How UAE residents can now get Golden Visas across the GCC

Dubai: If you live in the UAE and have thought about building a long-term base elsewhere in the Gulf, you’re in luck. The entire GCC — from Saudi Arabia to Oman — now offers some form of investor or premium residency program.

These visas let you live, work, and invest without a local sponsor, often for 5 to 10 years, and many are renewable. While the UAE’s Golden Visa started the trend, the rest of the region has followed with their own spin on long-term residency.

The UAE’s Golden Visa program set the benchmark. It’s open to investors, entrepreneurs, professionals, and exceptional talent. You can get 10-year visa, depending on your category, and it’s renewable. No sponsor is needed, and visa holders can bring their families.

You qualify if you:

Golden Visa holders enjoy full business ownership, freedom to work across the UAE, and a sense of permanence rarely available to expats before.

Saudi Arabia’s Premium Residency (Iqama) is essentially its golden visa, available as either a renewable yearly option or a permanent one.

Holders can own property, run businesses, and live without a sponsor — a major shift for a country traditionally reliant on the Kafala system.

Qatar has taken a property-first approach. The Residence by Investment program allows foreigners to qualify for residency by buying real estate in approved areas.

Applicants must be over 21, have a clean record, and pass a health check. The golden visa gives you the right to live and work without a sponsor, own property, and sponsor family members. Processing usually takes four to six weeks.

Bahrain’s Golden Residency Visa offers 10 years of residency, renewable, and it’s open to several categories — not just investors.

You can qualify by:

It’s one of the more accessible programs for professionals and retirees already living in the Gulf.

Oman’s Investor Residency Program was revamped under Vision 2040 to attract more foreign capital. The 10-year visa requires an investment of OMR200,000 ($520,000) in property, business, or government bonds.

Applicants can include spouses, children, and parents. They also gain rights to own property beyond tourism zones, employ domestic workers, and use fast-track airport lanes.

For smaller investors, Oman also offers a 5-year residency for OMR250,000 ($650,000). Retirees can apply if they have a monthly income of OMR4,000 or more.

The rise of golden and premium visas across the Gulf signals a big policy shift. GCC — once reliant on short-term expat labour — are now competing to attract long-term residents, investors, and innovators.

As Brandeis University research points out, these programs give expats a sense of stability in a region where citizenship remains rare. They also let governments diversify revenue, boost investment, and build global talent hubs.

For UAE residents already used to long-term planning in the region, these schemes open new doors. Whether you’re looking for property opportunities in Doha, a business base in Riyadh, or a retirement plan in Muscat, the GCC’s golden visa wave is reshaping what it means to call the region home.