🏙️ Dubai removes property floor for sole-owner residency visas

Dubai has removed the AED 750,000 minimum property value requirement for sole owners applying for its two-year real-estate investor residency visa. The rule change widens access to the residency route for foreign buyers and strengthens the link between housing demand and immigration policy.

The revised framework was flagged in a KPMG briefing dated 19 May 2026, which said the change applies to sole owners seeking the two-year residency visa. The update comes as Dubai’s property market continues to attract international capital, with Q1 transaction value cited elsewhere in market commentary at AED 252 billion and price growth beginning to normalize after earlier double-digit gains.

Why it matters for investors

The removal of the minimum value floor lowers the entry threshold for smaller-ticket buyers who previously sat below the residency cutoff, potentially broadening demand across apartments and mid-market homes rather than concentrating it only in higher-value villas and prime units. For developers and brokers, the change may support deeper liquidity in a market that is already being framed as a longer-term capital destination rather than a short-term trade.

➡️ The residency pathway is now available to a wider pool of sole-owner buyers.

➡️ The policy shift may reinforce foreign demand in Dubai’s residential market.

The move is likely to be viewed as another structural support for Dubai’s housing market, where policy and pricing remain closely intertwined.