Yes, siblings can both hold a Golden Visa from the same property, but only if each sibling’s registered share is worth at least AED 2 million on its own. Two brothers who buy a AED 4 million apartment and split it 50/50 each hold AED 2 million, so both qualify. Two sisters who split a AED 3 million apartment the same way hold AED 1.5 million each, and neither qualifies on that property.
One rule settles nearly every sibling case: the Dubai Golden Visa is assessed on your share alone, and your share is never added to your brother’s or sister’s. Everything below follows from that, including how a share is valued, what to buy when two or three of you want residency, and what to do when someone falls short.
Your share is what counts, not the price of the property
The Dubai Land Department issues the 10-year investor permit to a person who owns property worth AED 2 million or more, wholly owned in their own name, across one unit or several. That is the whole test, and the phrase “wholly owned” is where sibling applications are won or lost.
On a co-owned property, the title deed records a percentage beside each owner’s name. That percentage of the value is yours. The rest belongs to your co-owner and cannot be borrowed to top your figure up. So the question is not whether the property is worth AED 2 million. It is whether your slice is.
Take a AED 4 million villa held 60/40 by two brothers. One holds AED 2.4 million and qualifies. The other holds AED 1.6 million and does not, even though his name sits on the same deed for the same villa.
How much property do two siblings need?
Multiply AED 2 million by the number of siblings who want a visa. Two of you need AED 4 million between you. Three need AED 6 million. A sibling who is on the deed but does not want residency can hold any share at all, because only the applicants have to clear the threshold.
| Property value | How it is split | Each sibling’s share | Who qualifies |
| AED 3 million | 50/50, two siblings | AED 1.5 million each | Neither |
| AED 4 million | 50/50, two siblings | AED 2 million each | Both |
| AED 5 million | 70/30, two siblings | AED 3.5m and AED 1.5m | The 70% owner only |
| AED 6 million | Equal thirds, three siblings | AED 2 million each | All three |
| AED 2.5 million | 90/10, two siblings | AED 2.25m and AED 250,000 | The 90% owner only |
Shares do not have to be equal, and that gives families room to work with. If one sibling is putting in more cash, tilt the percentages to match and record them on the deed.
If only one of you actually needs residency, buy smaller. A AED 2.3 million flat held 90/10 gets one sibling a Golden Visa and costs the family far less than a AED 4 million purchase.
The same maths runs across a portfolio. Two siblings who buy a AED 2.2 million apartment and a AED 1.9 million townhouse together, each holding half of both, end up with roughly AED 2.05 million apiece and both qualify.
Which value does the Land Department use?
The purchase price on the title deed is the starting point. If that leaves your share short, you can ask for a Real Estate Valuation e-Certificate showing current market value instead. For a residential apartment or villa, the Dubai Land Department valuation service charges AED 4,000 plus a AED 10 knowledge fee and a AED 10 innovation fee, and the certificate comes back instantly for apartments and attached villas through the Dubai REST or Dubai Now app. Filing at a trustee centre instead adds a service partner fee of AED 230 and VAT.
Check this before you rule yourselves out. Siblings who bought a AED 3 million flat 50/50 a few years ago held AED 1.5 million each at the time. If it values at AED 4.2 million today, each share is AED 2.1 million and both can apply without buying anything more.
Only the Land Department certificate is accepted. Broker appraisals, portal estimates and your own arithmetic carry no weight in the application.
Siblings do not get the option married couples get
A husband and wife can share one property and still end up with residency for both without each holding AED 2 million. Where the joint property is worth less than AED 4 million, one spouse applies as the investor and sponsors the other as a dependant, supported by a marriage certificate attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translated into Arabic.
That route is not open between adult siblings. A Golden Visa holder can sponsor a spouse, children and parents. A brother or sister sits outside that list, and sponsoring a sibling is decided case by case at the discretion of immigration authorities, so it is not something to build a purchase around. Each sibling needs their own AED 2 million, or their own separate route to residency.
What to do when a share falls short
Four options, in rough order of cost.
- Revalue the property. The cheapest fix, and often the only one needed after a few years of price growth. A certificate that lifts each share past AED 2 million costs AED 4,020 for an apartment or villa.
- Buy more in your own name. Properties registered in your name are counted together, with no cap on how many units. A sibling sitting at AED 1.5 million can buy a studio outright to close the gap. Confirm with the Land Department how your existing joint share will be counted before you commit to the second purchase.
- Change the split on the deed. Moving a share between siblings is registered as a normal sale. The reduced 0.125 percent gift rate covers parents, children and spouses, so a sibling transfer carries the standard 4 percent transfer fee. Shifting a AED 1 million share costs AED 40,000.
- Take the two-year investor visa for now. Dubai removed the minimum property value for sole owners in April 2026 and set a floor of AED 400,000 per share where a property has more than one owner. Two siblings holding AED 1.5 million each clear that easily, so both can get renewable two-year residency straight away and move up to the Golden Visa property route later.
The transfer route deserves a second look before you pick it. Because siblings are not treated as first-degree relatives, moving a share between a brother and a sister is priced like an open-market sale, not a family transfer. That single fee often decides whether restructuring is worth it or whether one of you simply buys another unit.
Setting the purchase up properly
Most of this is paperwork done before you sign, not after.
Agree the split first and make sure the percentages reach the title deed. The Land Department reads the deed, not the private arrangement between you. Check that each name is spelled exactly as it appears in that person’s passport, because a mismatch will stall the file.
If you are buying close to the line, ask for the valuation before you commit. A property that costs AED 4 million but values at AED 3.8 million leaves two equal owners at AED 1.9 million each, and both applications fail over a AED 200,000 gap.
A mortgage does not block anything. Each financed unit needs a no objection letter from the bank confirming it does not object to a residence permit on the property, stating the amount paid and the balance outstanding. The old condition to have paid off half the value first was dropped in February 2026.
Off-plan works too. A unit registered with an Oqood from an approved developer can count toward the AED 2 million, so siblings buying at launch can lock the structure in from day one. The property also has to sit in a designated freehold area where foreign ownership is allowed.
What happens later if one of you wants out
The permit rests on the holding that earned it, so a sibling who sells their share puts their own residency at risk. The sibling who stays is unaffected, as long as their percentage still clears AED 2 million after the sale. Buying your brother’s or sister’s share yourself is the same 4 percent transaction as any other purchase, since the family gift rate does not reach siblings.
Renewal is the other date to watch. Value is re-assessed when the 10 years are up, and a share that has slipped below AED 2 million by then can block the renewal. A fresh valuation, or another unit bought in your own name, puts it right. This bites harder on a co-owned property than a solely owned one, because your buffer is only your slice of any price movement rather than all of it.
It is worth writing down, before the purchase, what happens if one of you wants to sell, who has first refusal, and how the exit is priced. The Land Department only records percentages. Everything else between siblings is a private agreement, and it is much easier to reach one while everybody still wants the same thing.
What it costs and how long it takes
Each sibling pays the full fee set separately. The Land Department Golden Visa investor service lists AED 9,884.75 for a 10-year permit: AED 700 for the medical, AED 1,153 for the Emirates ID, AED 2,856.75 to confirm the residence permit, AED 4,020 in Land Department fees and AED 1,155 in administrative charges. Two siblings applying together should budget close to AED 19,770, plus AED 4,020 for each valuation certificate they need.
Both applicants have to be inside the UAE and attend in person, since applications through a representative are not accepted. Processing takes 7 to 10 working days. Each sibling brings a passport, the title deed, a photo, and their Emirates ID and current residence permit if they hold them.
After approval, each sibling sponsors their own family independently at AED 5,774.50 per dependant for a 10-year permit, plus a one-off AED 318.75 to open the family file. Two names on one deed become two separate households, each on its own 10-year footing.
Frequently asked questions
Can two siblings get a Golden Visa from one AED 2 million property?
No. Split two ways it gives each sibling AED 1 million, half of what is needed. Registering the whole AED 2 million in one sibling’s name qualifies that person alone.
Do the shares have to be equal?
No. Any split works as long as each applicant’s share reaches AED 2 million. On a AED 5 million property, a 60/40 split gives AED 3 million and AED 2 million, so both siblings qualify.
Can one sibling get the visa and sponsor the other?
No. Golden Visa UAE rules let a holder sponsor a spouse, children and parents. Siblings sit outside that group, so each brother or sister has to qualify in their own right.
Do siblings have to buy the property at the same time?
No. A sibling can be added to an existing title deed later, but the transfer is registered as a sale and carries the 4 percent Land Department fee, because siblings do not qualify for the reduced gift rate.
Can I combine my share of a joint property with a flat I own alone?
Property registered in your name is counted together toward the AED 2 million, and your joint holding is counted at your recorded percentage. Confirm the treatment with the Land Department before buying the second unit.
Conclusion
Siblings can both get a Golden Visa from one property, as long as each registered share is worth AED 2 million or more. Budget AED 4 million between two of you, AED 6 million between three, and fix the percentages on the title deed before you sign anything. If a share falls short, revalue the property, add a unit in your own name, or take the two-year investor visa now and upgrade later. Get the valuation done first and the rest is paperwork.
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