How to Get Emirati Citizenship: Nomination, Marriage, and Residence

There is no open application for Emirati citizenship. To get Emirati citizenship as a foreigner, you generally need to be nominated by a senior UAE government body under one of five talent or investor categories introduced in 2021, or you qualify through descent, marriage to an Emirati man, or, more rarely, very long lawful residence under Federal Law No. 17 of 1972.¹²

Emirati nationality is among the hardest in the world to acquire. Most people who ask how to get it are thinking of the 2021 talent pathways, so start there, but understand up front that you cannot self-apply for those. Someone in the UAE government has to put your name forward first.

The Five Nomination Categories

In January 2021, the UAE amended the Executive Regulations of the Citizenship and Passports Law to open citizenship to specific categories of foreign nationals, along with their spouses and children.¹ The five eligible groups are:

Investors who own property in the UAE. The government has not published a fixed minimum property value for the citizenship pathway, though the threshold is widely understood to be substantial.
Doctors and specialists in high-demand scientific disciplines with at least 10 years of practical experience, acknowledged scientific contributions, and membership in a reputable professional organization.
Scientists who are active researchers at a university, research center, or in the private sector, with at least 10 years of experience, demonstrated contributions to their field, and a recommendation letter from a recognized scientific institution in the UAE.
Inventors who hold one or more patents approved by the UAE Ministry of Economy or a reputable international body, plus a recommendation letter from the Ministry of Economy.
Intellectuals and creative talents who are pioneers in art or culture and have won at least one international award, with a recommendation letter from a relevant government entity.³

Every category requires a recommendation from a relevant government entity. The bar is high and the specifics, including property values, are deliberately unpublished, which leaves the government wide discretion over who receives a nomination. Spouses and children can be included in the same citizenship decree as the primary nominee.¹

How the Nomination Process Actually Works

This is where people get stuck. There is no public application portal and no form. Nationality under the 2021 pathways is granted only through nomination by the Rulers’ Courts, Crown Princes’ Courts, Executive Councils, or the Cabinet, based on recommendations from federal entities.¹ Senior officials identify candidates they consider valuable to the country’s long-term development and put their names forward.

Once nominated, you enter a multi-layered vetting process. The relevant Executive Council or court evaluates your contributions and standing, then forwards a recommendation to the Federal Cabinet. Security screenings and reviews of your adherence to local laws and customs are part of that. If the nomination clears every level, the federal government may issue an official decree granting nationality. Timelines vary, running from several months to well over a year depending on complexity.

Every successful nominee must swear an oath of allegiance and commit to abiding by Emirati laws before citizenship takes effect.³

Citizenship Through Marriage or Descent

A child born to an Emirati father receives nationality automatically, no matter where the birth takes place. A child born to an Emirati mother and a father who is unknown or stateless may also qualify by operation of law.²

A foreign woman married to an Emirati man may apply for citizenship after seven years from the date she submits her application, provided the couple has at least one child together.² The seven-year clock starts when the application is filed, not when the marriage began. Foreign men married to Emirati women have no equivalent pathway under the current law.

Naturalization Through Long Residence

Federal Law No. 17 of 1972 sets residence-based routes, though these are used sparingly in practice. The required duration depends on your nationality:

Three years of continuous lawful residence for nationals of Oman, Qatar, or Bahrain.
Three years for members of Arab tribes from neighboring countries.
Seven years for other Arab nationals.
Twenty years for non-Arab nationals, counted from after the law took effect.²

Time alone is not enough. Applicants must also show financial means, good character, and knowledge of Arabic, and specific federal approval is required. In practice, long-residence naturalization is uncommon even when the years are met.

Dual Citizenship and the Duty to Disclose

The 1972 law originally treated acquiring a foreign nationality as grounds for losing Emirati citizenship. The 2021 amendments reversed that for the new talent and investor pathways, expressly allowing naturalized citizens to keep their original nationality.¹ The policy was designed to attract global professionals who would not surrender existing passports.

The permission comes with a condition. New citizens must officially inform the relevant government agency if they acquire or lose any other citizenship after receiving Emirati nationality.³ Failing to disclose can jeopardize the grant. Check your home country’s rules too; some states revoke their own citizenship when a national voluntarily acquires another, regardless of what the UAE allows.

How Citizenship Can Be Lost

Emirati citizenship granted under the 2021 pathways can be withdrawn if the conditions of the grant are breached.¹ The government has not published a full list of triggering violations. Federal Law No. 17 of 1972 supplies the broader framework, including loss of nationality for a naturalized citizen who resides abroad continuously for four years without a valid reason. That loss can extend to naturalized family members.²

The broad “breach of conditions” language gives the government considerable discretion. Anyone granted citizenship should treat maintaining genuine ties to the UAE, a clean record, and continued qualification against the original nomination criteria as ongoing expectations, not one-time hurdles.

Documentation You Will Need

Even though the talent routes work by nomination rather than open application, nominees still assemble a substantial file once the process starts. Standard items include a valid passport, birth certificates, and a family book where applicable. Professionals need certified copies of their highest degrees, employment history, and category-specific proof: patent certificates from the Ministry of Economy, records of international awards, or published research. Investors need authenticated title deeds or investment certificates showing UAE property ownership. Criminal record clearances and medical fitness certificates are part of the security vetting, and non-Arabic documents need certified legal translation into Arabic.

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security handles identity and documentation, though the citizenship process itself runs through the nominating courts and councils rather than a public-facing portal.⁴ Third-party verification is standard: government bodies independently confirm patents, awards, professional memberships, and property ownership. An incomplete or inconsistent file can stall a nomination that might otherwise have succeeded.

1
The Official Platform of the UAE Government. Emirati Nationality
2
Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship. Federal Law 17 of 1972 – Nationality and Passports
3
WAM. UAE Grants Citizenship and Passport to Investors, Professionals
4
Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security. Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security