Dubai retirement visa through property: age 55+, AED 1m home, five-year residency

Most buyers know two property visas in Dubai: the two-year owner's visa and the ten-year Golden Visa. There is a third that sits between them and is far less discussed — a five-year retirement visa for people aged 55 and over. It needs half the property value of the Golden Visa: AED 1 million instead of AED 2 million. For a buyer weighing a AED 1.2m apartment against stretching to AED 2m for residency, that often settles the question.

Eligibility: age, property, title

According to the Dubai Land Department's service description, the applicant must be at least 55, and the property must be registered in their name with a purchase value of at least AED 1m. Three points catch people out:

• Mortgages. A financed property is accepted, but the amount already paid must reach AED 1m, or the bank must issue a letter stating the paid portion. A AED 1.1m apartment bought with a 20% deposit does not qualify on day one.
• Joint ownership. Spouses may own the property together, with a certified marriage certificate.
• In person. The applicant must attend; this service cannot be completed through a representative.

Property is one of three routes. Dubai's government portal also lists savings of AED 1m or a fixed income of AED 240,000 a year (AED 20,000 a month), and descriptions of those routes mention 15 years of work in the UAE or abroad. The property route is the simplest to document: a title deed instead of bank statements and pension letters.

What it costs

Item	AED
Medical test	700
Emirates ID, five years	653
Residence permit	2,456.75
DLD fee	2,020
Administrative fee	1,155
Total, applicant	6,984.75
Each family member	4,968.50

Applications go through DLD service centres; processing takes 7–10 working days and the permit arrives by email. The paperwork is short: passport, title deed, photograph, and an Emirates ID and current visa where they exist.

When it is the right visa

Set against the alternatives: since spring 2026 the two-year visa is open to a sole owner of a completed home with no minimum value, but it must be renewed every two years. The Golden Visa runs ten years and survives long absences, but needs AED 2m of property. The retirement visa sits in the middle — five years for a home from AED 1m.

One scenario is often overlooked: buying in a parent's name. If a parent is 55 or older, a AED 1–1.5m apartment registered to them gives that parent a five-year visa of their own, independent of the children's status. For families whose parents winter in Dubai, that is cleaner than sponsorship through an adult child. Plan the exit in advance: a transfer back to a child as a gift costs 0.125% of the valuation rather than the standard 4% transfer fee.

A limitation to keep in mind: the retirement visa is a residence status, not a work permit. An owner who still runs a business in the UAE should look at the investor or Golden Visa instead. How the UAE scheme compares with retirement programmes elsewhere is covered in the routes into UAE residency, compared.

Before choosing a property for a visa, read our guide to the property visa tiers — a AED 1m threshold and a AED 2m threshold mean different apartments in different districts.