United Arab Emirates · Business & founder
Green Residence Visa
Introduced in the 2022 visa overhaul as a 5-year self-sponsored permit that decouples residence from an employer. Still open as at July 2026.
The Green Visa is the sensible answer for people who want UAE residence without parking AED 2m. But it reintroduces the 6-month absence rule that makes the Golden Visa valuable. For a family whose whole plan depends on rarely being in the UAE, the Green Visa quietly fails.
Qualifying routes
MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit. Requires a bachelor's degree or specialised diploma, and annual income of at least AED 360,000 from self-employment in each of the last two years, or proof of equivalent financial solvency.
Minimum monthly salary AED 15,000. MOHRE skill level 1–3, a bachelor's degree, and a valid UAE employment contract.
Holders of a valid UAE commercial licence. There is no published federal minimum capital, despite widespread agent claims of an AED 1m threshold. Verify with ICP for your emirate and licence type.
The facts
- Minimum investment
- 360k AED
- Total landed cost
- Roughly AED 5–10k in government fees plus the cost of the underlying freelance permit or trade licence (AED 7.5–25k per year depending on free zone)
- Route type
- Business & founder
- Timeline
- 1–2 months (Fast once the underlying permit or licence is in place)
- Physical presence
- Subject to the standard rule. The permit can lapse after 6 months continuously outside the UAE, unlike the Golden Visa. A 6-month grace period applies after cancellation.
- Family
- SpouseSons up to age 25Unmarried daughters with no age limitParents
- Permanent residency
- None. It is a 5-year renewable permit.
- Citizenship
- None by right. Nomination only.
- Language test
- Not applicable
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- MOHRE freelance permit or valid employment contract or trade licencebachelor's degree or specialised diploma for the freelance and skilled-worker routesProof of incomeA clean criminal recordMedical and health insurance
- The 6-month absence rule applies. This is the key structural difference from the Golden Visa, and it catches people who assumed all UAE residence permits are absence-proof.
- 5 years, and renewal depends on still meeting the income or licence test at that time.
- The AED 360k freelance income test requires two years of documented history. New freelancers cannot simply assert future income.
- Agent claims of an AED 1m investor threshold for the Green Visa are not supported by published federal rules. Treat them with suspicion.