Does your property qualify for a 10-year Golden Visa.
Golden Visa eligibility
—
Equity in property
—
Threshold
—
Shortfall
—
The equity test, not the purchase price
The property route to a 10-year UAE Golden Visa is one of the most popular paths to long-term residency, and it hinges on a number that this calculator checks for you. The headline requirement, as the tool models it, is a property worth at least AED 2 million. What surprises buyers is that the test is really about equity, not sticker price. If you buy with a mortgage, the calculator subtracts the outstanding loan from the property value and measures whether what remains, your equity, clears the threshold. This page is for buyers and investors weighing whether a purchase will actually qualify, rather than assuming any AED 2 million deal does.
The AED 2 million figure is the assumption the calculator applies and the long-standing threshold for the property-investor Golden Visa, but visa rules are set by federal authorities and can be adjusted, so treat the figure as current rather than permanent and confirm the latest criteria with the relevant authority before committing funds. The structure, an equity-based threshold tested at the time of application, is the stable part.
How a mortgage changes the maths
A cash buyer purchasing at AED 2 million clears the bar instantly, because equity equals value. A mortgaged buyer has to look harder. Equity is value minus the outstanding loan, so a AED 2 million property bought with a AED 1 million mortgage leaves only AED 1 million of equity, which falls AED 1 million short. To qualify on a mortgaged property you generally need enough equity, through a larger down payment or paydown over time, that the value less the loan still reaches the threshold. The calculator makes this explicit by reporting both your equity and any shortfall.
A AED 2.5 million flat with a AED 700,000 loan
Consider a buyer who owns a flat valued at AED 2.5 million with AED 700,000 still owed on the mortgage. Equity is AED 2.5 million minus AED 700,000, which is AED 1.8 million. That is AED 200,000 below the AED 2 million threshold the calculator applies, so on these numbers the property does not yet qualify.
| Step | Figure |
|---|
The fix is straightforward: pay down AED 200,000 of the loan, or the property appreciates by that amount, and the equity crosses AED 2 million. Either way, the calculator updates the verdict the moment the gap closes.
Combining properties and off-plan routes
In many cases the threshold can be met by combining more than one property, and off-plan purchases can count toward it subject to the developer and payment conditions in force. This tool checks a single value against the threshold, so if you are stacking two flats you would enter their combined value and combined outstanding loans to see the net equity position. A practical tip: title-deed valuation, the official figure on the deed, is what authorities look at, and that can differ from a marketing valuation or a recent offer, so use the deed figure rather than what an agent tells you the property is worth. Confirm the current rules on combining properties and off-plan eligibility with the relevant authority, because these are the details that change most often.
Does the AED 2 million have to be in one property?
Not always. The threshold can frequently be reached by combining multiple qualifying properties, and the equity test then applies to the combined value less the combined outstanding loans. Because the rules on combining and on off-plan purchases are adjusted periodically, confirm what currently counts with the relevant authority before you rely on stacking two smaller properties.
What costs sit on top of the AED 2 million?
The threshold is about the property value and your equity in it, not your total outlay. Purchase costs such as the land-department transfer fee, agency commission, and mortgage-registration charges are extra and do not count toward the AED 2 million. Budget for those separately so you are not surprised at closing, and use a purchase-cost tool to size them before you commit.