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How does buying a property in Dubai work?

A Dubai residential purchase runs through 8 stages: your brief, shortlist, viewing, offer, due diligence, contract and registration, construction payments, transfer and handover. Money moves at 5 of them. On a resale the deposit is usually 10% on a signed Form F, and the fees on top of the price come to roughly 6–8%: the 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee, the registration trustee fee and 2% agency. On an off-plan purchase the developer pays the agency, a 4% Oqood registration applies instead, and instalments should go to the project’s escrow account rather than the developer’s own.

Mark where you are and the page tracks it in your browser — nothing is sent to us until you ask. Guide updated 2 September 2026.

  1. 1

    Stage 1: Your brief

    What you are looking for, and why.

    You

    • · Answer the brief — budget, community, purpose, timing
    • · Say whether you are financing; it changes what is reachable

    Us

    • · Come back with the honest shape of what that budget buys, per square foot

    Same day

  2. 2

    Stage 2: Shortlist

    A handful worth your attention, with the reasoning shown.

    You

    • · Save what interests you
    • · Tell us what is wrong with the rest

    Us

    • · Pull comparable transacted prices, not asking prices
    • · Flag service charges, which vary far more than buyers expect

    2–5 days

  3. 3

    Stage 3: Viewing

    In person, or a live walkthrough if you are not in Dubai.

    You

    • · Pick dates
    • · Ask to see the actual unit, not the show apartment

    Us

    • · Arrange access
    • · Send a written note of what was seen, including the problems

    Arranged within a week

  4. 4

    Stage 4: Offer

    Deposit or booking fee

    Resale: a signed Form F. Off-plan: a reservation form and booking fee.

    You

    • · Resale: sign the Form F (the DLD's standard contract) and pay a deposit, usually 10%
    • · Off-plan: sign the reservation and pay the booking fee

    Us

    • · Negotiate price and terms
    • · Get in writing what the deposit is and is not refundable against

    Resale deposit typically 10%, held by the agent or trustee

  5. 5

    Stage 5: Due diligence

    Conveyancing fees, paid direct

    Title, service charge history, and — off-plan — the escrow account and the developer.

    You

    • · Appoint your own conveyancer; not the seller's, and not one we are paid by

    Us

    • · Pull the title deed and the service charge ledger
    • · Off-plan: confirm the project is registered with RERA and that payments go to the project escrow account, not the developer's own

    1–2 weeks

  6. 6

    Stage 6: Contract and registration

    NOC fee, or Oqood registration at 4%

    Resale: developer NOC. Off-plan: SPA signed and registered on Oqood.

    You

    • · Resale: pay the NOC fee
    • · Off-plan: sign the SPA and pay the first instalment

    Us

    • · Chase the NOC — it is the most common cause of a delayed transfer
    • · Compare the SPA's completion date with the end date registered with the DLD, and get any gap explained in writing

    NOC typically 5–10 working days

  7. 7

    Stage 7: Construction payments

    Milestone instalments

    Off-plan only: instalments tied to build milestones.

    You

    • · Pay on schedule, into the project escrow account
    • · Keep every transfer receipt

    Us

    • · Track construction against the DLD's published project progress, not the developer's newsletter
    • · Tell you when a stage slips, not after it has

    Runs to handover; post-handover plans extend past it

  8. 8

    Stage 8: Transfer and handover

    Balance, 4% DLD fee, trustee fee, first service charge

    Title transferred at a registration trustee office, keys handed over.

    You

    • · Attend or grant power of attorney
    • · Pay the balance, the 4% DLD fee and the trustee fee

    Us

    • · Attend the trustee office
    • · Walk the snag list with you before you sign it off

    Same-day transfer once funds and NOC are in place

What does a Dubai purchase cost on top of the price?

DLD transfer fee4% of the purchase price
Paid to the Dubai Land Department on transfer, plus a fixed admin charge. Commonly borne by the buyer despite being nominally split.
Registration trustee feeAED 2,000–4,000 + VAT
Charged by the trustee office that processes the transfer. Scales with price band.
Agency fee2% of the purchase price + VAT
The market standard on a resale. On off-plan the developer pays, and we tell you which applies before you commit.
Mortgage registration0.25% of the loan + AED 290
Only where you are financing. A non-resident mortgage typically needs 20–50% down.
Developer NOCAED 500–5,000
On a resale, the developer's no-objection certificate is required before transfer. The fee is theirs to set.
Oqood registration4% of the price
Off-plan only. Registers the interim sale on the DLD's off-plan register, and should be paid into the project's escrow account.

Can a foreign buyer own property in Dubai?

Freehold
Available to any nationality inside Dubai's designated freehold areas, registered with the Dubai Land Department.
Leasehold
Typically 99 years. Outside the designated freehold areas this is the interest on offer; it is a lease, not ownership of the land.