A single-portal residency channel offers operational predictability for investors and corporate mobility teams. Whether it offers security is a different question.
He left for India on a family trip. When he tried to fly back, his ten-year golden visa no longer existed.
October’s consular expansion for Golden Visa holders gets its first real-world test as airspace closures strand hundreds abroad.
The visa crackdown began quietly over the past two months as Saudi-UAE tensions hit a fever pitch. Mahmoud Elwakil says the unofficial policy is “unlikely to last.”
Qatar to launch extended residency option for entrepreneurs, aligning the program with GCC competitors.
After receiving over 40,000 applications in 18 months, Saudi Arabia may further expand its Premium Residency program with Abu Dhabi-style pathways for superyacht owners and the ultra-wealthy.
Bahrain’s program now prices into the GCC’s lower-to-mid band, undercutting Oman and Saudi Arabia, but at nearly twice the UAE’s Golden Visa minimum.
Egypt processed citizenship applications from 15 countries in 2025, approving 36 while implementing stricter verification requirements.
Kuwait, the GCC’s last mover on golden visas, is now in the game: 10-year residency for property investors, 15 years for business investors.
The new threshold could give Qatar’s program a price edge over regional rivals such as the UAE, albeit with caveats.
The UAE adds yet another route for its Golden Visas, allowing philanthropists to qualify via Islamic endowments.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends citizen-level consular services to Golden Visa holders in what officials describe as a globally unprecedented move.
April law enabling pooled property investments drove $48.3m in golden visa valuations during August as investors pursue residency.
UAE crypto holders can no longer hide from tax authorities as the Emirates joins global data-sharing agreement by 2028.
Officials say the program’s participants have a combined online audience of nearly 2.5 billion followers, and highlighted its positive impact on tourism and retail.
The Saudi Premium Residency program approved 8,000 residents in 2024. Real estate agent Mohammed AlWahhabi said foreign residents seeking “stability and freedom” are driving the surge.
Pakistan’s Federal Tax Ombudsman has issued a warning and set a deadline for local tax authorities as it ramps up efforts to tax Pakistanis with overseas assets.
Anastasia Barna says the old rules pushed people out. Mahmoud Elwakil says the new ones finally let them in.
Jordan’s revamped citizenship program now accepts existing investors retroactively based on current business operations.
Oman wants to boost tax revenue but says that ‘99% of the population’ will not have to pay personal income tax.