A partner or investor visa is the UAE residence visa you get by owning a company rather than by working for one. Your own company sponsors you, so there is no employer and no salary condition. Meydan Free Zone's guide draws the line between the two names: the investor visa is for the sole or majority shareholder, and the partner visa applies when you share the ownership with others. Both come through the company, after its license and establishment card.
There is also a separate five-year green residence for partners and investors, with no sponsor at all, but it needs a paid share of at least AED 1,000,000. Most founders use the standard route through their company.
Partner Visa or Investor Visa?
| Investor visa | Partner visa | Green residence (partner/investor) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Sole or majority shareholder | One of several shareholders or named partners | An investor or partner with a large paid share |
| Sponsor | Your own company | Your own company | None |
| Ownership condition | A share in a licensed company | A share or named partnership in a registered company | Paid share of at least AED 1,000,000 |
| Validity | Two to three years on the mainland; two to five years in free zones (Meydan's guide) | As the investor visa | Up to five years, renewable |
Who Qualifies
Meydan's partner and investor visa guide puts it simply: any individual who holds shares or a named partnership in a registered company can apply for a partner visa. For the investor visa you must own a share in a licensed business, be listed as a partner on a valid trade license, or hold a management role with legal backing. Neither standard route sets a minimum investment.
The green visa for investors and partners is different. GDRFA's conditions: the company must be one of the listed legal forms, which include the limited liability company, and the investor's or partner's share "cannot be less than one million paid Dirhams". In return, the green residence runs up to five years with no guarantor or employer, and allows 180 days in the country after it expires or is cancelled.
Documents You Need
- Passport copy, valid for at least six months, and a recent photograph.
- The company's trade license.
- The memorandum of association, partnership contract or share certificate showing you as a shareholder or partner.
- The company's establishment card (immigration file).
- Medical fitness test result and the Emirates ID application, done in the UAE.
The Steps, in Order
- License the company, with you named as owner or partner.
- Open the establishment card (the company's immigration file). No visa can be issued before it exists.
- Entry visa, if you are outside the UAE: it lets you enter and stay 60 days while the residence is issued. If you are already inside, the application is made in-country, with the inside-the-country fee.
- Medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics.
- Residence permit issued. GDRFA gives an expected completion time of 48 hours once the application is complete.
Partner Visa Cost in Dubai
GDRFA's residence services publish the same fee structure, whether for a private-sector residence or the green residence:
| Government fee (GDRFA) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Entry visa, if applying from outside the UAE | AED 200 plus 5% VAT |
| Residence permit, up to two years | AED 200 |
| Each year beyond two | AED 100 more on the issuance fee |
| Knowledge Dirham and Innovation Dirham | AED 10 each |
| If you apply from inside the UAE | AED 500 |
| Delivery | AED 20 |
| Establishment card for the company, issue or renewal | AED 200 |
Our part is published and fixed: AED 200 for typing, AED 300 for unemployment insurance, AED 300 for portal access and health cover from AED 500. The government steps, the medical test and the Emirates ID are billed at cost with the receipt attached.
Two things change the total most: where you are when you apply (inside the UAE adds the in-country fee; outside needs the entry visa), and your nationality, which can change the entry route and the documents asked for. Both are known before we quote.
Free Zone or Mainland Changes the Mechanics
A free zone company's visa allocation is usually set by the package and facility you take at setup, so the number of visas is decided then. On the mainland it follows the premises you lease. Either way the establishment card comes first. We run the whole sequence through our Amer and immigration services. The wider choice is in mainland or free zone, and the cost calculator prices our side for any number of visas. Once staff join you on the licence, the card, their permits and the renewal dates are what our corporate PRO service keeps in order.
Investor Visa or Employment Visa?
If you own the company, the partner or investor route is the right one and it is not tied to a salary or an employment contract. If a company you do not own is hiring you, that is an employment visa with a MOHRE work permit behind it, a different process covered in the employment visa cost. If you want residence without a company at all, the own visa guide sets out the other self-sponsored routes.
What the Visa Makes Possible
A residence visa is what makes the rest of life administratively possible: a bank account in your own name, a tenancy, a driving license, and the ability to sponsor family. Family sponsorship has its own income conditions and is worth reading before you choose a package size.
Partner and investor visa questions
GDRFA charges AED 200 for the residence permit up to two years, AED 10 each for the Knowledge and Innovation Dirhams, AED 500 if you apply from inside the UAE and AED 20 for delivery, plus AED 200 for the entry visa if you are outside. Our fees are AED 200 typing, AED 300 unemployment insurance, AED 300 portal access and health cover from AED 500. Medical and Emirates ID are at cost.
A share or named partnership in a licensed company, shown on the trade license and the memorandum of association or share certificate; a passport valid for six months; a photograph; the company's establishment card; and a medical test and Emirates ID done in the UAE.
Not for the standard partner or investor visa through your own company. Only the five-year green residence for partners and investors has one: a paid share of at least AED 1,000,000.
Meydan Free Zone's guide gives two to three years for a mainland investor visa and two to five years in free zones, renewable while the company stays licensed. The green residence for partners and investors runs up to five years.
No. The company is licensed, then the establishment card is issued, then visas follow. That order is fixed.
Yes. A residence visa issued through your company ends if the license lapses or the company is closed. The golden visa is the route that is not tied to a company.
Sources
- Green visa issuance (investor/partner), GDRFA Dubai: legal forms, AED 1 million paid share, entry visa fee, 60-day entry. Read 25 October 2026.
- Issuing green residence permit (partner investor), GDRFA Dubai: five-year residence, documents, fees, 48 hours, 180-day grace period. Read 25 October 2026.
- Issuing residence permits for the private sector, GDRFA Dubai: the same residence fee structure. Read 25 October 2026.
- Partner and investor visa in Dubai, Meydan Free Zone, updated 22 May 2026: investor versus partner, eligibility, documents, validity. Read 25 October 2026.
