29-07-2025
UAE Golden Visa: 2 Thai women granted 10-year residency for promoting date farming
Two Thai women were granted the UAE Golden Visa in recognition of their efforts in promoting sustainable agriculture, particularly date palm cultivation.
The recognition was granted by Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), whose director general, Lt Gen Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, personally met the two Thai women who are participating in the ongoing Dubai Dates Festival. The annual event, organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Heritage Centre, celebrates Emirati agriculture and cultural heritage.
The recipients, owners of Orawan Farm in Thailand, manage over 5,000 fruit-bearing date palm trees. Beyond cultivation, they have gained attention for creatively promoting the health benefits of dates through TikTok, helping expand global awareness of the fruit's significance.
Recognising their role in 'promoting date cultivation beyond the UAE and spreading Emirati heritage and values globally," the GDRA nominated them for the Golden Visa — marking the first time he visa has been awarded to foreigners for cultivating dates outside the Emirates.
According to Thai PBS World, dates in Thailand are mostly grown in Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, and in the Northeastern provinces, with yellow Barhi dates as the most popular variety.
The UAE Golden Visa is a long-term residence visa that enables foreign talents to live, work, or study in the UAE while enjoying exclusive benefits. Investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, outstanding students and graduates, humanitarian pioneers, and frontline heroes are among those eligible for the Golden Visa.
