Pakistani citizens apply for the UAE Golden Visa under the same categories and thresholds as every other nationality. There is no Pakistan-specific route, quota or fee. What is specific to Pakistani applicants is the paperwork and the money: degrees go through HEC before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, every document needs the full attestation chain, and moving funds out of Pakistan follows State Bank of Pakistan rules. Rules and figures in this guide were checked against official sources in October 2026.
Is there a special UAE Golden Visa for Pakistani citizens?
No. The ICP Golden Residency guide sets eligibility by category: investors, entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, scientists and researchers, outstanding students and graduates, and humanitarian and frontline categories. No category has a nationality condition, and no category excludes Pakistani passport holders. For how other passports compare, see our guide to the UAE Golden Visa by nationality.
Which Golden Visa routes suit Pakistani applicants
Pakistani applicants usually fit one of three profiles: professionals already employed in the UAE, investors buying UAE property, and business owners with a UAE company. These are the federal criteria published by ICP.
| Route | Main requirement (ICP) | Often suits |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled professional | A valid UAE work permit, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000, and occupational level one or two | Pakistani doctors, engineers, managers and executives working in the UAE |
| Real estate investor | One or more UAE properties with a total value of at least AED 2 million | Property buyers, often UAE residents |
| Public investment | A deposit of at least AED 2 million with an investment fund or national bank, or company capital or a partner share of at least AED 2 million, not funded by a loan | Business owners and investors |
| Entrepreneur | A UAE small or medium business in an approved field with annual revenue of at least AED 1 million, or an idea approved by an accredited incubator or authority, or earlier ventures sold for at least AED 7 million in total | Founders |
| Scientists and researchers | A recommendation from the Emirates Scientists Council | Researchers |
| Outstanding students and graduates | Top school results or top university results within the set time after graduating | Students and recent graduates |
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER, replace before publishing] File: uae-golden-visa-routes-comparison-pakistani-applicants.webp. Alt text: Table comparing six UAE Golden Visa routes and their main requirements. Caption: The same routes apply to Pakistani citizens as to every other nationality. Criteria from ICP, checked October 2026.
Property route for Pakistani investors
The minimum property investment for a Dubai golden visa for Pakistani buyers is AED 2 million, the same as for every other nationality and roughly PKR 15 crore at the State Bank of Pakistan rate used in this guide. The rules are:
- Total value: one or more properties with a total value of at least AED 2 million. In Dubai, the Dubai Land Department uses the purchase value at the time of purchase, and the property must be wholly owned in your name.
- Off-plan: allowed if bought from an approved local developer authorised by the competent local authority.
- Mortgage: allowed only if the loan comes from an approved local bank, meaning a UAE bank. In Dubai, the bank gives a no-objection letter showing the amount paid and the balance.
- Lien: GDRFA Dubai places a lien on the property for as long as you hold the residency.
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER, replace before publishing] File: uae-property-golden-visa-steps-pakistani-investors.webp. Alt text: Diagram of the steps from buying UAE property to a Golden Visa application. Caption: The property route step by step. Rules checked with ICP, DLD and GDRFA in October 2026.
For the Dubai process in detail, see our page on buying property in Dubai for a golden visa.
Moving money from Pakistan and declaring the property
Pakistan’s foreign exchange rules, set by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), restrict transfers of money abroad by residents of Pakistan. Before you transfer any funds from Pakistan for a property purchase, confirm with your bank what is allowed in your case, and speak to a tax adviser.
Many Pakistani buyers on this route already live and earn in the UAE and pay from UAE income. Even then, Pakistani tax rules can still apply to you. Under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, a resident individual taxpayer who files a return must also file a wealth statement that includes foreign assets. A separate statement of foreign income and assets is required if your foreign assets are worth at least USD 100,000 or your foreign income is at least USD 10,000. A UAE property worth AED 2 million is well above that asset level. Whether you count as a Pakistani tax resident depends on your own circumstances, so check with a tax adviser.
Costs in AED and approximate PKR
No authority publishes a single all-in Golden Visa fee. The Dubai Land Department publishes the clearest breakdown, for the Dubai property route:
| Fee item (Dubai property route, DLD) | AED | Approximate PKR |
|---|---|---|
| Medical test | 700 | roughly PKR 53,000 |
| Emirates ID (10 years) | 1,153 | roughly PKR 87,000 |
| Residency permit confirmation (10 years) | 2,856.75 | roughly PKR 2.2 lakh |
| DLD fees | 4,020 | roughly PKR 3 lakh |
| Administrative fees | 1,155 | roughly PKR 87,000 |
| Total for the investor | 9,884.75 | roughly PKR 7.5 lakh |
| Family permit (10 years) | 5,774.50 | roughly PKR 4.4 lakh |
| Opening the family file | 318.75 | roughly PKR 24,000 |
| Each extra sponsored person | 100 | roughly PKR 7,500 |
| UAE MOFA attestation, per personal document | 150 | roughly PKR 11,300 |
Rupee amounts use the SBP weighted average customer selling rate of PKR 75.44 per AED on 12 October 2026; check the current rate before you pay.
Costs in Pakistan come on top of these. HEC charges Rs 3,000 per document for degree attestation. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs charges no attestation fee, but you need the prescribed revenue stamps. The table also leaves out the property itself, property purchase fees, and health insurance, which is required for you and your family and has no published premium. Other emirates use ICP’s fees. Our Golden Visa cost guide for 2026 covers every route.
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER, replace before publishing] File: dubai-golden-visa-fees-aed-pkr-chart.webp. Alt text: Bar chart of Dubai property Golden Visa fees in AED with Pakistani rupee estimates. Caption: Published DLD fees for the Dubai property route, with approximate PKR amounts at the SBP rate of 12 October 2026.
Attesting Pakistani documents for UAE use
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) says documents issued abroad must first be attested by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then by the UAE embassy or consulate in that country, and then by MOFA in the UAE. For Pakistani documents the chain is:
- HEC for degrees. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks for university degrees to be attested by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) first. HEC runs a fully online, paperless degree attestation system: you apply on its e-services portal, HEC scrutinises the application, your university verifies the documents, and HEC issues an e-attestation certificate. The fee is Rs 3,000 per document.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan. MOFA charges no fee for attestation, but the prescribed revenue stamps must be on the documents. You need your original CNIC and a photocopy of the document.
- UAE Embassy or Consulate in Pakistan. UAE MOFA lists two missions in Pakistan: the Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulate General in Karachi.
- UAE MOFA attestation in the UAE. AED 150 for each personal document (roughly PKR 11,300) and AED 2,000 for commercial documents.
Since 2023 Pakistan has issued apostilles, but the UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. A Pakistani apostille on its own therefore does not complete the chain for UAE use, so follow the attestation route above.
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER, replace before publishing] File: pakistani-document-attestation-uae-flowchart.webp. Alt text: Flowchart of the four attestation steps for Pakistani documents used in the UAE. Caption: The attestation chain for Pakistani degrees and documents. Checked with HEC, MOFA Pakistan and UAE MOFA in October 2026.
Working with a UAE-based consultant from Pakistan
You do not need a consultant to apply. Applications are decided by ICP, by GDRFA in Dubai, and for the Dubai property route by the Dubai Land Department. If you live in Pakistan and use a UAE-based consultant, the consultant can:
- check your eligibility against the published criteria before you spend money on attestation
- tell you which documents need HEC and MOFA attestation, and in what order
- review the property, salary or company documents for mismatches
- prepare and submit the file in the UAE and book the medical test and Emirates ID biometrics for your trip
A consultant cannot change the criteria, guarantee approval or speed up a government decision. Before you pay, ask for the government fees to be listed separately from the service fee, and ask for the official receipts. Treat any offer of a special or discounted route for Pakistani citizens with caution, because no category is set by nationality. Genuine rule changes appear on ICP and GDRFA pages first, and we track them in our page on recent changes to the Golden Visa rules. If you are visiting first to view property, our guide to the UAE visit visa from Pakistan covers that step.
Common rejection reasons for Pakistani applicants
Most problems come from files that do not match the published criteria or from documents that do not match each other:
- Name format differences. The father’s name in the surname position, a single-name passport, or different spellings across the passport, CNIC, degree and property documents.
- Degree not attested through HEC. HEC attestation is skipped or started too late, so the MOFA and UAE steps cannot follow.
- An apostille used in place of attestation. The full chain through the UAE Embassy or Consulate and UAE MOFA is still needed.
- Salary evidence that does not match. Your salary certificate, contract and bank statements show different figures, or the salary is below AED 30,000.
- A property value below AED 2 million on the official documents, or property that is not wholly in your name.
- Off-plan from a developer that is not approved, or a loan from a bank outside the UAE.
- No health insurance for you and your family.
FAQ
Is there a special UAE Golden Visa for Pakistani citizens?
No. Pakistani citizens apply under the same categories and thresholds as everyone else. ICP and u.ae publish no nationality-specific rule.
How much does the UAE Golden Visa cost in Pakistani rupees?
For the Dubai property route, the Dubai Land Department lists government fees of AED 9,884.75 for the investor, roughly PKR 7.5 lakh at the SBP rate of 12 October 2026. The qualifying property, family permits, health insurance and attestation in Pakistan cost extra.
Can I apply while living in Pakistan?
You can start from outside the UAE. ICP runs an entry permit service for real estate investors. The medical test and Emirates ID biometrics happen in the UAE, so plan at least one trip.
Do Pakistani applicants need HEC attestation?
Yes, for degrees. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks for university degrees to be attested by HEC before it attests them. This matters most on the skilled professional and student routes.
Can I send money from Pakistan to buy the property?
Pakistan’s foreign exchange rules, set by the State Bank of Pakistan, restrict transfers of money abroad by residents. Confirm with your bank what is allowed in your case, and speak to a tax adviser, before you transfer any funds.
Can my family be included?
Yes. The Dubai Land Department lists a 10-year family permit at AED 5,774.50 (roughly PKR 4.4 lakh) plus AED 318.75 to open the family file. Health insurance is required for every family member.
Talk to us on WhatsApp. Tell us your route, the property value or salary you are working with, and which of your documents are already attested. We will tell you what is missing and the order to do it in. Message us on WhatsApp at +971 52 143 0280.
This is general guidance, not legal or tax advice. Final decisions rest with ICP and GDRFA.
