Yes, for the 2-year investor visa: each co-owner qualifies in their own right if their registered share is worth at least AED 400,000. The 10-year Golden Visa is less clear. A sole owner needs AED 2 million, and whether married couples can add their shares together is disputed between sources. The 2-year rule also contains a trap: a property with no minimum value for a sole owner can fail entirely when two people co-own it. This guide sets out how shares are measured, what couples and other co-owners can do, and where public guidance conflicts.
This article is about co-owners of a property. If you are one of several shareholders in a company, that is a different visa, covered in our guide to the investor visa versus partner visa.
The 2-Year Investor Visa: The AED 400,000 Share Rule
Since April 2026, a sole owner of a completed Dubai property can apply for the 2-year investor visa with no minimum value. For jointly owned property, the Dubai Land Department requires each co-owner to hold a share worth at least AED 400,000. The floor reportedly exists to stop buyers splitting ownership into small parcels just to obtain residency.
- Your share is measured on the title deed. It is your registered percentage applied to the property's value, and the DLD issues a valuation certificate for your share. A 50% owner is assessed on half the value, not the whole.
- Each co-owner applies separately, with their own documents and their own file.
- The usual DLD document set applies to each applicant: passport, electronic title deed, photograph, Emirates ID if held, and a good conduct certificate issued in Dubai.
- Mortgaged property needs a bank no-objection certificate and a payment statement.
Here is how the rule plays out:
| Property value | Ownership | Each share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 800,000 | 50/50 | AED 400,000 each | Both qualify |
| AED 600,000 | 50/50 | AED 300,000 each | Neither qualifies |
| AED 600,000 | One sole owner | AED 600,000 | Qualifies, no minimum for a sole owner |
| AED 1,000,000 | 70/30 | AED 700,000 and AED 300,000 | Only the 70% owner qualifies |
The same AED 600,000 apartment qualifies one person but not a couple splitting it. If the property is under AED 800,000, or only one visa is needed, holding title in one name and sponsoring the spouse as a dependant is the alternative the rules point to. Ownership structure also affects inheritance, mortgage liability and resale, so decide it on those grounds as well as the visa.
Married Couples on the 2-Year Visa
Two routes are described, and sources are not fully consistent on how they interact.
- Both spouses apply as co-owners, each holding a share of at least AED 400,000. One 2026 guide gives AED 800,000 held equally as the example where both qualify independently.
- One spouse holds the visa and sponsors the other as a dependant. An earlier guide, written while the old AED 750,000 threshold still applied, says only one spouse can apply as primary holder on a jointly owned property. That may predate the April 2026 per-share rule, so ask the DLD which applies to your file.
A qualifying owner can sponsor a spouse and children in either case. Our dependant visa in Dubai guide covers the requirements.
Business Partners, Siblings and Other Co-Owners
The ability to combine shares, where it exists, is reported to be specific to husband and wife, supported by an attested marriage certificate. Everyone else is assessed on their own registered share.
- 2-year visa: each co-owner needs a share of at least AED 400,000.
- Golden Visa: each co-owner needs their own share to reach AED 2 million. Two business partners holding a AED 3 million property 50/50 hold AED 1.5 million each, so neither qualifies.
Holding through a company is a separate problem. The visa follows the individual's registered ownership, and a corporate title needs at least extra documentation on beneficial ownership. Our guide to corporate tax on UAE real estate covers the structuring trade-offs, including the visa point.
The Golden Visa: Where Sources Disagree
The threshold is AED 2 million, and one person can combine several properties registered in their own name to reach it. Joint ownership is the disputed part, and three positions circulate.
| Position | What it says | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Spouses can combine shares | Married couples are treated as one unit, the combined share can reach AED 2 million, and one spouse applies and sponsors the other | Several 2026 guides, including guides dated August 2026 |
| Each co-owner needs AED 2 million | A couple co-owning a AED 3 million property cannot both qualify, and only your own registered share counts | Other 2026 guides, dated June 2026 and earlier |
| Merging ended on 14 July 2026 | Spouses and co-owners can no longer combine shares for any property-linked visa | One visa agency article, not corroborated elsewhere and contradicted by later guides |
Treat the third position with particular caution. It would be a major change, yet guides published after its stated date still describe spousal combining as available. Do not assume either way without a written DLD position.
Some outcomes hold under every reading, and they give you a way to plan:
- AED 4 million or more, held equally: each share reaches AED 2 million, so both spouses can apply in their own right.
- AED 2 million or more in one name: the owner qualifies, and can sponsor the spouse and children.
- Between AED 2 million and AED 4 million, held jointly: this is the disputed zone, and the outcome depends on which reading the DLD applies.
If the Golden Visa is the goal, the structures that work under every reading are a single-name title at AED 2 million or more, or an equal split at AED 4 million or more. Our guide to the Golden Visa real estate route covers the threshold and process, and our UAE Golden Visa services page covers the other categories if property does not fit.
Mortgaged and Off-Plan Joint Property
The 2-year visa needs a completed property with a title deed, so an off-plan share cannot support it until handover. For a financed property, the bank's no-objection certificate applies, and how a bank letter should allocate paid amounts between co-owners is worth confirming early. The unresolved paid-up-equity question for the Golden Visa is covered in our guide to an investor visa on a mortgaged or off-plan property, and it applies to each co-owner's share as well.
How to Apply as Co-Owners
- Confirm each co-owner's registered share on the title deed and request a DLD valuation certificate for each share.
- Check every share against the threshold for the visa you want: AED 400,000 for the 2-year visa, AED 2 million for the Golden Visa.
- Gather documents for each applicant: passport, title deed, photograph, good conduct certificate, the bank NOC if mortgaged, and an attested marriage certificate where spouses rely on their marriage.
- File through the DLD Taskeen or Cube channel. Each co-owner submits their own application, and processing is reported at 10 to 15 working days.
- Each applicant then completes the DHA medical fitness test, Emirates ID registration and health insurance.
Ownership is re-verified at renewal, so a change in the split or a sale can change the basis of a co-owner's visa. Our guides to investor visa renewal costs and to selling a property tied to an investor visa cover both situations.
Common Mistakes
- Buying a AED 600,000 apartment 50/50 and assuming both owners qualify. Each share is only AED 300,000.
- Assuming a spouse's share adds to yours for the Golden Visa without checking the current DLD position.
- Expecting the minority owner to qualify on an uneven split such as 70/30.
- Relying on a company-held or offshore-held title to support a visa.
- Leaving out the marriage certificate where spouses rely on their marriage.
- Treating shared paperwork as enough. Each co-owner files and is assessed separately.
Decide the Title Structure Before You Buy
Joint ownership can work for two residence visas, but the split, the property value and the visa route have to line up, and the Golden Visa position for couples below AED 4 million is not settled. Size the property and the shares before you sign, and get the DLD position in writing for your titles. This is general information, and thresholds change. Takween Advisory covers the structuring and the visa together through real estate advisory and investor visa services. If you are still choosing the property, our sister company Takween AlDar handles the acquisition. Book a free consultation before you sign.