Updated
AE-DN
The visa for remote work
A residence visa for those who work remotely for companies outside the UAE. The decision is taken in 48 hours and there is no personal income tax in the country. An income from $3,500 a month has to be evidenced.
01 / About the program
The UAE issues a full residence permit to those working for foreign companies. This is not a tourist status: the holder receives an Emirates ID and lives in the country as a resident.
The requirement is set in US dollars and accepted in the equivalent in another currency. It is evidenced by a certificate of income.
You have to confirm that the activity is carried out remotely and that the client or employer is abroad.
The visa is issued for twelve months and renewed while the conditions hold. After it expires a grace period of 60 days applies.
Insurance covering the UAE and a medical fitness test are required — without them the permit is not issued.
02 / What you get
The UAE has no personal income tax. Tax residency is confirmed separately and depends on actual presence.
The GDRFA service standard is 48 hours. That is one of the fastest statuses in the world with a complete set of documents.
A resident receives an Emirates ID and opens accounts, arranges a lease, a phone line and medical insurance on residents’ terms.
You carry on working for your employer or clients outside the UAE — with no local employment and no employer sponsor.
Direct flights to Europe, Asia and Africa. A convenient base for those who travel a lot for work.
Fast internet, co-working spaces, international schools and world-class medicine in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
A preliminary assessment
Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the full UAE picture: the requirements, the fees, the timeline and a plan of action.
Who is applying for residency?
about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential
03 / Why people apply
The UAE is not chosen for a passport — citizenship is not granted here. It is a status for moving your life quickly and lawfully while keeping a foreign income.
A standard of 48 hours for a decision is a rarity among residency programmes. The move can be planned precisely.
The absence of income tax is the key factor for those moving the centre of their vital interests.
$3,500 a month is below the requirements of Croatia, Estonia or Greece at a comparable level of infrastructure.
Business and daily life run in English: the bank, the lease, the schools and medicine.
One of the lowest crime rates in the region and private clinics of international standard.
Residency gives a foothold from which it is convenient to work with clients across time zones.
04 / Travel
The residence permit gives the right to live in the UAE and to enter the country freely for its whole term.
Residence, entry and exit for the whole term of the permit, all the emirates included.
After the permit expires or is cancelled, 60 days are allowed for staying in the country.
The status is issued for remote work for an organisation outside the UAE. Local employment is arranged separately.
You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime.
Sources: the UAE residence visa rules and the Dubai GDRFA service standard “Issuance of the virtual work residence permit”.
05 / The composition of the application
The main applicant evidences the income and the remote nature of the work; the family is arranged through a resident’s sponsorship.
06 / Cost
The income requirement is set in US dollars and the state fees in dirhams.
Income and employment · the main requirement
$42,000
≈ $42,000
Evidenced The whole term of the permit
The medical part · compulsory conditions
$42,000
≈ $42,000
Evidenced The whole term of the permit
The state fees · Dubai GDRFA
$42,000
≈ $42,000
Evidenced Once, when the permit is arranged
What is evidenced
The conditions are given under the UAE government portal and the Dubai GDRFA service card. On top of the income come the state fees, the insurance, the medical test, the housing and the support. In other emirates the procedure and the fees may differ. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.
07 / Comparison
The UAE wins on speed and taxes; the European programmes on the path to a permanent status.
| The UAE | Thailand DTV | Malaysia | Croatia | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income requirement | $3,500 a month | under the DTV conditions | by the pass category | €3,622 a month | €2,442 a month |
| Personal income tax | None | Under the country’s rules | Under the country’s rules | An exemption | A special regime |
| The term of the status | 1 year, extendable | under the DTV conditions | by category | 18 months | 3 years |
| Speed of decision | 48 hours | weeks | weeks | weeks | 20 days |
| The path to permanent residence | Does not lead | Does not lead | Does not lead | Does not lead | 5 years |
The conditions are given as at the date this page was updated; the details for each country are set out on its own page.
Full program comparison →10 / How it works
We go through where the employer or the client is registered and what evidences the income from $3,500 a month.
We prepare the certificate of income, proof of the remote format and documents on the employing company.
We arrange medical insurance covering the UAE — without it the application will not be accepted.
The application is filed through GDRFA digital channels, AMER centres or service centres. The state fees are paid.
After entry we take the medical examination, give the biometrics and receive the Emirates ID.
We run the annual renewal and the question of tax residency: the certificate is obtained separately.
Residency in two days — with foreign work and no personal income tax.
Go through your situation11 / Our role
The procedure is quick, but applications are returned over the form of the documents: the income certificates, the insurance and the proof of remote work.
The certificate has to show a regular income of at least $3,500 a month in the form the authority understands.
Documents are needed showing that the employer or client is outside the UAE and that the work is carried out remotely.
Insurance with the correct cover and the medical test are compulsory conditions checked before the permit is issued.
The absence of tax in the UAE does not cancel your own country’s rules. We go through tax residency before the move.
12 / Team
The application is run by a permanent team: an immigration lawyer, a documents specialist and a family coordinator.
Anna KovalevskayaHead of LegalThe strategy for the programme and complex cases
Eva LauriHead of OperationsRunning the application legally and the documents
Dmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantTax residency and the structure of income
Maria StavruReal Estate AnalystCoordinating the family and contact at every stage15 / Materials
Materials on the remote work visa: the requirements, the documents and the order of the process.
The main materialPresentation
The presentation gathers the essentials: the requirements as to income and employment, the documents, the fees and the order of the process.
Inside:
PDF · free · current as of August 2026
A short check: where the employer is registered, what evidences the income and whether the medical documents are ready.
The list for the applicant and each family member, the medical part included.
We calculate the income required, the fees, the budget for the move and the support.
All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.
16 / News
The Dubai GDRFA standard: the service time is 48 hours and the grace period after the permit expires is 60 days.
Medical insurance and the medical test remain compulsory conditions for the permit to be issued.
Worth having
The short document we give clients before the start: the income, the documents, the stages and the timelines.
Inside the document
We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.
17 / Questions
At least $3,500 a month or the equivalent in another currency. The income is evidenced by a certificate from the employer or the client.
The Dubai GDRFA service standard is 48 hours with a complete set of documents. The medical test and the biometrics after entry take separate time.
For one year, renewable while the conditions hold. After the permit expires or is cancelled a grace period of 60 days applies.
The UAE has no personal income tax. Tax residency is confirmed by a separate certificate and depends on actual presence in the country.
No. The status is issued for remote work for an organisation outside the country. Local employment requires a work visa with an employer sponsor.
A resident may sponsor a spouse and children under the general residency rules. The set of documents and the procedure are checked with the GDRFA of the relevant emirate.
Medical insurance covering the UAE and passing a medical fitness test are compulsory. Without them the permit is not issued.
Under the Dubai GDRFA standard: the permit 200 dirhams, processing inside the country 500 dirhams, the Knowledge and Innovation Dirhams 10 each and delivery 20 dirhams.
No. The UAE does not grant citizenship on length of residence. This is a status for living, working and tax planning, not a route to a passport.
There are no restrictions on citizenship. The practical difficulty is evidencing the income and translating documents from a foreign employer; we go through that part before filing.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.
