TON Foundation Clarifies: No Official UAE Golden Visa Program with TON
The TON Foundation has denied rumors that it launched an official Golden Visa program in the UAE. It made it clear that there is no partnership between the TON blockchain project and the UAE government.
This clarification comes after social media posts claimed that investors could get UAE residency by staking TON tokens.
Over the weekend, promotions suggested that people could receive a 10-year UAE Golden Visa by staking $100,000 in TON tokens and paying a $35,000 fee. It was advertised as a cheaper alternative to traditional options, like buying $500,000 worth of property.
But UAE authorities quickly denied these claims. On July 7, three official agencies—the Federal Authority for Identity (ICP), the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)—stated that no such visa program exists.
The ICP said the Golden Visa is only given to people who meet strict criteria, such as property investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and top talents—not crypto investors.
The SCA added that crypto is regulated separately and doesn’t have any link to visa programs. VARA confirmed that TON is not licensed to operate under UAE regulations.
TON responded by explaining that the promotion was part of a private experiment with a licensed partner, and not an official government program.
TON said:
“No official Golden Visa program has been launched in partnership with the UAE government, and TON has not received any endorsement.”
TON also noted that the idea is still early-stage and any visa decisions are completely up to the UAE government.
The promotion drew criticism for being misleading. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao called it "aggressive/misleading marketing."
TON welcomed the government’s statement and said it remains committed to transparent and responsible development. If it ever takes part in an official visa program, it promises to announce it properly.
The TON Foundation says it will continue focusing on connecting real-world assets with blockchain technology.
