Golden Visa

Golden Visa Through Off-Plan Property in Dubai: The 2026 Rules

The February 2026 rule change lets off-plan buyers apply for Dubai's Golden Visa on an Oqood alone. How the new route works, step by step, with costs.

For years, the standard advice I gave off-plan buyers chasing a Golden Visa was blunt: you probably cannot apply yet. The old framework required you to have actually paid at least 50% of the property price — a minimum of AED 1 million — before the application would be accepted, which shut out almost everyone on a typical off-plan payment plan. In February 2026 that requirement was reported to have been removed, and it changes the calculation for off-plan buyers more than any policy shift I can remember.

What actually changed in February 2026

According to a policy circular dated 20 February 2026, reported by VisaHQ and covered widely by Dubai brokerages, the requirement to have paid half the property’s value upfront before applying for the property-linked Golden Visa was dropped. What matters now is the Dubai Land Department’s certified value of the property: if it meets the AED 2 million threshold, the payment stage you have reached no longer blocks the application.

Three practical consequences follow, based on the coverage I have reviewed:

1. Off-plan buyers can apply on the Oqood. Once your sale is registered with the DLD and the Oqood shows a qualifying value, you do not need to wait for handover or for your instalments to cross the halfway mark.
2. Mortgaged properties qualify. Buyers financing with a UAE bank can apply if the bank issues a letter — in the format the immigration authority prescribes — confirming the position. Coverage of the change indicates the full property value counts, not just the equity paid in.
3. Joint owners are assessed individually. Each co-owner’s share of the DLD-certified value is what counts for that person’s application, rather than the property qualifying or failing as a whole.

The AED 2 million threshold itself did not move. This was a change to how you evidence eligibility, not to the size of the investment required.

One caveat I would build into any plan: as of writing, the most detailed accounts of the change come from immigration news services and brokerage guides rather than a single consolidated official rulebook published in English. The direction of the change is consistently reported, but the fine mechanics — accepted letter formats, how partially paid Oqoods are valued — are applied case by case. Verify your specific situation with the DLD or the GDRFA before you commit money on the strength of visa eligibility.

Old rules vs new rules

Step-by-step: applying with an off-plan property

This is the sequence described in post-change brokerage guides, and it matches how the process runs in practice.

1. Confirm the DLD-certified value

Check that the value recorded on your Oqood — or a DLD valuation — meets AED 2 million for your share. If you own jointly, do this arithmetic honestly: a AED 3 million unit split 60/40 qualifies the 60% owner and not the 40% owner.

2. Obtain the valuation certificate

Request the property valuation through the DLD’s channels. This certificate is the backbone of the file; the application stands or falls on the certified figure, not the brochure price.

3. Assemble the documents

Typical requirements reported for the off-plan route:

• Passport (and Emirates ID if you already hold UAE residency)
• Oqood certificate (or title deed for completed property)
• DLD valuation certificate
• Bank letter in the prescribed format, if the purchase is financed
• Developer no-objection certificate where requested for off-plan
• Health insurance valid in the UAE
• Photographs to specification

Formats matter. Brokerage guides note that mortgage letters, in particular, are rejected when they deviate from the prescribed wording — get the template from the authority, not from a forum.

4. Submit and complete the personal steps

Submit through the DLD’s investor visa channel. Guides published in 2026 describe a nomination review of roughly three to five business days, followed by the medical test at an approved centre, biometrics for the Emirates ID, and electronic visa issuance. End to end, two to four weeks is the commonly cited range when the file is clean; premium services are reported to compress this to under ten business days. Treat all of these as indicative rather than promised.

Costs

Brokerage estimates published in 2026 put the total at roughly AED 6,000–7,200 per applicant, covering the DLD nomination fee, immigration fees, medical test, Emirates ID issuance and mandatory health insurance. Family members sponsored under your visa add their own fees on top. These figures are estimates from market guides, not an official tariff — confirm the current schedule when you apply, and budget a margin for typing-centre and attestation incidentals.

Edge cases worth thinking through

Joint purchases just above AED 2 million. A couple buying at AED 2.1 million jointly does not give either person a qualifying AED 2 million share. If both want visas, the arithmetic needs to work for both shares — or the ownership structure needs to reflect who is applying.

Early-stage off-plan. Eligibility on the Oqood does not change the underlying commercial risk: you are still buying a promise of future delivery. I would never let visa eligibility drive the choice of project. Qualify the developer first, then treat the visa as a benefit of a purchase you would have made anyway.

Selling during the visa term. Advisory guidance indicates the visa is not automatically cancelled the day you sell, but renewal depends on holding a qualifying asset at renewal time. If a future exit is part of your plan, map it against the visa timeline before you buy. I cover this in more detail in my guide to the AED 2 million rules.

Abu Dhabi and other emirates. This article describes the Dubai route through the DLD and GDRFA. Other emirates run parallel processes through their own land and immigration authorities, and the mechanics differ.

My read on it

The February 2026 change aligns the visa framework with how people actually buy in Dubai — on payment plans and with financing. It removes an artificial waiting period, and for buyers already committed to an off-plan purchase at AED 2 million or above, applying early is usually worth doing: the visa removes the residency clock from your planning and lets you open the practical doors — banking, schooling, sponsoring family — sooner. What it does not do is make a weak project a good buy. The visa is a feature of the purchase, not the reason for it.

This article is general information about the Dubai property market, not financial, legal or investment advice. Figures change and unofficial estimates are labelled as such — verify current numbers with the Dubai Land Department or a licensed professional before committing funds.