DLD transfer fee
The DLD transfer fee is the 4% charge the Dubai Land Department levies on the price of every property sale in Dubai when it is registered.
What DLD transfer fee means for a buyer
Dubai has no stamp duty by that name, but the Dubai Land Department charges a registration fee of 4% of the sale price on every transfer. It is the largest single buying cost: AED 80,000 on a purchase of AED 2 million.
By law the fee is shared equally between seller and buyer unless they agree otherwise. In practice they almost always agree otherwise, and the buyer pays all of it. The contract, whether Form F or the SPA, will say so.
When it is paid depends on what you buy:
- Completed property. At the trustee office on the day of transfer, by manager's cheque to the DLD, together with the title deed issuance fee of AED 250 and small administrative charges.
- Off-plan. At the outset, when the contract is registered in Oqood, on the full price and not just the deposit. It is paid through the developer. Some developers offer to cover half or all of it as an incentive, which is in effect a discount.
The fee is not refundable if you later sell, and a buyer who purchases your off-plan contract by assignment pays 4% again. It cannot be added to a mortgage.
Other emirates charge less. Abu Dhabi's registration fee is 2% of the price, and Ras Al Khaimah sets its own rates. For UK buyers: the fee is a cost of acquisition, not a tax that can be credited against UK tax. A full breakdown is in Dubai property buying costs.
Guides that use this term
Where DLD transfer fee comes up in practice, with the costs, rules and steps around it.
Questions about the buying process?
An adviser can explain how this applies to the property you're considering.
- Current price list and availability, direct from the developer
- No fee to you on off-plan purchases: the developer pays us
- One salaried adviser, not on commission, from first call to handover
