Quick Answer
An investor visa is a UAE residency permit issued to a non-resident shareholder in a UAE company. Validity is typically 2 or 3 years, with the company itself acting as sponsor and the visa tied to the shareholder's stake.
When you set up a Dubai company as an expat, you typically apply for an investor visa for yourself and any other non-resident shareholders. The company sponsors the visa — there's no employer-employee relationship, just the shareholder's stake in the entity.
Eligibility usually requires a minimum shareholding (often AED 50,000 in paid-up capital, though this varies by entity type and emirate). The application is filed at GDRFA / ICP, requires medical fitness and biometrics, and results in an Emirates ID with the holder's residency status set as 'Investor / Partner'.
Investor visas allow the holder to sponsor family members. They do not allow the holder to also be on a separate employment visa with a different company without specific approvals. Most golden-visa-eligible founders eventually transition off investor visas onto Golden Visas for the longer validity and flexibility.
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