How to buy property in Dubai as a foreigner: the step-by-step guide
Who can buy in Dubai, where, what it costs and how a purchase runs from reservation to title deed, for overseas buyers. Checked against the law, November 2026.
In this guide
A foreigner can buy property in Dubai outright, in their own name, without living in the UAE. You choose a home in one of the designated freehold areas, sign a contract, pay the Dubai Land Department (DLD) its 4% fee and are entered on the government property register. For a new-build bought off-plan that register is the interim one, known as Oqood; for a completed home it is the main register and you receive a title deed. The rest of this guide sets out each step, what it costs and where overseas buyers go wrong. It is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Can foreigners buy property in Dubai?
Yes. Article 4 of Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006 allows non-UAE nationals to hold, in areas designated by the Ruler, either freehold ownership with no time limit or usufruct and leasehold rights of up to 99 years. The federal government portal confirms the right extends to non-resident foreigners as well as expatriate residents, and that there is no age limit for owning.
Three points follow from the same law:
- Registration is everything. Under Article 9, a sale that is not recorded in the property register is not valid. A signed contract and a receipt are not ownership.
- The register is conclusive. A title deed has absolute evidentiary value unless obtained by fraud or forgery.
- Agreements designed to get round the law are void. Do not buy through a nominee in an area that is not open to you.
For the rules in other emirates see can foreigners buy property in the UAE.
Where can foreigners buy in Dubai?
Only in the designated areas, usually called freehold areas. The first list, Regulation No. 3 of 2006, named plots in 23 districts, among them Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills, Jebel Ali, Al Barsha South, The World Islands and parts of Sheikh Zayed Road. Later decisions have added many more, and almost every large master community marketed to overseas buyers sits inside one.
You do not need to memorise the list. If a developer or seller can register the unit in a foreign passport-holder's name at the DLD, the plot is designated. If anyone proposes a side arrangement instead, walk away. Our Dubai area pages show the tenure of each community.
Before you instruct anyone, check that the agent and their office are licensed: our guide to choosing a property agent in Dubai shows how, free, on the Land Department's own systems.
Off-plan or resale: which route are you on?
The process differs enough that you should decide this first.
| Off-plan (from a developer) | Resale or ready | |
|---|---|---|
| What you sign | Reservation form, then a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) | The DLD's unified sale contract (Form F) with the seller |
| Where it is registered | Interim register (Oqood) until completion | Main register, title deed issued at transfer |
| How you pay | Instalments into the project's escrow account | In full at transfer, by manager's cheque or bank finance |
| Fees on top | A little over 4%, plus any developer admin charge | About 6% to 7% with an agent |
| Mortgage | Rarely available before handover | Available from day one |
| Main risk | Delay, or losing part of your money if you default | Paying too much in a falling market |
The trade-offs are covered in off-plan vs ready property.
How to buy off-plan in Dubai, step by step
- Check the project and the developer. The DLD publishes a Project Status Enquiry, a list of licensed developers and a list of approved escrow account trustees. A developer may not sell off-plan until it holds the land and the approvals (Law No. 13 of 2008, Article 4). Adverts need a DLD permit, known as Trakheesi, which you can check through the DLD's licence and permit verification service.
- Reserve the unit. You sign a reservation form and pay a booking deposit, commonly 10% to 20% of the price. Ask for the full SPA before you pay so that you know what you are committing to.
- Pay the 4% DLD fee and the Oqood charge. These are due at or shortly after reservation, on the full price, not on the deposit. The developer collects them and pays the DLD.
- Sign the SPA. Read the completion date, the grace period, the payment schedule, the default clause and the rules on reselling before handover. The clauses that matter are explained in buying off-plan in the UAE.
- Get the Oqood certificate. Every off-plan sale must be entered in the interim register and is void if it is not (Law No. 13 of 2008, Article 3). The developer files it through the Oqood portal within 90 days of signing, and the DLD emails a provisional registration certificate to the purchaser. Hold it before you pay the next instalment.
- Pay instalments into escrow. Law No. 8 of 2007 requires buyers' payments to go into a project-specific account that the developer's creditors cannot touch. The account name and number are in the SPA.
- Inspect and take handover. Commission a snagging inspection, pay the final instalment and any service-charge advance, and collect the keys.
- Receive the title deed. The developer must file for title deeds within 60 days of the completion certificate, extendable by 30 days (Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 6).
How to buy a resale property in Dubai, step by step
- Agree terms and sign Form F. The contract is prepared by a DLD-licensed broker. The buyer usually lodges a deposit cheque of about 10% with the broker.
- Arrange funds or finance. If you are borrowing, get approval in principle before you sign: see non-resident mortgages.
- Obtain the developer's no-objection certificate. The DLD requires an electronic NOC for freehold areas. The seller applies; the developer confirms that service charges are paid. Fees are commonly AED 500 to AED 5,000.
- Attend the registration trustee office. Buyer and seller, or their attorneys, present ID (a passport for non-residents), the fees are paid and the transfer is recorded. The DLD gives the expected completion time as 20 minutes.
- Receive the title deed by email, then transfer the utilities and register with the community management.
What does it cost to buy in Dubai?
Government charges below are from the DLD's own service pages, checked 12 November 2026.
| Cost | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee | 4% of the price | Shown by the DLD as 2% seller and 2% buyer; by market convention the buyer pays all of it |
| Registration trustee fee (resale) | AED 4,200 incl. VAT; AED 2,100 below AED 500,000 | AED 4,000 or AED 2,000 plus 5% VAT |
| Title deed | AED 250 | Plus AED 250 map fee for a villa or apartment and AED 10 each knowledge and innovation fees |
| Mortgage registration | 0.25% of the loan | Only if you borrow |
| Agent's commission (resale) | Typically 2% plus 5% VAT | Market practice, negotiable |
| Oqood registration (off-plan) | AED 1,000 plus AED 20 knowledge and innovation fees | The DLD's own charge. Developers often add an admin fee of their own, which is why brokers quote totals of up to about AED 5,250; ask for it in writing |
Banks are no longer allowed to finance these costs, so they come out of your own cash.
Worked example: AED 2 million apartment. Bought as a resale in cash: DLD fee AED 80,000, trustee AED 4,200, title deed and map about AED 520, agent AED 42,000. Total about AED 126,700, or 6.3%. Bought off-plan from a developer: DLD fee AED 80,000 plus AED 1,020 for Oqood registration, so AED 81,020, or 4.1%, before any developer admin charge. On a new sale the developer normally pays the broker, which you should confirm in writing. Run your own numbers in the purchase cost calculator, and see Dubai property buying costs for the detail.
How do I pay from abroad?
- Off-plan: by international transfer straight to the escrow account. You do not need a UAE bank account. Use the reference the developer gives you and keep every receipt.
- Resale: the DLD takes its fee by manager's cheque or electronic payment, and the seller is paid by manager's cheque at transfer. Non-resident buyers usually route funds through a UAE account, their attorney or a licensed escrow service.
- Currency: the dirham is pegged to the US dollar, so a sterling or euro buyer on a three-year payment plan carries dollar exchange risk on every instalment. Test your budget in the currency budget converter.
- Source of funds: expect to show where the money came from. Keep bank statements that trace it; you will also want them for your tax return at home (UK tax on Dubai property).
The rules on sending money differ by country: see our guides for buyers paying from India, Pakistan, the UK and Saudi Arabia.
Can I buy without travelling to Dubai?
Yes. Developers sign reservations and SPAs electronically. For a resale transfer or a handover you can appoint an attorney; the DLD accepts a legal power of attorney in place of personal attendance.
A power of attorney signed in the UK goes through three stages: certification by a notary or solicitor, an apostille from the UK Legalisation Office (£45 for the paper service, usually up to 25 working days, as of November 2026), then attestation by the UAE mission and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a legal Arabic translation. Allow several weeks, limit the document to the specific property, and give it to someone who is not paid by the seller. Signing before a notary in the UAE during a visit is quicker.
Will buying give me a visa?
Ownership and residency are separate. Since 29 April 2026 the DLD has accepted two-year investor visa applications from the sole owner of a completed, registered property of any value; joint owners need a share worth at least AED 400,000 each. Off-plan property held on Oqood does not qualify. The ten-year Golden Visa requires property worth at least AED 2 million. Details are in the Dubai property investor visa and Golden Visa guides.
What is the Dubai market doing in late 2026?
It is weaker than at any time since the pandemic. Cavendish Maxwell counted about 34,000 residential sales worth AED 72.6 billion in the third quarter of 2026, down 38% by number and 47% by value on a year earlier, and attributes the caution to the regional conflict that began earlier in the year. ValuStrat recorded 24,375 off-plan registrations in the quarter, down 45.7% year on year, and its citywide price index stood 4.5% lower at the end of September, the first annual fall since the pandemic. betterhomes, measuring median prices in the communities it tracks, still shows small annual rises, so the picture differs by segment.
For a buyer this means sellers and developers are negotiating, and that a resale within a year or two may not be possible at the price paid.
Buyers from Saudi Arabia and the other GCC states have wider ownership rights than other foreigners: see buying property in Dubai from Saudi Arabia.
Pitfalls overseas buyers fall into
- Paying the wrong party. Instalments go to the escrow account; the DLD fee goes to the DLD. A broker has no reason to hold your purchase money.
- Treating the reservation as casual. Once the SPA is signed, a buyer who stops paying can lose up to 25% or 40% of the full price, depending on construction progress.
- Assuming you can flip. Most SPAs block resale until a set share of the price is paid, and the next buyer pays 4% again.
- Forgetting running costs. Service charges start at handover whether or not the home is let: see service charges in Dubai.
- Assuming a UK joint tenancy. Shares on a Dubai title deed do not pass automatically to the survivor. Register a will.
- Ignoring tax at home. Dubai levies no income tax on individuals, but your country of residence may tax rent and gains.
When you are ready to compare specific projects, start with our development listings or ask us to check a project's registration for you.
Already living in the UAE?
Residents buy on better terms than overseas buyers: a first home worth AED 5 million or less can be financed up to 80% for an expatriate and 85% for a UAE national, and the Dubai Land Department runs a First-Time Home Buyer Programme for residents who own no freehold home in Dubai. Our resident guides cover buying your first home in Dubai, mortgages for UAE residents, renting or buying, buying a ready home, moving from an apartment to a villa, family communities and buying as a UAE national.
