Updated: 15 October 2026
Most people assume a UAE Golden Visa starts with a letter from the government. For a few it does. For everyone else it starts with you: the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) runs a free online eligibility checker and a nomination service that let you put your own name forward, provided you fit one of the published categories and can prove it.
That is the part worth understanding before you spend any money. Running the eligibility check, submitting a nomination request, having that request approved, applying for the residency itself and finally holding the visa are five separate steps. Clearing the first tells you nothing certain about the last. This guide covers the nomination route only, as ICP runs it today, with the fee and timeframe taken from the official service card on 15 October 2026. For the categories, costs and benefits of the visa itself, see our UAE Golden Visa guide.
Nomination, eligibility, approval and issuance are not the same thing
The vocabulary trips people up, so here is the sequence in one place.
| Stage | What it means | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility check | A free online questionnaire that tells you whether your answers match a category | Nobody; it is automated |
| Nomination request | A paid application asking ICP to confirm you fit a Golden Residency category | ICP reviews your evidence |
| Nomination approval | ICP’s pre-approval. It confirms the category, not the visa | ICP |
| Residency application | The entry permit (if abroad), medical, Emirates ID and residency file | ICP, with other entities for medical and ID |
| Golden Visa issued | The 10-year residence permit in your passport or on your Emirates ID | ICP |
Some applicants are nominated directly by a government entity, a ministry or an employer. If that has not happened for you, the nomination request below is the way to ask.
Who can request a nomination?
Anyone who meets the criteria for one of ICP’s Golden Residency categories: investors in public investments or real estate, entrepreneurs, specialised professionals, scientists and specialists, outstanding students and graduates, exceptional talents, humanitarian pioneers and front-line professionals. Each has its own thresholds, and several depend on a recommendation from a named ministry or council, which has to exist before ICP can act on it.
The thresholds that most often decide a case:
| Category | What ICP’s guide asks for (summary) |
|---|---|
| Public investor | AED 2 million deposited, invested as company capital or held as a partnership share, from your own funds, or a company paying at least AED 250,000 a year in federal tax |
| Real estate investor | Property worth at least AED 2 million in your name (a mortgage from an approved local bank is allowed) |
| Entrepreneur | A UAE SME with annual revenue of at least AED 1 million, an approved business idea, or a venture sold for AED 7 million or more |
| Specialised professional | Valid work permit, bachelor’s degree or higher, monthly salary of AED 30,000 or more, and a level one or two occupation |
| Graduate | GPA of 3.5 or 3.8 depending on the university’s classification, attested degree, within two years of graduating |
The full criteria for every category, including the talent and humanitarian routes, are in ICP’s Golden Residency guide and in our Golden Visa guide. Read your category’s list in full before you go near the checker.
How to check your Golden Visa eligibility online
ICP’s eligibility checker is free, needs no account, and takes a few minutes.
- Open ICP’s eligibility checker. It is also linked under “Check Your Eligibility” on ICP’s Golden Residency guide page.
- Pick the category that fits you. If two could apply, start with the one you can document best.
- Answer the questions for that category. They follow the published criteria, so expect to be asked about your qualification, GPA and graduation date, occupation and salary, investment value and type, or whether you hold the relevant approval or recommendation.
- Read the result. It tells you whether your answers point to a category. Nobody at ICP has looked at anything yet.
- If the result is positive, start collecting the documents that back each answer. That evidence is what the nomination request is judged on.
A positive result is not an approval. A negative one is worth a second attempt, since people often choose the wrong category or misread a threshold (the AED 30,000 salary is monthly, the AED 2 million property figure is total value in your name, the graduate window is two years).
How to submit a Golden Visa nomination request through ICP
The nomination request is ICP’s pre-approval step. Its official name is “Golden Residency Nomination Application”, service code 377-005-001-012, available on the ICP Smart Services website and the ICP Smart app.
- Go to ICP Smart Services or open the app, and find the Golden Residency nomination service. The service card on icp.gov.ae has a “Start Service” button that takes you there.
- Sign in with UAE Pass. The service card lists UAE Pass as the required login, so set up your UAE Pass account first if you do not have one.
- Review the application form. ICP pulls what it can from government records; check every retrieved field, especially name spelling, passport number and contact details, because they carry through to the residency file.
- Choose the category and, where asked, the profession that matches your evidence. Pick what you can prove, not what sounds strongest.
- Attach your documents. ICP asks for attachments where its data retrieval cannot pull them, and the supporting evidence for your category always comes from you.
- Check everything again before paying. Mismatched details are the usual reason requests stall.
- Pay the fee (next section).
- Submit, and save the application reference number. You need it to follow up.
ICP’s service card lists “receiving the response regarding the nomination application” as the final step. It does not say every request is approved, and you should not read it that way.
What the nomination request asks for
ICP’s service card lists three documents:
- your passport
- a personal photo
- supporting documents for Golden Residency eligibility
and two conditions: a valid UAE health insurance policy, and a passport with at least six months’ validity.
“Supporting documents” means the proof behind your category. For an investor that is the deposit confirmation, trade licence, title deed or tax records and proof of the source of funds. For an entrepreneur it is the licence, audited revenue, the incubator or ministry approval or the sale documents. For a professional it is the attested degree, contract, work permit and salary evidence. For a graduate it is the attested certificate and transcript. For the talent, scientist and specialist routes it is the recommendation letter or award. Get any Ministry of Education attestation done before you apply, not after ICP asks.
How much does a Golden Visa nomination cost?
On 15 October 2026 the official ICP service card for the Golden Residency Nomination Application shows:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | AED 0 |
| Issuance fee | AED 0 |
| Smart services fee | AED 100 |
So the nomination request is AED 100 on the current card.
You will see AED 155 quoted in older guides, usually as AED 122 in ICP fees plus AED 29 in e-service charges. That does not match the service card today. The gap may come from an earlier fee schedule, from a different service being quoted, or from bank and VAT charges added at checkout. The amount that counts is the one on the payment screen, so confirm it there before paying.
Keep in mind that AED 100 covers the nomination request only. The residency stage that follows approval has its own fees for the entry permit, medical test, Emirates ID and residency issuance, and health insurance is on top. Our Golden Visa guide sets out those costs; do not add them to the nomination fee and call the result “the Golden Visa fee”, and be wary of agents who do.
How long does nomination approval take?
ICP’s service card states a completion duration of two days for the nomination request. That is the published service standard rather than a guarantee, and it covers the nomination decision only. If ICP asks for more documents or a clarification, the clock stops until you respond. Requests that rest on a ministry recommendation take as long as the recommendation takes.
The residency procedures that follow are separate ICP services, each with its own published duration.
What happens after your nomination is approved?
Approval means ICP accepts that you fit a Golden Residency category. It is not the residency. From here, the sequence depends on where you are and which emirate you will live in, but it runs along these lines:
- Read the approval notice and any instructions in it.
- If you are outside the UAE, apply for the multiple-entry permit ICP issues to finish Golden Residency procedures. It is valid for six months and can be extended once.
- If you already hold a UAE residence visa, you move to converting it, which normally means cancelling the existing visa and applying for the Golden Residency.
- Complete the medical fitness test and Emirates ID application, and put health insurance in place for you and any family you will sponsor.
- Submit the residency application with the documents ICP asks for at that stage, and pay the fees for those services.
- Wait for the residency to be issued.
Keep the nomination approval and reference number through all of this. They are the thread that connects each stage.
How to track your nomination request
The reference number from submission is your tracking key. With it you can:
- check the status in ICP Smart Services or the app under your UAE Pass login
- watch the email and mobile number registered on the application, which is where ICP sends requests for more documents
- respond quickly when ICP asks for something, because a request waiting on you does not move
- call ICP on 600 522 222 inside the UAE (+971 600 522 222 from abroad) or use the customer voice gateway on icp.gov.ae if the status is unclear
Avoid tracking through third-party sites that ask for your passport number and UAE Pass details. Only ICP’s own channels can see your file.
Mistakes that get nomination requests stuck
- Choosing a category you cannot evidence. The checker lets you pick anything; the review does not.
- Treating a positive eligibility result as an approval and handing in notice or signing a lease on the strength of it.
- Uploading scans that are cropped, blurred or missing pages.
- Details that differ between documents: a middle name on the degree but not the passport, a salary certificate that does not match the bank statements.
- Skipping Ministry of Education attestation on certificates that need it.
- Assuming nomination approval ends the process.
- Budgeting on a fee from an old article instead of the payment screen.
- Paying an unofficial intermediary who promises an outcome. ICP decides; nobody else can.
Half an hour with ICP’s guide before you submit removes most of these.
Where A&A Associate fits in
A&A Associate LLC is a business consultancy. We do not issue Golden Visas, we cannot approve or speed up a nomination, and we would be wary of anyone who says they can.
What we see often is entrepreneurs and investors whose eligibility rests on their company: the trade licence, the shareholding, the capital, the audited revenue, the tax paid. That evidence has to be in order before it goes to ICP, and it frequently is not. Our work on company formation in Dubai, accounting and financial records and corporate tax compliance covers exactly the documents the investor and entrepreneur categories ask for.
Considering the entrepreneur or investor route? A&A Associate LLC can help you review the relevant business setup and documentation considerations. Final Golden Visa eligibility and approval remain subject to the relevant government authorities.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check my UAE Golden Visa eligibility online?
Use ICP’s free eligibility checker on the Smart Services site, pick your category and answer the questions. The result is an indication only; ICP does not review anything at this stage.
Can I apply for a Golden Visa if I have not been nominated?
Yes. ICP’s Golden Residency Nomination Application lets eligible people request nomination themselves through ICP Smart Services or the ICP app, using UAE Pass to log in.
How do I submit a Golden Visa nomination request through ICP?
Log in to ICP Smart Services with UAE Pass, open the Golden Residency nomination service, review the retrieved data, choose your category, attach your passport, photo and supporting evidence, pay the fee and submit. Keep the reference number.
How much does a Golden Visa nomination cost?
The ICP service card shows AED 100 in smart services fees and no application or issuance fee as of 15 October 2026. Older sources quote AED 155. Confirm the amount on the payment screen, and remember the residency stage has separate fees.
Does passing the eligibility check guarantee approval?
No. The checker works from your own answers. Approval depends on ICP reviewing your evidence against the category criteria.
What documents are required for Golden Visa nomination?
Your passport, a personal photo and the supporting documents for your category, plus valid UAE health insurance and at least six months’ passport validity. The supporting documents differ by category.
How long does Golden Visa nomination approval take?
ICP lists two days as the completion duration for the nomination request. That excludes time waiting for extra documents and the later residency procedures.
What happens after my nomination is approved?
You move to the residency stage: an entry permit if you are abroad, medical test, Emirates ID, health insurance and the residency application, each with its own fees. The Golden Visa is issued at the end of that process.
How can I track my Golden Visa nomination request?
Log in to ICP Smart Services with your reference number, watch the email and phone registered on the application, and contact ICP on 600 522 222 if the status is unclear.
Can entrepreneurs and business owners apply for a UAE Golden Visa?
Yes, if they meet the entrepreneur criteria (a UAE SME with AED 1 million or more in annual revenue, an approved business idea, or a venture sold for AED 7 million or more) or the investor criteria. Owning a company on its own does not qualify.
Conclusion
The nomination service gives you a way in without waiting to be noticed, but it rewards people who treat it as an evidence exercise. Read your category’s criteria, run the checker, assemble the proof, then submit and pay. Keep the five stages separate in your head, and do not plan around an outcome until the residency is actually issued.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only. Golden Visa eligibility, nomination procedures, fees and residency requirements may change and vary by category. An eligibility result or nomination approval does not guarantee issuance of a Golden Visa. Applicants should verify current requirements with ICP and the relevant authorities.
