Who can buy property in Dubai
Any foreign individual can buy property in Dubai's freehold areas, whether or not they live in the UAE. You do not need a residence visa, a local partner or a UAE company. For a cash purchase the Dubai Land Department (DLD) asks an individual buyer only for a valid passport (plus Emirates ID if you are a UAE resident), and the title deed is issued in your name.
You can buy alone, jointly with a spouse or partner, or through a company. A company needs more paperwork (trade licence, memorandum of association with a legal Arabic translation), so most private buyers register in their own names.
Foreign money is a normal part of this market. In 2025 Dubai recorded a record AED 917bn of sales across more than 270,000 deals, and 43% of investors were non-residents.
Freehold areas: where foreigners can own
Foreigners can own outright, with no time limit, in areas designated by the Dubai government. The legal basis is Regulation No. 3 of 2006, amended in 2010, which lists the zones plot by plot.
The list includes Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills, Jebel Ali, Al Barsha South, Al Jaddaf, Mirdif, parts of Sheikh Zayed Road and others. The communities most international buyers look at today, such as Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, JLT, JVC, Dubai Hills Estate and Dubai Creek Harbour, are freehold.
Outside freehold zones a foreigner can usually hold only leasehold or usufruct rights for up to 99 years. When you buy an apartment or villa from a major developer or a listing in a known community, this rarely comes up, but the agency should confirm the status of the plot before you sign anything.
Off-plan or resale: the two paths in short
You either buy from a developer before completion (off-plan) or buy a finished unit from its current owner (resale, also called secondary or ready). The paperwork, the payment schedule and the fees differ.
- Off-plan: 10 to 20% of the price plus the 4% DLD fee at booking, the rest in instalments over construction (usually 2 to 4 years). In most cases the developer pays the agency, not you. No rent until handover.
- Resale: full price at transfer, in cash or with a mortgage, plus about 6.5% in fees for a cash deal. You see exactly what you buy and can rent it out from the first month.
I compare the two with real numbers in the guide off-plan vs ready property in Dubai.
Buying a resale property step by step
A resale purchase usually takes 3 to 6 weeks with cash and 6 to 10 weeks with a mortgage, from signed contract to title deed. These are the steps.
- Agreement with your agency (Form B). The agency checks the title deed, that the seller is the real owner, that the listing has a valid DLD advertising permit, and whether there is a mortgage or a tenant in the unit.
- Form F (MOU). Form F is the standard DLD sale contract between buyer and seller. It fixes the price, the deposit, the transfer date, who pays which fee and conditions such as mortgage approval. Once both sides sign, it is binding.
- 10% deposit. The buyer gives a security cheque for 10% of the price, usually held by the agency until transfer. If the buyer walks away without a reason allowed in Form F, the seller can keep it.
- Developer NOC. The seller requests a No Objection Certificate from the developer, which confirms there are no unpaid service charges. It costs the seller about AED 500 to 5,000 depending on the developer and takes from a few days to two weeks.
- Mortgage, if you use one. The bank values the property, issues the final offer and prepares the manager's cheques. If the seller still has a mortgage, it is cleared at or just before transfer.
- Transfer at a Trustee Office. Buyer and seller (or their attorneys) meet at a Real Estate Registration Trustee office. You pay the 4% DLD fee, about AED 520 to 580 in admin fees and the trustee fee of AED 4,000 + VAT (AED 2,000 + VAT below AED 500,000). The seller receives manager's cheques, and DLD issues the new title deed in your name electronically the same day.
After transfer you move DEWA (electricity and water) into your name, open a service charge account with the building management and, if you rent the unit out, register the lease in Ejari.
Buying off-plan step by step
An off-plan purchase is made with the developer, booked in a few days and registered with DLD within 90 days of signing. These are the steps.
- EOI or booking. For a new launch, developers often take an expression of interest (EOI) deposit to hold a unit. At booking you pay the first instalment, usually 10 to 20%, plus the 4% DLD fee.
- SPA. The developer issues the Sale and Purchase Agreement: unit, area, payment plan, completion date, grace period, penalties and resale conditions. Read it before the second payment. Most developers sign electronically.
- Oqood registration. The developer registers the sale in Oqood, DLD's interim register for off-plan property. DLD rules require this within 90 days of the SPA. The Oqood certificate is your proof of ownership until handover.
- Escrow payments. Every instalment goes to the project's escrow account, not to the developer's general account. Pay only to the escrow account named in the SPA.
- Handover. At completion you pay the handover instalment (or start post-handover payments), inspect the unit for defects, sign the handover and get the keys. The Oqood is replaced by a title deed.
Escrow is required by Law No. 8 of 2007 and the Oqood register by Law No. 13 of 2008. RERA can fine developers up to AED 500,000. You can check a project's registration and construction progress in the Dubai REST app.
Buying remotely with a power of attorney
You can buy without coming to Dubai. Off-plan is usually fully remote: the SPA is signed electronically and payments go by bank transfer to escrow. For a resale someone has to attend the Trustee Office for you, which means a power of attorney (POA).
DLD tightened the rules with Circular 29/R/2025 of July 2025:
- The POA must expressly authorise the specific transaction, a purchase, in the approved wording. Vague general POAs risk rejection.
- A POA issued abroad must be notarised in your country, legalised by the UAE embassy or consulate and attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- It needs a full legal Arabic translation by a UAE-licensed translator, and the original paper document must be presented.
- A foreign POA is accepted only if it was issued within the last two years.
A foreign POA usually takes 7 to 12 working days. It is often simpler to sign a POA at a notary during a short trip to Dubai. Payments at transfer are made by manager's cheques from a UAE bank, so non-residents usually open a UAE account in advance. This is not legal advice: have a lawyer or notary check the POA wording.
Documents and costs
For a cash purchase you need a valid passport, and an Emirates ID if you live in the UAE. A mortgage adds income documents and bank statements; each bank has its own list.
| Cost | Resale | Off-plan |
|---|---|---|
| DLD registration fee | 4% of price | 4% of price (Oqood) |
| DLD admin fees | about AED 520 to 580 | AED 20 plus any developer admin fee |
| Trustee Office | AED 4,000 + VAT | not at booking |
| Agency fee | 2% + 5% VAT | usually paid by the developer |
| Mortgage costs | 0.25% of loan + AED 290, bank fee up to 1%, valuation AED 2,500 to 3,500 | usually only at handover |
The full breakdown with a worked example on AED 2,000,000 is in costs of buying property in Dubai, and the calculator is on the buying page. There is no annual property tax, and UAE tax residents pay 0% on rent, capital gains and inheritance.
Mortgage and residence visa
Foreigners can get a Dubai mortgage whether they live in the UAE or not. Under Central Bank rules, UAE residents can borrow up to 80% on a first home up to AED 5 million and 70% above that. Non-residents typically get 50 to 60%, depending on the bank. Banks do not finance the fees, so the 4% DLD fee and the agency fee are paid from your own money. Details are in the mortgage guide for expats and non-residents.
Property also gives residence. Since April 2026 a sole owner of any registered property can get a renewable 2-year residence visa; co-owners need AED 400,000 per share. From AED 2 million of property you qualify for the 10-year Golden Visa with your family, and off-plan counts once it is registered. Dubai issued 66,000 golden visas in the first half of 2026.
A calm word on 2026. Since 28 February the UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone attacks, Q3 sales fell about 45% and prices are about 1.7% below a year ago, while the population still grew to 4.81 million. In my view this gives buyers more choice and more room to negotiate on resale. If you want me to check a specific unit or project, write to me through the form below. Deals are done through FOR YOU Real Estate, a licensed Dubai agency.
