Multiple sources report that the United Arab Emirates has begun revoking residence permits held by Iranian nationals currently outside the country, with cancellations allegedly extending to ten-year golden visas obtained through property investment.
Iran International, the London-based Persian-language outlet, published first-person accounts from affected individuals on March 28. The UAE government has not confirmed or denied the reports.
Iran International says it requested clarification from Emirati officials and received no response.
What Sources Claim
Iranian residents who left the UAE after hostilities began on February 28 report discovering their residency status voided upon attempting to return, according to Iran International. One individual told the outlet he departed for India with his family, only to find his residency revoked; his non-Iranian family members could still enter. Another described losing a ten-year golden visa while abroad.
Iranian expatriate outlet iranianuae.ae, which says it verified reports through direct reader contact, claims the scope widened over several days. Employment and family-sponsorship visa holders outside the UAE were reportedly the first affected. Starting March 27, iranianuae.ae alleges, cancellations expanded to all Iranian nationals abroad, including golden visa holders with property investments.
Iranians physically inside the UAE appear unaffected so far, according to both sources. Iranianuae.ae advises Iranian nationals in-country not to leave until the situation clarifies.
Official Posture
No UAE official has addressed the reported cancellations directly. Broader rhetoric toward Iran has, however, hardened publicly.
Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan described the Islamic Republic as “terrorist,” according to Iran International’s reporting. President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan earlier called Iran an “enemy.”
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, posted on X on March 29 that any political solution must include guarantees against future attacks and mandate reparations for damage to civilian infrastructure. The National reported Gargash stating that Iran had “deceived its neighbors before the war about its intentions.” Neither statement referenced visa policy.
Reported Consequences
If the reports are accurate, the contractual fallout for affected individuals could be severe. Most UAE contracts for property ownership, bank accounts, and school enrollment require a valid Emirates ID tied to an active residence visa.
Loss of that visa does not merely restrict entry; it can trigger frozen bank accounts, housing contract breaches, and loss of children’s school placements, according to lawyers cited by VisaHQ’s Global Mobility News.
VisaHQ reports that corporate mobility managers with Iranian assignees are scrambling to verify employee status through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP) e-channel. Contingency options reportedly under discussion include humanitarian visit visas through third-country passports and staff relocation to company entities in Qatar and Türkiye.
Golden Visa Precedent
The alleged revocations would mark the first reported mass cancellation of investment-linked golden visas in the UAE program’s history. Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) issued 158,000 golden visas in 2023, nearly doubling the prior year’s figure.
If confirmed, the pattern has a direct antecedent. During the 2017 Gulf diplomatic crisis, the UAE imposed silent nationality-based visa restrictions on Qatari citizens without public announcement. Several analysts have drawn this parallel explicitly in the current reporting.
Just two weeks ago, the UAE facilitated the return of approximately 500 golden visa holders stranded abroad by airspace closures, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) issuing electronic return documents within 30 minutes.
The reported Iranian cancellations, should they prove accurate, would represent the use of that same administrative infrastructure in the opposite direction.
Critics of the UAE golden visa have long pointed out that the program offers no path to permanent residence or citizenship. Philippe May, CEO of EC Holdings, characterized it in an earlier analysis as “cheap, easy, and the UAE is an attractive country for residence,” while noting that “it’s not a plan B and does not lead to PR or citizenship.”
