200+ private schools
British (GCSE and A-level), International Baccalaureate, American and more than a dozen other curricula, inspected and rated every year by Dubai’s education regulator, the KHDA.
Nairobi · Dar es Salaam · Lagos · Cape Town · Dubai
A 10-year Golden Visa, world-class schools and one of the world’s safest cities — arranged from Africa.
Buying from India? See the India route →
Who we are
Dubai is a few hours’ direct flight from Africa’s major cities and already a second base for many African business families. Yet most of the buying journey is still built for someone standing in a sales gallery on Sheikh Zayed Road. We built ours for a buyer sitting in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg or Cape Town.
That means inventory sourced directly from the developer, a purchase sized to the residency your family actually wants, and a paperwork trail your bank and lawyer at home will be comfortable with.
We start with the outcome — a Golden Visa, a school place, a safe second home — and work back to the right unit.
Launch allocations and payment plans from Sobha, Binghatti, DAMAC and Azizi — no sub-broker markup in between.
Reserve, sign the SPA and register from home. A power of attorney attested at the UAE embassy covers anything needing a signature in Dubai.
Every shortlist is shown in dirhams and US dollars, the reference currency most African buyers already plan in.
The case
Security
Safety is the reason many families give first. On Numbeo’s crowd-sourced Safety Index, Dubai scores more than double most of Africa’s largest commercial cities — the difference between a gated compound and children cycling to school.
It is a perception-based index, not official crime statistics, and every city has safer and less safe neighbourhoods. But the gap is large, consistent, and something clients tell us they feel within a day.
| City | 0–100 scale | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai UAE | 83.8 | |
| Nairobi | 41.2 | |
| Lagos | 30.8 | |
| Cape Town | 26.5 | |
| Johannesburg | 19.3 | |
Source: Numbeo Safety Index by city, current ranking (accessed November 2026). Crowd-sourced perception data; figures update continuously. Dar es Salaam is not yet ranked.
Education
The Golden Visa makes your children UAE residents, which opens Dubai’s private schools and universities to them. Many families buy for exactly this reason — an internationally recognised education without boarding school abroad.
British (GCSE and A-level), International Baccalaureate, American and more than a dozen other curricula, inspected and rated every year by Dubai’s education regulator, the KHDA.
Branch campuses of UK, Australian, American and Indian universities, so a degree can be earned in Dubai while living at home with the family.
A property-based Golden Visa extends to a spouse and children of any age, so school enrolment, healthcare and banking follow from a single purchase.
We shortlist around the school you want — Dubai Hills, Arabian Ranches, Al Barsha and Jumeirah are favourites for families — so the school run is minutes, not an hour.
Lifestyle
Daily direct flights — leave after breakfast, land in time for an afternoon on the beach.
An easy hop for family weekends, school holidays and business trips through the Gulf.
Overnight to Dubai, then onward to almost anywhere: a global hub on your doorstep.
Warm winters, beach living and a two-hour time difference — and Johannesburg is closer still.
Approximate direct flight times; schedules vary by airline and season.
Premium developers
We work with four of Dubai's most established names, which gives African buyers direct access to launch allocations and ready stock — from Sobha's build quality to the branded towers of Binghatti and DAMAC and the accessible pricing of Azizi. All four have Golden Visa-qualifying homes.
Founded by P.N.C. Menon in 1976, with master-planned communities such as Sobha Hartland in MBR City. Backward-integrated construction — Sobha builds with its own trades — which is why its handover quality is the benchmark others are measured against.
Founded in 2008 and known for some of Dubai's most distinctive architecture, Binghatti sold more than 17,000 units in 2025. Its branded towers with Bugatti, Jacob & Co and Mercedes-Benz sit alongside mid-market launches, so there is a range of entry points.
Founded by Hussain Sajwani, DAMAC builds branded residences with Cavalli, Versace and Paramount. Strong short-let and holiday-home performance, and the developer most likely to have a furnished, rent-ready unit.
One of Dubai's fastest-growing private developers, with more than 200 projects across Palm Jumeirah, Al Furjan and Dubai South. The natural entry point for a first Dubai purchase under AED 1.5M (about USD 410,000) with a long payment plan.
Buying from Africa
This is the actual sequence, in order. Most clients complete it in four to eight weeks; moving the funds is usually the step that sets the pace, because it runs at your bank’s speed and your country’s exchange-control rules rather than ours.
We put three to five units in front of you — sized for the visa you want — then place a booking to hold your preferred unit at launch pricing.
An international transfer in USD or AED from your bank, in stages if you are on a payment plan. We work with your bank on the documents it needs.
The sale and purchase agreement is signed remotely. Where a physical signature is needed in Dubai, a power of attorney attested at the UAE embassy covers it.
Off-plan units are recorded on the Oqood register; ready units transfer to a Title Deed in your name. The 4% Dubai Land Department fee is paid here.
One short trip for biometrics and a medical, and the family’s residency follows. Then snagging, furnishing and a managing agent if you will let it.
Each country has its own exchange-control rules for investing abroad — for example the South African Reserve Bank’s individual allowances, or Central Bank of Nigeria documentation requirements for foreign-currency transfers. Your bank and adviser confirm what applies to you; we make sure the developer paperwork they ask for is ready before you transfer, so nothing at the bank counter is a surprise.
Residency through investment
For most African families this is the heart of the decision: one purchase, ten years of residency for the whole family, renewable — and no more visit-visa applications every time you travel. Which visa a property unlocks depends on its value and, in one case, whether it is complete. We model it before you commit.
A renewable ten-year residency for property investors, extending to your spouse and children of any age.
The accessible entry point, and the reason a first purchase is often sized deliberately at this level.
For applicants aged 55 and over — a calm, secure base for retirement close to family and to home.
Not sure which side of the threshold your budget sits on? We will map it before you shortlist, not after.
Talk to a visa advisorStraight answers
Yes. Foreign nationals of any country can buy freehold property in Dubai's designated areas, such as Downtown, Dubai Marina, Dubai Hills and Business Bay. The property is registered in your own name with the Dubai Land Department.
A property (or properties) worth at least AED 2M, about USD 545,000, qualifies the owner for a renewable ten-year UAE residency visa. Off-plan and mortgaged homes can qualify, there is no employer or sponsor, and there is no minimum time you must spend in the UAE to keep it.
Yes. Golden Visa holders can sponsor their spouse and children, and children are covered regardless of age. Sponsoring other relatives, such as parents, is possible under specific conditions — we check your situation before you buy.
Yes. As UAE residents, your children can enrol in Dubai's private schools, which teach British, IB, American and many other curricula, and later in the international university campuses in the city. We can shortlist homes close to the schools you are considering.
Through an international bank transfer in USD or AED, often in stages if you buy off-plan on a payment plan. Exchange-control rules differ by country — for example in South Africa and Nigeria — so your bank and adviser confirm what applies to you. We prepare the developer documents they ask for.
The UAE charges no annual property tax and no personal income tax on rent; a one-time 4% Dubai Land Department fee applies at purchase. Your home country may still tax worldwide income or gains if you remain tax-resident there, so take advice at home before you buy.
No. Reservation, SPA signature and registration can be completed remotely, with a power of attorney attested at the UAE embassy covering anything requiring physical presence. Issuing the Golden Visa does require one short trip for biometrics and a medical.
Get in touch
A first call takes twenty minutes. Bring a budget and a purpose — a Golden Visa, a school for the children, a safe second home, rental income — and we will come back with a shortlist sized to it.