UAE citizenship for foreign investors - Who can apply and how?

Posted by UAE Free Zones On February 3, 2021


As an investor în UAE, now you could get the UAE citizenship!

In a rare move aimed at fostering growth, UAE adopts amendments to grant citizenship to professionals, investors, specialised talents. These changes to the UAE citizenship law will attract quality talent and thereby boost the pace of economic growth.

It is yet unclear if new passport holders would benefit from the public welfare system, but being granted the UAE passport as an investor in the UAE is quite an advantage in the country and worldwide.

The United Arab Emirates are prosperous, offering good opportunities for foreign investors to combine pursuing a career with a high standard of living. The UAE government has recently made the visa policy more flexible, offering longer residences for certain type of professionals, investors, and students. In 2020, the country had also extended its "golden" visa system to specialised degree holders, certain professionals, and others. 

"The UAE Cabinet, local Emiri courts and executive councils will nominate those eligible for the citizenship under clear criteria set for each category," Dubai's ruler and UAE Vice-President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in a Twitter post. "The law allows receivers of the UAE passport to keep their existing citizenship", Sheikh Mohammed added.

Complementing the qualification for the citizenship, other mandatory requirements include swearing the oath of allegiance, committing to abide by the Emirati laws and informing the respective government agency in case of acquiring or losing any other citizenship.

Categories that come under the amendment include:

Investors
Doctors
Specialists
Inventors
Scientists
Talents
Intellectuals
Artists and their families

What are the requirements for each category?

  • Doctors and specialists need to be experts in a scientific discipline that's highly needed in the UAE, with over 10 years of experience and should be part of 'a reputable organisation in his field of specialisation'
  • Investors need to own a property in the UAE
  • Scientists should be active researchers with over 10 years of experience in the same field. They should have a recommendation from recognized scientific institutions in the UAE
  • Inventors should have one or more patent from the UAE or a 'reputable international body' coupled with a recommendation from the Ministry of Economy
  • Creative talents should be recognised pioneers in their field and have a recommendation letter from local authorities in the field

Can the UAE citizenship be withdrawn?

As per the amendments, the citizenship can be withdrawn upon breach of the conditions. Yet, as mentioned above, it is not yet clear whether those who will be bestowed citizenship would have the full rights and benefits of people born Emirati.

UAE business setup

UAE Freezones offers a bespoke advisory service that gives clear direction and guidance to savvy investors who want to set up their operations in the Emirates, whether onshore or offshore.

While based in the UAE, we offer comprehensive services for doing business in the Middle East including all the Free Trade Zones, including offshore company formation. We have already rendered our assistance to many companies to set up their operations in UAE. We look forward to doing business with you!

If you need professional assistance, please contact us and our team will be glad to assist you!