAE to complete the process.

You do not need to travel until this point. All previous steps are done remotely.

2. Travel to the UAE

This is the first (and typically only) mandatory in-person step. Total time on the ground: 3 to 5 business days to complete biometrics + medical exam + Emirates ID issuance.

3. Status change

Once inside the UAE, your Entry Permit is converted to "resident" — a simple administrative step.

4. Medical exam

Done at an authorised centre (DHA in Dubai, SEHA in Abu Dhabi, etc.). Includes blood tests and chest X-ray. There's a Standard option (results in 48h) and a VIP option (results in 3h). Our Essential VIP, Executive and Signature packages include the VIP version.

5. Biometrics + Emirates ID

Photo, fingerprint and signature at the Federal Authority for Identity & Citizenship (ICA). After this step, the physical Emirates ID is issued in 5–7 business days and delivered by mail (or collected in person, as preferred).

6. Visa stamped on passport

Final step: the visa is stamped electronically. It used to be a physical sticker — since 2022 most visas are fully electronic.

Family sponsorship

Once a resident, you can sponsor:

• Spouse — no restriction.
• Children — boys up to 18 (or 21 if in higher education); girls until marriage or financial independence.
• Parents — subject to evidence of financial capacity and minimum health insurance.
• Domestic worker — subject to specific labour rules.

Each dependant follows a simplified process parallel to yours: Entry Permit → medical exam → biometrics → Emirates ID. You can sponsor your family immediately after your own Emirates ID is issued, or any time after.

Maintaining residency

To keep the visa active, you only need to visit the UAE at least once every 6 months. There is no minimum stay requirement. Your company can operate 100% remotely between visits.

Renewal after 2 years: simple, with a new medical exam and Emirates ID renewal. No need to re-issue Entry Permit.

Typical costs

Per visa, per 2 years:

• Government fees: AED 4,000 – AED 7,000 (varies by Free Zone and licence type).
• Medical exam: AED 350 (Standard) or AED 1,200 (VIP 3h).
• Emirates ID: AED 370.
• Mandatory health insurance: from AED 800/year (minimum coverage).

Timewise packages include professional fees, brokerage, processing, and support throughout. Specific values for your structure are shared after the eligibility analysis.