The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has launched an inquiry into the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) failure to obtain data on golden visas issued to Pakistani residents investing over AED 2 million in UAE property.

Despite legal requirements, the FBR has not secured real-time access or received regular reports from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) regarding such visas. The FTO has now directed FBR’s Member Tax Policy and Director General International Taxes to submit their comments by July 29, 2025.

Under current law, the FIA is mandated to share immigration and visa-related data with the FBR to help track foreign assets and ensure legal foreign exchange transfers. The lapse was flagged as maladministration after a citizen filed a formal complaint with the FTO.

This failure has enabled undeclared foreign properties and illegal remittances to go undetected. The FTO has also recommended revising tax return forms to require mandatory disclosure of foreign residency or passports acquired through investment, aiming to strengthen oversight and compliance.