Dubai has removed the minimum property value requirement for investor residency visas and reduced thresholds for jointly owned assets.
The policy change is set to widen access to residency, enabling greater participation from smaller investors and potentially driving demand across more affordable market segments.
Under the revised framework issued by the Dubai Land Department’s Cube Center, sole property owners can now apply for a two-year investor visa regardless of the property’s value, eliminating the earlier AED750,000 ($204,000) requirement.
For jointly owned properties, each investor must now hold a minimum stake of AED400,000. This allows two investors purchasing an AED800,000 asset to individually qualify for residency visas—an option that was previously unavailable.
Dubai’s real estate market, which had seen strong growth in recent years, is now facing pressure amid the broader economic impact of regional geopolitical tensions.
Residential sales declined by nearly 20 percent to approximately AED37 billion ($10 billion) in March compared to the previous month.
Transaction volumes dropped to around 13,000 from nearly 16,000, marking the steepest decline since the pandemic. Off-plan sales, which account for nearly three-quarters of total transactions, also fell by about 13 percent.
Average residential prices recorded a modest correction, declining by close to 6 percent on a month-on-month basis in March.
Foreign investors and expatriates—who make up more than 85 percent of the UAE’s population—have been a key driver of a five-year rally that pushed property prices up by over 70 percent since 2020.
Market sentiment weakened after late February, when heightened regional tensions impacted Dubai, challenging its positioning as a stable, conflict-free destination for global capital.
While defensive measures have mitigated most risks and a ceasefire remains in place, uncertainty persists over how investor confidence could be affected if tensions escalate again.
“The removal of the minimum threshold is a meaningful demand-side catalyst at a critical moment,” said Pranav Chaudhary, property consultant at Livrichy Real Estate Brokerage.
With more than 50,000 residential units expected to be delivered in Dubai in 2026, the revised policy is likely to expand the investor base, helping to absorb upcoming supply and offset demand headwinds linked to regional uncertainty, he added.
“Historical trends show that policy shifts—whether through freehold reforms, sovereign investment strategies, or geopolitically driven capital flows—consistently channel fresh capital into real estate markets,” he noted.
