UAE Golden Visa for yacht owners: Abu Dhabi’s Golden Quay programme for vessels of 40 metres and up

On 25 December 2024 Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, together with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Yas Marina, launched Golden Quay to Abu Dhabi. The programme offers the ten-year UAE Golden Visa to superyacht owners and to the key people of the yachting industry. It began operating in early 2025, and as of September 2026 it is still taking enquiries.

For most property buyers this is a curiosity: a 40-metre yacht is an asset priced in the same bracket as a beachfront villa. But it shows clearly how Abu Dhabi competes. Rather than offering residence in the abstract, it gathers wealthy residents around a specific place — Yas Island and its marina — and makes the visa part of that offer.

Who is eligible

• owners of private yachts of 40 metres and above;
• senior figures in the yachting industry — chief executives, major shareholders of yacht builders, central yacht agents;
• yachting service providers and insurers;
• immediate family members of the nominee.

An important detail: a berthing agreement at Yas Marina is not required. The yacht can be based anywhere; what counts is owning a vessel of the right class or holding the right role in the industry. There is no requirement for a local sponsor or employer.

How the process runs

Golden Quay works by nomination rather than open application. Yas Marina identifies the candidate and passes the details to ADIO, which arranges a tailored business programme — meetings and an introduction to the emirate's investment opportunities — and carries the visa application, issued by the federal authority ICP. For the applicant that means less paperwork than the standard route, but also less control over timing: the nominating side decides.

Fees and processing times have not been published. What is promised officially is ten years of residence, the option to include the family and access to Abu Dhabi's business network.

What it signals for Yas Island

Golden Quay is one piece of a large bet on Yas. The island already hosts the Formula 1 circuit and Miral's theme parks, and a Disneyland is on the way; we covered the operator's plans in Miral's AED 12bn commitment on top of Disneyland. Superyacht owners are an audience with a very different budget, and their presence underpins demand at the top of the market: waterfront villas, branded residences and homes by the marina.

For an international investor without a yacht, the Golden Visa is still open through property from AED 2 million, including in Abu Dhabi; the rules by emirate are compared in our 2026 Golden Visa review. How Abu Dhabi treats foreign buyers generally — investment zones, title, differences from Dubai — is set out in Abu Dhabi for foreign buyers.

Golden Quay serves a narrow circle, but it shows where Abu Dhabi is steering serious money. To see what is for sale on the island today, visit our Yas Island page.