---
title: "Completion certificate"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/completion-certificate
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/completion-certificate.md
type: glossary-term
description: "A building completion certificate is the authority's confirmation that a building has been finished in line with its permit and is fit to be occupied."
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# Completion certificate

> A building completion certificate is the authority's confirmation that a building has been finished in line with its permit and is fit to be occupied.

Also known as: Building completion certificate, BCC, Certificate of completion, Occupancy certificate.

## What Completion certificate means for a buyer

The building completion certificate (BCC) is issued when the construction authority has inspected a finished building and found it compliant with the approved plans and with safety requirements. In most of Dubai that authority is Dubai Municipality; in certain zones another body holds planning control and issues it instead. In Abu Dhabi it comes from the municipality under the Department of Municipalities and Transport.

It is the legal hinge of an off-plan purchase. Until it exists the developer cannot validly hand over. Once it is issued:

- the developer can serve a [handover notice](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover-notice) and call for the final instalment
- the developer must register the completed project with the land department, in Dubai within 60 days, so that [title deeds](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/title-deed) can be issued to buyers who have paid in full
- the ten-year structural [defects liability period](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/defects-liability-period) begins
- the escrow agent retains 5% of the [escrow account](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/escrow-account) pending the post-completion period
- utilities can be permanently connected

Do not confuse the certificate with other measures of progress. A construction percentage shown on [Dubai REST](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dubai-rest), a developer's announcement that a tower has "topped out", or an invitation to view a show unit are not completion. Nor does the certificate confirm quality inside your unit; that is what [snagging](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/snagging) is for.

If you receive a handover notice, ask for a copy of the certificate before paying the balance.

## Related terms

- [Handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover): Handover is the point at which a finished off-plan home passes from the developer to the buyer, once the final instalment and handover fees are paid.
- [Handover notice](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover-notice): A handover notice is the developer's formal letter telling an off-plan buyer the home is complete and setting a deadline to pay the balance and take possession.
- [Defects liability period](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/defects-liability-period): The defects liability period is the time after completion during which the developer must repair faults: in Dubai, one year for installations and ten for structure.
- [Title deed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/title-deed): A title deed is the land registry's certificate of ownership for a completed property, issued by the Dubai Land Department or, in Abu Dhabi, through ADREC.

## In depth

- [Buying off-plan property in the UAE: how it works and how buyers are protected](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/buying-off-plan-in-the-uae)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/completion-certificate. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.