With the high season under way, the UAE is reminding global HR advisers and wealth-management firms of its five-year retirement visa, which allows foreigners aged 55 + to reside in the country without employment. Updated guidance released on 6 December details three alternative financial thresholds: ownership of property worth at least AED 1 million, savings of AED 1 million, or monthly income of AED 20,000 (AED 15,000 in Dubai). Government fees range between AED 2,300 and AED 3,800, excluding mandatory health insurance.
The visa was introduced in 2020 but has quietly evolved into a core pillar of the UAE’s population-diversification strategy. Retirees receive a renewable five-year residency, can sponsor spouses and dependants and enjoy unrestricted re-entry—an attractive proposition for former Gulf executives who want to retain ties with the region while accessing world-class healthcare.
![Five-year Retirement Visa gains traction as UAE courts silver-economy talent]()
For employers, the programme creates an elegant off-boarding pathway: long-serving staff who reach retirement age can transition onto the new permit, freeing up corporate visa quotas while remaining available for consultancy work. Property developers are marketing units with guaranteed rental yields that meet the AED 1 million threshold, and private banks are bundling savings plans tailored to the visa’s liquidity requirements.
Applicants should allow for a two-stage process—visa issuance followed by Emirates ID and medical insurance enrolment—and budget extra time if assets are held jointly. Mobility teams should also flag that the visa does not exempt holders from local medical-insurance rules, and that leaving the UAE for more than 180 consecutive days will invalidate residency.
The visa was introduced in 2020 but has quietly evolved into a core pillar of the UAE’s population-diversification strategy. Retirees receive a renewable five-year residency, can sponsor spouses and dependants and enjoy unrestricted re-entry—an attractive proposition for former Gulf executives who want to retain ties with the region while accessing world-class healthcare.
For employers, the programme creates an elegant off-boarding pathway: long-serving staff who reach retirement age can transition onto the new permit, freeing up corporate visa quotas while remaining available for consultancy work. Property developers are marketing units with guaranteed rental yields that meet the AED 1 million threshold, and private banks are bundling savings plans tailored to the visa’s liquidity requirements.
Applicants should allow for a two-stage process—visa issuance followed by Emirates ID and medical insurance enrolment—and budget extra time if assets are held jointly. Mobility teams should also flag that the visa does not exempt holders from local medical-insurance rules, and that leaving the UAE for more than 180 consecutive days will invalidate residency.
