Dubai eliminated one of the toughest barriers to obtaining 10-year residency through real estate investment. The traditional requirement demanded full liquidity: buying a property worth 2 million dirhams without external financing, which left out thousands of investors with limited capital but access to bank credit. This condition has just changed.
The regulatory update, effective since late 2024 and confirmed by the Dubai Land Department in January 2026, coincides with the historic record of the Emirati real estate market: 761 billion AED in total transactions during 2024, a volume 12% higher than the previous year. You now qualify for the Golden Visa with mortgaged properties if the official appraisal exceeds 2 million AED and you pay at least 50% of the certified total value.
What Exactly Changed in the Real Estate Investment Rule
The Dubai Land Department eliminated the rigid requirement of full advance payment that blocked applications from investors with bank mortgages. The new rule is clear: your property must be officially valued at a minimum of 2 million dirhams according to DLD certification, but you can now finance up to the remaining 50% through a bank loan.
This means that with 1 million AED of your own capital you can access a 2 million property by mortgaging the rest with local banks. The DLD verifies that you have effectively transferred that minimum 50% to the developer or seller before issuing the certificate that enables your visa application. Without bank proof of that transfer, your application is automatically rejected.
Why This Adjustment Comes Now and Who’s Driving It
The timing is no coincidence. Dubai announced real estate projects worth 320 billion dirhams for the 2025-2028 period, concentrated in Dubai South, Jebel Ali Village and the expanded artificial islands. These megaprojects need guaranteed presales to start construction, and the Golden Visa functions as a direct incentive to close advance sales.
The market responded immediately. Among the factors that accelerated the regulatory change are:
- Developer pressure: Emaar, Damac and Nakheel reported 18% drops in off-plan sales during the first half of 2024 because foreign investors didn’t have full liquidity to qualify for residency
- Regional competition: Saudi Arabia and Oman launched residency programs with more flexible investment requirements in March 2024, reducing Dubai’s appeal
- 2024 transaction record: The volume of 761 billion AED closed the year with positive momentum, creating a political window to make access more flexible without risking the program’s credibility
Investors with limited capital but solid credit history are the direct target. Emirati banks offer mortgages with rates from 4.2% annually for expatriates with demonstrable income, which significantly expands the pool of eligible applicants.
How This Affects Investors Who Already Bought or Are in Process
Faced with this scenario, investors who closed purchases between 2022 and 2024 paying 100% in cash face a frustrating reality: they missed the opportunity to leverage their capital with bank financing that now does qualify for residency. If you had waited six months, you could have doubled your investment capacity with the same initial capital.
For those in process, the change is positive if they haven’t completed payment yet. You can restructure the agreement with the developer to pay only the initial 50% and obtain bank financing for the rest, freeing up liquidity for other investments. The problem arises with developers who already received 100% of the price and have no legal obligation to refund differences.
Off-plan property buyers benefit directly because they now qualify for the Golden Visa from signing the initial contract if they meet the minimum threshold of 2 million AED valued by DLD, without waiting for construction to finish. This accelerates your residency by 18 to 36 months compared to the previous rule that required a registered property title.
What Meeting the Technical Requirements Before the DLD Entails
Beyond the financing change, the Dubai Land Department did not relax documentary verification. It requires three mandatory documents: official developer certification, contract registration in the MOL system and bank proof of transfers totaling the 2 million AED total or the declared 50% if there’s a mortgage. Without these three electronically verified documents, your application is rejected at first instance.
| DLD Requirement | Mandatory Document | Verification Time |
|---|---|---|
| Official valuation | DLD property certificate | 5-7 business days |
| Accredited payment | Bank transfer receipt | Immediate |
| Contract registration | MOL code DLD system | 3-5 business days |
| Bank letter (if mortgage) | NOC confirming 50% paid | 7-10 business days |
This reveals something important about how Dubai balances openness with control: it makes financial access more flexible but tightens technical verification to avoid speculative applications without real commitment. The goal is to attract investors with moderate capital but verifiable solvency, not facilitate fraud through fictitious contracts with simulated payments.
The mechanism behind it is clear: every dirham declared before DLD must have a verifiable banking trail in institutions supervised by the UAE Central Bank. Transfers from unregulated offshore accounts or cash payments exceeding 55,000 AED trigger automatic alerts that freeze your application until complete audit.
What Will Happen with Prices and Demand in the Coming Months
Looking ahead, this flexibility puts upward pressure on property prices in the 2 to 3 million AED range, which now concentrate double interest: real estate investment plus migration asset. Analysts project increases of 8-12% in this segment during the first half of 2026 due to increased demand from investors who were previously left out.
Developers adjusted presale strategies. Emaar and Damac launched flexible payment plans that allow paying the initial 50% in 24 quarterly installments without interest, synchronizing payments with construction timelines. This makes properties worth 2.5 million AED accessible with disbursements of approximately 52,000 AED every three months.
