Visas · Investor Residence
Investor & Partner Visa in Dubai & the UAE
Live in the UAE on the strength of the company you own or co-own. We line up your licence, establishment card and quota, then take your partner or investor visa from entry permit to Emirates ID.
- Mainland Partner Visas
- Free Zone Investor Visas
- Entry Permit to Emirates ID
Licensed by Dubai DET · Licence 1394564
At a glance
- Mainland partner visa or free zone investor visa
- 2 routes
- Must be available on the company’s file first
- Quota
- Handles Dubai residence; ICP the other emirates
- GDRFA
- Emirates ID is the proof of residence
- EID
Your company is your sponsor — so it has to be ready first
An investor or partner visa is residence sponsored by the business you own. On the mainland, shareholders apply for a partner visa through the immigration authority; in a free zone, the authority processes an investor visa for its licensees. Either way, the company must be licensed, hold a valid establishment card and have quota available before anything else moves. Shareholding, licence status and the authority’s current criteria all decide whether each owner can be sponsored.
We start with the company: we check the licence, the establishment card and your quota, and fix any gaps before applying. Then we run the residence chain — entry permit or change of status, medical fitness test, Emirates ID biometrics and issue — booking each appointment and tracking the file. Once your residence is issued, we can process visas for your spouse and children, and tell you honestly whether the Golden Visa is worth exploring as a longer-term route.
Key facts
- Mainland partner visa or free zone investor visa
- 2 routes
- Must be available on the company’s file first
- Quota
- Handles Dubai residence; ICP the other emirates
- GDRFA
- Emirates ID is the proof of residence
- EID
Everything covered in Investor & Partner Visa
The concrete scope our team delivers, grouped the way we actually run your file.
Company Preparation
The sponsor side, checked and fixed before you apply.
- Licence and activity review
- Establishment card issue or renewal
- Visa quota check and increase request
- Shareholding and document review
- Ejari alignment for mainland quota
Investor Residence Chain
Every stage from permit to Emirates ID, tracked on one file.
- Partner or investor entry permit
- Change of status inside the UAE
- Medical fitness test booking
- Emirates ID biometrics
- Health insurance coordination
- Residence issue and expiry tracking
After Your Visa
What usually comes next for a resident business owner.
- Spouse and children sponsorship
- Golden Visa suitability review
- Visas for incoming partners
- Residence renewal reminders
- Cancellation when a partner exits
What you gain with Investor & Partner Visa
The practical difference when the work is planned and filed properly the first time.
Company Readiness Check
We confirm your licence, establishment card and quota are valid before you apply, so the file is not rejected at the first step.
Right Route for Each Owner
Mainland partner visa or free zone investor visa — we match each shareholder to the route their company and shareholding support.
Inside or Outside the UAE
If you are already in the country we arrange a change of status; if not, we apply for your entry permit first.
Appointments Booked for You
Medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics are scheduled around your diary, with the documents for each appointment prepared in advance.
Family on the Same File
Once your residence is issued, we move straight on to visas for your spouse and children, using the documents we already hold.
Golden Visa Comparison
If your investment or profile may qualify for the long-term Golden Visa, we explain the trade-offs before you commit to either route.
A clear process, step by step
One adviser owns your file from first call to completion, and you always know which step you are on.
- 01
Company & Quota Review
We check your trade licence, establishment card, quota and each owner’s shareholding against the authority’s current criteria, and resolve any gaps before an application is made.
- 02
Entry Permit or Status Change
We apply for the entry permit through GDRFA, ICP or your free zone authority. If you are already in the UAE, we follow it with a change of status.
- 03
Medical & Biometrics
We book your medical fitness test and Emirates ID biometrics, arrange health insurance where your emirate requires it, and track results so nothing waits on a missing document.
- 04
Residence Issued
Your residence is approved and your Emirates ID is issued as proof of it. We record the expiry date so renewal starts well before it falls due.
- 05
Family Sponsorship
With your own residence in place, we arrange the attested certificates, tenancy and insurance needed to sponsor your spouse and children, and run their files in parallel.
Who it’s for and what you’ll need
Have these ready and we can move quickly. If something is missing, we will tell you what the authority accepts instead.
Who this route suits
- Shareholders or partners in a UAE mainland company
- Owners of a free zone company with visa quota
- Founders who have just set up and need their own residence
- Investors joining a company after a share transfer
- Business owners planning to sponsor their family next
Documents we’ll need
- Passport copy and personal photograph
- Current UAE visa or entry record, if you are in the country
- Trade licence and Memorandum of Association
- Establishment card copy
- Share certificate or register showing your shareholding
- Tenancy contract / Ejari (mainland companies)
- Health insurance details, where required
Need documents attested or translated? Our document clearing team can help.
Investor & Partner Visa questions
Straight answers to what clients ask us most. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Both are residence visas sponsored by a company you own. On the mainland, shareholders usually receive a partner or investor visa through GDRFA in Dubai or ICP in the other emirates. In a free zone, the authority processes an investor visa for its shareholders. The residence works the same way once issued; the route, documents and criteria are what differ.
There is no single figure. The criteria depend on whether the company is mainland or free zone, the authority, and in some cases the value of your shareholding. They are set by the authority and change, so we confirm the current requirement for your company before you apply rather than quoting a number that may be out of date.
No. UAE offshore companies cannot trade inside the UAE or sponsor residence visas. If residence is the goal, you need a mainland or free zone company with visa quota. Some owners keep an offshore company for holding purposes and set up an operating company alongside it, which then sponsors their visa.
No. An investor or partner visa depends on the company that sponsors you and stays linked to it. The Golden Visa is a separate long-term residence route with its own eligibility categories, set by the authorities, and it does not rely on a company sponsor in the same way. Some owners start on an investor visa and apply for the Golden Visa later.
Generally yes, once your own residence has been issued. You will need attested marriage and birth certificates, a tenancy contract and health insurance for your dependants, and you must meet the income and accommodation requirements the authority sets at the time. We check those against your situation before applying, then process each family member’s residence.
Not on that basis. An investor or partner visa follows ownership, so a manager without shares is usually sponsored as an employee instead — through a MOHRE work permit on the mainland or through the free zone authority. If you are acquiring shares, the new shareholding has to be registered with the authority before an investor visa can be applied for.
Related services
Most clients combine these. We run them as one engagement with a single point of contact.
Guides on Investor & Partner Visa
In-depth articles from our team on the questions clients most often ask about this service.
Let’s plan your next move
Tell us what you are planning. An adviser will come back with the route, the documents and an itemised quote — no obligation, no pressure to commit.
Visit our office
Office 44, Floor M2, BN Complex, Deira Al Muteena, Dubai, UAE
Mon – Sat, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (GST)
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