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The Green Visa is a five year residence you hold in your own name. There is no employer behind it and no sponsor. Three groups qualify, and each has a hard number attached. The requirements below are as the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) publishes them on its Green Residency page, checked by us on 8 August 2026.
The three routes side by side
| Route | The number | What else ICP requires |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled worker | AED 15,000 a month or the equivalent in foreign currency | A valid UAE employment contract, professional classification in levels 1 to 3 of the MOHRE occupational classification, and a qualification of no less than a bachelor’s degree |
| Freelancer or self-employed | AED 360,000 a year over the previous two years | A freelance or self-employment permit from MOHRE, a qualification of no less than a bachelor’s degree or specialised diploma, and proof of stable income or financial solvency through the residency |
| Investor or business partner | No AED figure published on the ICP Green Residency page | Proof of investment or partnership in a project in the UAE, and all required licences and approvals from the relevant authorities |
What self-sponsored actually changes
On an employment residence visa the permit belongs to the arrangement with your employer. Leaving the job starts a clock. The Green Visa is issued to you, so the job is not what holds it up, and ICP lists the ability to sponsor a spouse and children under the approved conditions as part of the package. ICP also cites greater flexibility at expiry through specified grace periods; the figure reported for the Green Residency is up to six months, which is longer than the standard window. Treat the exact grace period as the one number here to confirm with ICP for your own case, because it is stated as a benefit rather than published as a fixed rule on the same page as the thresholds.
Green against Golden
They are not tiers of the same thing. The Golden Visa is priced on what you own or what you have achieved: assets, an exceptional record, a qualifying academic result. The Green Visa is priced on what you earn and what you are qualified to do. A consultant on AED 15,000 a month with a degree qualifies for a Green Visa and comes nowhere near a Golden one; an owner of AED 2 million of property qualifies for Golden without any salary at all. Our Golden Visa cost guide covers that side.
Green against a free zone freelance permit
This is the comparison that actually decides things for solo operators. A free zone freelance permit renews every year and asks very little at entry, so it is the accessible starting point. The Green Visa asks for a degree and a two year income record but then runs five years, which removes the annual renewal cycle. If you are below AED 360,000 a year, the question answers itself. Our freelance visa cost guide breaks down what the free zone route actually costs to hold.
Green against a standard employment visa
An employment residence visa is cheaper to obtain and normally paid for by the employer, and it is tied to that employer. The Green Visa is the same five year residence whether you change jobs or not, which is what people are usually buying when they ask about it. For the employer-sponsored numbers see the UAE employment visa cost guide.
What ICP does not put a number on
The investor route. ICP states proof of investment or partnership plus the required licences and approvals, and publishes no AED threshold for it on the Green Residency page. Do not assume the AED 2 million Golden Visa investor figure applies here; it belongs to a different residence. If your case is the investor route, the amount is the thing to confirm with ICP or the licensing authority before you build a plan around it.
Who does this work
37 firms in our directory cover visa and residency work. None of them records the Green Visa as a separate specialism, because the directory does not carry that category: the nearest recorded specialisms are freelancer visa work at 7 firms and investor visa work at 24. When you ask, name the route and the number you meet rather than the visa, because that is what decides whether an application is worth filing.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the UAE Green Visa valid?
Five years, and it is renewable. It is self-sponsored, so it does not depend on an employer or a UAE sponsor.
What salary do you need for a Green Visa?
AED 15,000 a month, or the equivalent in foreign currency, on the skilled worker route. You also need a valid UAE employment contract, a professional classification in levels 1 to 3 of the MOHRE occupational classification, and at least a bachelor’s degree.
What income does a freelancer need for a Green Visa?
At least AED 360,000 a year from freelance work across the previous two years, plus a MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit and a bachelor’s degree or specialised diploma. You also have to show stable income or financial solvency for the duration of the residency.
Can a Green Visa holder sponsor family?
Yes. ICP lists the ability to sponsor family members including a spouse and children, subject to the approved requirements.
How much investment does the Green Visa investor route need?
ICP does not publish an AED figure for it on the Green Residency page. It asks for proof of investment or partnership in a UAE project and all required licences and approvals. The AED 2 million figure people quote belongs to the Golden Visa, not this one.
Is the Green Visa better than a free zone freelance permit?
It depends on your income. The freelance permit has a much lower entry bar but renews annually. The Green Visa runs five years but wants a degree and a two year record of AED 360,000 a year. Below that threshold the freelance permit is the practical route.
Not sure which of the three routes you actually meet? Browse visa consultants or describe your case and compare offers.
Official references used for context in this article.
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