On ICP's own service card, a new 10-year golden residence applied for from inside the UAE comes to AED 1,720 in listed fees, or AED 1,220 without the status adjustment. GDRFA Dubai prints different lines: read literally, a 10-year investor permit applied for inside the country adds up to AED 2,440. Medical tests, the Emirates ID, family guarantees and the investment itself are all extra.
General information about fees, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Confirm the amount with the authority before you pay.
Which authority's fees will you pay?
Two bodies publish golden residence fees. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) runs the federal e-services, and its service card for issuing a residence permit lists a separate issuance line for golden residence. The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) runs its own golden residence service for investors, with its own fee lines. The UAE government portal links to both.
The two pages are built differently, so their totals do not match line for line. That is the first thing to settle with anyone quoting you: which authority's lines the number is built on.
ICP's fee lines, added up
ICP's card lists an application fee of AED 100◆, a smart service fee of AED 100◆ and a financial security deposit fee of AED 20◆. For a new golden residence it charges AED 100 per year◆ across a 10-year term, which is AED 1,000 on its own. Applying from inside the country adds a status adjustment of AED 500◆.
Show the numbers as a table
| Item | Amount (AED) |
|---|---|
| Issuance, 100 a year for 10 years | AED 1,000 |
| Status adjustment, inside the UAE | AED 500 |
| Application fee | AED 100 |
| Smart service fee | AED 100 |
| Security deposit fee | AED 20 |
Source: ICP Issuing Residency Permit service card, checked 16 September 2026
| Where you apply from | Listed ICP fees |
|---|---|
| Inside the UAE | AED 1,720 |
| Outside the UAE | AED 1,220 |
The biggest line is the issuance fee, because it is charged for every year of the permit. A quote that shows only a single small issuance figure has probably priced one year, not ten.
GDRFA Dubai's fee lines
The Dubai investor service lists a residence permit fee of AED 1,100◆, a Knowledge Dirham of AED 10◆, an Innovation Dirham of AED 10◆, AED 500◆ when you apply inside the country, and delivery at AED 20◆. It also says the issuance fee rises by AED 100 a year◆ whenever the residency runs past two years.
The page gives no worked example, so the increment has to be read literally: a 10-year permit is eight years past the first two, which adds AED 800. On that reading the Dubai lines total AED 2,440 for an application inside the UAE and AED 1,940 from outside. If the amount on the payment screen differs, the payment screen is right; ask your consultant to show it.
What sits outside both totals?
| Line | Who sets it | Published figure |
|---|---|---|
| Medical test and Emirates ID | Health and identity authorities | AED 2,000 to AED 2,500◆ (a free zone's estimate) |
| Guarantee for family members | ICP | AED 3,000 per family member, up to AED 15,000◆ |
| The qualifying investment | A condition, not a fee | AED 2 million◆ |
| Consultant's fee | The consultant | Not published anywhere |
Neither authority's page prices the medical fitness test or the Emirates ID. The closest published figure comes from a free zone: Meydan puts the two together at AED 2,000 to AED 2,500◆ in a solo founder's first year. That is a company's estimate of other bodies' charges, so treat it as a planning range.
The family line is easy to miss. For an investor's family residency, ICP lists a financial guarantee of AED 3,000 per family member, up to AED 15,000◆. A guarantee is a deposit rather than a spent fee, but it is money you need available on the day, and it grows with each person you sponsor.
How long does it take, and how long does it last?
GDRFA Dubai gives a processing time of 5 days◆ for its investor service. The permit is valid for 10 years◆ and can be extended if the same conditions are still met. That condition matters more than any fee: the residence rests on the investment that qualified you, so selling or restructuring it is a residency decision as well as a business one.
Where does the investment threshold come in?
The UAE government portal lists a minimum capital of AED 2 million◆ for the investor route. You have to hold that investment; you do not pay it to the immigration authority. A "golden visa package" priced as if the investment were a fee is mixing two different things, so ask for the government fees on their own line.
Questions to ask before you accept a quote
- Which authority's fee lines is the quote built on, ICP's or GDRFA Dubai's?
- Does it assume you apply from inside the UAE or from abroad?
- Is the issuance fee priced for every year of the permit?
- Are the medical test and Emirates ID included, and for how many people?
- How much family guarantee will you need to have ready?
- Which part of the total is the consultant's own fee?
A consultant's fee for gathering documents and handling the application is normal. What you want to avoid is that fee arriving blended into something labelled "government charges".
What this guide does not cover
The figures above are for the investor route. Other routes, such as specialised talent, scientists and outstanding students, have their own conditions, and a route-specific service may carry different lines. Blog articles often quote a single all-in golden visa price; we have not found one sourced to a government page, so none is repeated here.
Common questions
Are the fees the same in every emirate?
Not line for line. ICP's service card and GDRFA Dubai's investor service list different items, and the two totals above differ by AED 720 for an application made inside the UAE. Ask which authority will issue your permit before comparing quotes.
Why is the issuance line so much bigger than the others?
Because ICP prices it for every year of the term: AED 100 per year◆ across ten years. The application, smart service and security deposit lines are charged once.
Does applying from abroad save money?
On the published lines, yes: the inside-country charge is AED 500◆ on ICP's card and AED 500◆ at GDRFA Dubai. Whether travelling to apply from outside makes sense depends on your own costs and timing.
Do I pay again when the permit is extended?
The permit runs for 10 years◆ and can be extended if you still meet the conditions. Neither service page prints a separate extension fee, so ask for that figure in writing if a consultant quotes one.