The visa rulebook: defines every entry permit and residence category, including Golden residence for investors, entrepreneurs, talents, scientists, students and humanitarian workers, Green residence for investors/partners, skilled workers, self-employed and freelancers, plus student, remote-work, retiree, property-owner and family permits, and the later-added Blue residency (Article 77 bis). Repealed the 1997 regulations and the 2021 Golden residence resolution.
Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022 is the Executive Regulation of the Entry and Residence Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 29 of 2021, and the single place where every UAE visa and residence category is defined. Issued on 12 July 2022, it came into force on 3 October 2022 (Article 80) and repealed Ministerial Resolution No. 360 of 1997 and Cabinet Resolution No. 8 of 2021 on Golden residence (Article 79). It is in force and has been amended; the consolidated text includes Article 77 bis on the Blue Residency.
The resolution runs to 80 articles in six parts plus a 24-article annex on Golden residence. Part Two (Articles 8 to 35) covers entry visas: the visit visa, valid for entry within 60 days (Articles 11 to 13); the five-year multi-entry tourist visa on a USD 4,000 bank balance (Article 15); the job-search visa for professional levels one to three or top-500 graduates (Articles 20 to 21); business start-up, medical, study, transit and emergency visas; and the 60-day work and non-work residence entry visas (Articles 33 and 34).
Part Three (Articles 36 to 60) defines residence: two types, for work and non-working (Article 36), two years renewable as the standard term and five years for Green residence (Article 38). Green residence covers investors and partners (Article 41), skilled workers with a degree and a monthly salary of not less than AED 15,000 (Article 43) and self-employed persons with a free-work permit, a degree and self-employment income of not less than AED 360,000 a year over the previous two years (Article 45). Article 49 creates the one-year remote work residence, Article 51 the retiree residence and Article 53 the property-owner residence on a built, wholly owned, habitable property plus AED 10,000 monthly income. Article 54 lets a resident sponsor a spouse and children who have not reached 25 or unmarried daughters, and Green residence holders their first-degree relatives; Article 55 requires a valid residence permit, financial solvency, adequate housing and proof of kinship, without naming a salary figure. Article 59 voids a residence permit after more than 180 consecutive days outside the State.
The annex sets the ten-year Golden residence: investors with AED 2,000,000 in a fund, bank deposit, company capital or partner share, or a company paying AED 250,000 a year in federal tax, and real estate investors with AED 2,000,000 in property (Articles 7 and 8); entrepreneurs with a pilot project earning AED 1,000,000 a year or a prior project sold for AED 7,000,000 (Articles 9 and 10); talents, scientists and specialists on recommendation; professionals earning at least AED 30,000 a month (Article 17); outstanding students and humanitarian pioneers. Article 64 lets ICP collect a fine of not more than AED 100 for each day of illegal residence, and Articles 65 to 76 govern deportation with a grace period of up to three months to settle affairs.
Every foreign national entering or residing in the UAE and every sponsor, employer, host and transport operator dealing with them, administered by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security and, in Dubai, by the GDRFA. UAE and GCC nationals are covered only by the specific articles that mention them.
| Articles 11–13 | The visit visa covers tourism, visiting relatives, business missions, exploring business or start-up opportunities, treatment, study and courtesy visits; it must be used within 60 days of issue and total stay is capped at one year. |
| Article 15 | The five-year multi-entry tourist visa needs no host, requires a bank balance of USD 4,000 and allows stays of 90 continuous days up to 180 days a year. |
| Articles 20–21 | The job-search visa is for applicants at professional levels one to three or recent graduates of top-500 universities, holding at least a bachelor's degree. |
| Articles 33–34 | Work and non-work residence entry visas are valid for 60 days while the residence permit is processed. |
| Articles 36–38 | Residence permits are either for work or non-working; the standard term is two years renewable, one year in certain cases, and Green residence runs five years. |
| Article 43 | Green residence for skilled workers requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent, a job at professional level one to three and a monthly salary of not less than AED 15,000 or its equivalent. |
| Article 45 | Green residence for self-employment requires a free-work permit, a bachelor's degree or specialised diploma and annual self-employment income of not less than AED 360,000 over the previous two years. |
| Articles 51–53 | Retiree residence (five years) needs 15 years' service or age 55 plus AED 1,000,000 in property or deposits or AED 240,000 annual income; property-owner residence needs a built, wholly owned, habitable property plus AED 10,000 monthly income or proof of solvency. |
| Articles 54–55 | A resident may sponsor a spouse, sons who have not reached 25 and unmarried daughters, and a Green residence holder may bring first-degree relatives; conditions are a valid residence permit, financial solvency, adequate housing and proof of kinship. |
| Article 59 | A residence permit is void if the holder stays outside the State for more than 180 consecutive days. |
| Article 64 | ICP collects a fine of not more than AED 100 for each day of illegal residence, counted from the day after the visa or permit expires or is cancelled, with the fined period capped at six months. |
| Annex Articles 7–10 | Golden residence for investors requires AED 2,000,000 in a fund, bank deposit, company capital or partner share, or AED 250,000 a year in federal tax paid; real estate investors need AED 2,000,000 in property; entrepreneurs need a pilot project earning AED 1,000,000 a year or a prior project sold for AED 7,000,000. |
Article 64: a fine of not more than AED 100 for each day of illegal residence, starting the day after the visa or residence permit expires or is cancelled, or after a seven-day exit permit lapses, with the fined period capped at six months; the specific daily amounts are set in Cabinet Resolution No. 89 of 2022. Articles 65 to 76 provide for judicial and administrative deportation, including for lack of means of support, with costs borne by the foreigner, the sponsor or the authority and a grace period of up to three months to settle affairs.
This is the instrument we open when a client asks which residence route fits. An investor with AED 2,000,000 in a company, deposit or property goes to the Golden annex; a founder with AED 1,000,000 revenue to the entrepreneur category; a consultant earning AED 360,000 a year to Green self-employment with a freelance permit; a salaried professional on AED 15,000 to Green skilled worker; and everyone else to a standard two-year work or partner residence. The 180-day rule in Article 59 is the one clients forget, and Golden residence is exempt from it, which is often the deciding factor for internationally mobile owners. For family files we check Article 54's age and marital conditions and Article 55's solvency and housing conditions, then the emirate's own salary threshold. Every visa quotation we prepare also carries the Article 64 warning: fines run from the day after expiry.
Entry and Residence Law
The framework immigration law replacing Federal Law No. 6 of 1973: passport, visa and approved-port requirements, ICP's power to issue, renew and cancel residence permits…
ICP Service Fees
The federal fee schedule for ICP services: entry visas, residence permits, Emirates ID cards, establishment cards and Golden residence permits (AED 1,100 each). Replaced …
ICP Administrative Fines (overstay, Emirates ID)
Sets the fees and administrative fines under the Emirates ID and residency system: late Emirates ID renewal costs AED 20 per day capped at AED 1,000, late establishment-c…
Golden Residency Guide (ICP)
ICP's rule page for the ten-year Golden residence: investors in public investments or real estate (minimum AED 2,000,000 deposit, capital or property value), entrepreneur…
Green Residence Guide (ICP)
ICP's rule page for the five-year renewable Green residence: skilled workers need a UAE contract at MoHRE skill levels 1–3, a bachelor's degree and AED 15,000 monthly sal…
Golden Residence for Entrepreneurs (GDRFA Dubai)
Dubai's rule page for the entrepreneur Golden residence: a registered pioneering project earning AED 1 million a year, an incubator or Ministry-backed project earning AED…
Family Sponsorship Entry Visa (GDRFA Dubai)
Dubai's service card for sponsoring family: a resident sponsor needs a salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus housing; a business partner's share must be at least AED 48,…
Real Estate Investor Entry Permit (ICP)
ICP service card for the entry permit that starts the property-investor Golden residence: the property must be fully owned by the investor and worth at least AED 2,000,00…
Whether you are establishing a new venture, restructuring an existing enterprise, or exploring residency pathways — we are here to advise.
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