Business Immigration · Middle East
United Arab Emirates
The UAE residence routes we advise are Virtual Working, Golden Visa, and a free-zone investor or partner visa completed with biometrics in the UAE. Virtual Working is published at about USD 3,500 per month; some 2026 sources cite USD 5,000 — both figures are verified before engagement. Golden tracks include AED 2 million investment, tax of AED 250,000, and entrepreneur routes as then in force. A remotely issued free-zone licence is a company, not a Golden Visa and not a bank account; practical banking requires an Emirates ID.
- Programme
- Virtual Working / remote-income residence
- Path
- Form company · Invest · Property / RBI
- Capital / threshold
- About USD 3,500 per month remote income. Some 2026 sources cite USD 5,000 per month; both are published figures and are verified before engagement.
- Relocate / visit
- Biometrics in the UAE — not a zero-travel product
This overview is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules, fees, and eligibility criteria change. We verify current requirements with licensed counsel before any engagement. Residence and visa decisions are made by host-country authorities and are never guaranteed.
Country overview
About United Arab Emirates
For clients in Pakistan, the UAE is a residence corridor that still requires travel for biometrics. The programmes we brief are Virtual Working / remote-income residence, Golden Visa, and free-zone investor or partner visas. A remote free-zone incorporation is company formation. It is not a Golden Visa, not an Emirates ID, and not a bank account.
Virtual Working is briefed against about USD 3,500 per month remote income. Some 2026 sources cite USD 5,000 per month. Both are published figures; we verify the live amount before engagement. Golden Visa tracks we use are AED 2 million investment, tax of AED 250,000, and entrepreneur tracks as then in force. We do not add other dirham floors.
Free-zone investor or partner visas require the zone’s establishment process and, in practice, presence for biometrics. Relocate on this briefing means biometrics in the UAE. Traditional and many digital banks want an Emirates ID. Residence and practical banking are not zero-travel products.
Formation, immigration, and banking are three decisions. We do not promise merchant accounts. Requirements are set by the host government and are verified with licensed counsel before engagement. Visas, Emirates IDs, and bank openings are decided by the relevant authorities and institutions and are not guaranteed.
Who this is for
Designed for founders and families who can travel to the UAE for biometrics, who understand that banks want an Emirates ID, and who can meet a live Virtual Working income test or a Golden / investor track. A poor fit if travel is not possible, or if a remote licence is expected to function as residence and banking.
Timeline
A licence can be days to weeks; residence and Emirates ID require a UAE trip and processing thereafter. Banking follows Emirates ID and is not guaranteed. Dates are not guaranteed.
Programme rules, fees, and capital thresholds are set by the host government and change. Figures on this page reflect our latest review and are verified with licensed counsel before engagement.
Residence programmes
What we brief for Pakistani founders
Programme rules, fees, and capital thresholds are set by the host government and change. Figures on this page reflect our latest review and are verified with licensed counsel before engagement.
Virtual Working / remote-income residence
Form company
Requirements
About USD 3,500 per month remote income. Some 2026 sources cite USD 5,000 per month; both are published figures and are verified before engagement.
Relocate / visit
Biometrics in the UAE — not a zero-travel product
Golden Visa
Invest · Property / RBI
Requirements
Tracks include AED 2 million investment, tax of AED 250,000, and entrepreneur tracks as then in force.
Relocate / visit
Biometrics in the UAE
Free-zone investor / partner visa
Form company
Requirements
Form plus visit for establishment-card / investor or partner visa as the zone then requires. Not automatic with a remote licence.
Relocate / visit
Biometrics in the UAE
How we work
From briefing to a filed application
Briefing
Virtual Working versus Golden versus zone investor/partner is chosen against live income and capital rules, including the USD 3,500 and USD 5,000 published Virtual Working figures and the AED Golden tracks.
File preparation
The company or investment is structured as corporate work. It is not the visa. The residence file is prepared with licensed partners.
Counsel filing
The applicant travels for biometrics in the UAE. Status and Emirates ID, if granted, follow the live process. Residence is not a zero-travel product.
After grant
Banks require an Emirates ID. Account opening is never guaranteed. A paper licence does not substitute for identity and presence.
Key considerations
What this corridor is not
- Residence and practical banking in the UAE are not zero-travel products; banks generally require an Emirates ID issued after in-country biometrics.
- A free-zone licence is not a Golden Visa and not an Emirates ID.
- Virtual Working income: about USD 3,500 per month; some 2026 sources cite USD 5,000 — both are published figures and are verified before engagement.
- Golden tracks include AED 2 million investment, tax of AED 250,000, and entrepreneur routes as then in force.
- Visas, Emirates IDs, bank accounts, and merchant accounts are not guaranteed.
Also available
Company formation
Forming a United Arab Emirates company is a separate mandate from residence. If the immigration plan requires a local entity, we coordinate that workstream on its own terms. Formation does not grant the right to live in United Arab Emirates.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a UAE bank without travelling?
Practical banking needs an Emirates ID, which needs biometrics in the UAE. Residence and banking are not zero-travel products.
Is the Virtual Working number USD 3,500 or USD 5,000?
About USD 3,500 per month is the figure we brief; some 2026 sources cite USD 5,000. Both are published figures and are verified before engagement. We do not add a third figure.
Does a remote free-zone company give me a Golden Visa?
No. Formation is not immigration. Golden tracks (AED 2 million investment, tax of AED 250,000, entrepreneur as then in force) are separate.
Consultation
Start a confidential conversation
Tell us what you are building or where you need to move. We respond within one business day.