One test was replaced by another.
The rule changed, so much of the older guidance is now out of date. Many owners still believe a mortgage rules them out and plan around a position that no longer holds. The shift is about which figure the route is measured against.
Equity paid down
Only the share you owned outright counted, so a large mortgage could leave you short.
Total title-deed value
The full recorded value is measured against the threshold, with the bank confirming standing.
It widened who qualifies. It did not loosen the terms.
A buyer could once hold a property well above AED 2,000,000 and still fall short, because equity was the test, not value. That gap closed. Two things follow.
What 20 February 2026 changed
The route now reads against the property's total title-deed value, not how much of the mortgage you have repaid. A fixed paid-down share no longer governs the calculation. That is the shift that matters.
What did not change
The terms still stand. The recorded AED 2,000,000 value has to be there, and the financing bank's confirmation has to support it. Not every mortgaged property qualifies automatically.
Who decides here: the immigration authoritiesEnough to locate yourself, not a how-to.
Four conditions shape the mortgaged-property route today. Whether yours clears the line turns on:
- the recorded value
- the mortgage terms
- what your bank can confirm
It is worth reading against your real position rather than a headline.
One thing to hold onto: the buyer who ruled themselves out over a mortgage may be reading an outdated rule. The value is now the test, not the equity.
The cost lands when you act on an assumption about the rule, in either direction.
Rule yourself out on the old equity logic and you forgo a ten-year residence you would now qualify for, a quiet but genuine loss. Assume the change makes any mortgaged property qualify, and you can hit a value shortfall or a financing detail that does not support the file after committing time and government charges. A rejection is not a refund: it is lost fees, lost time, and a harder second look. Approval sits with the UAE immigration authorities, not any advisor, so confirm how the rule reads for your property before you bank on it.
We check the current rule against your file.
We start with your actual property, its recorded value, the mortgage terms, and what your financing bank can confirm, not the old equity reading or a blanket claim that mortgages now always qualify. Where it clears the route, we say so and prepare the file, bank confirmation included. Where it falls short, we tell you plainly and what would change that. Our Golden Visa page sets out the property route, and the residency overview places the routes side by side.