UAE Golden Visa Benefits: 8 perks you get with the 10-year residency

Dubai: If you are planning to apply for the UAE’s Golden Visa, did you know that apart from the perk of having a long-term residency secured in the UAE, you can also enjoy other benefits? Here is a list of benefits you can enjoy with the 10-year visa.

One of the main benefits of the Golden Visa is that it allows visa holders to live in the UAE on a renewable residence visa valid for 10 years. You can renew the visa as long as you fulfil the eligibility criteria for the category under which you applied for the visa initially.

Normally, residence visas in the UAE require a sponsor, which can either be the company that is employing you (in case of a work visa) or a family member who is already a resident in the UAE (family visa). However, new changes to the UAE’s visa system have introduced several visa options that are self-sponsored, including the Golden Visa.

Having a Golden Visa can help workers who, for example, may be able to change jobs more easily, as they would not need to cancel their residence visa sponsored by their previous employer.

Golden Visa holders also have the flexibility to stay outside the UAE for more than six months and still keep their residence visa valid. Normally, a residence visa becomes nullified if the resident is outside the UAE for more than six months.

The new visa system allows all expatriates to sponsor male children up to the age of 25 and in case the male child is a Person of Determination, he can be sponsored up to any age. But if you are a Golden Visa holder, having a 10-year residency can help avoid having to renew the residency every few years. Also, the Golden Visa system provides sponsored family members with the assurance that in case the primary holder of the Golden visa passes away, the sponsored members’ permit will continue to remain valid.

The Golden Visa also allows you to sponsor any number of domestic helpers.

If you don’t yet have a Golden Visa yet, and are not currently living in the UAE, there is a dedicated six-month, multiple entry visit visa that you can apply for, which allows you to come to the UAE to complete the application paperwork.

If you are a Golden Visa holder in Dubai who has a valid driving licence from your home country, all you need to do is enrol at a driving institute in Dubai. Once you have registered as a student, you don’t need to take any classes and can directly apply for the knowledge (theory) and road test. If you pass both the tests, you will be able to get your UAE driving licence issued.

Under Article 9 of the UAE’s Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021), workers who are on probation and leave the UAE without providing the required notice to their employer may face an employment ban lasting one year.

However, Article 11 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 outlines exemptions to this rule. Notably, Golden Visa holders are among those exempt. The full list of exemptions includes:

This article was published on October 4, 2024 and has been updated since.