---
title: "Ejari"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/ejari.md
type: glossary-term
description: "Ejari is Dubai's mandatory online register of tenancy contracts, run by the Dubai Land Department; a lease is not fully enforceable until it is recorded there."
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."
---

# Ejari

> Ejari is Dubai's mandatory online register of tenancy contracts, run by the Dubai Land Department; a lease is not fully enforceable until it is recorded there.

Also known as: Ejari certificate, Tenancy contract registration, إيجاري.

## What Ejari means for a buyer

Ejari means "my rent" in Arabic. Dubai's tenancy law requires every tenancy contract, and every amendment to one, to be registered with [RERA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rera), and Ejari is the system that does it. Registration produces an Ejari certificate carrying a unique number.

For an owner who lets a property, Ejari is what turns a signed lease into a recognised one. The tenant needs the certificate to open a [DEWA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dewa) account, sponsor family visas and bring a case at the Rental Disputes Centre, and the landlord needs it to enforce the lease. The registered rent is also the base against which the [rental index](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rental-index) is applied at renewal.

Registration can be done on the [Dubai REST](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dubai-rest) app for AED 100 plus AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees. Using a trustee or typing centre costs more, because a service partner fee and VAT are added. The law places the obligation on the landlord, although in practice tenants often complete it. A managing agent can register on an owner's behalf.

Points overseas landlords miss: a property can hold only one active Ejari, so the previous registration must be cancelled before a new tenant's can be issued. Holiday lets are not registered in Ejari at all; they fall under the [holiday home permit](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/holiday-home-permit). Outside Dubai the systems differ: Abu Dhabi uses [Tawtheeq](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tawtheeq).

## Related terms

- [Tawtheeq](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tawtheeq): Tawtheeq is Abu Dhabi's official system for registering residential and commercial tenancy contracts, the counterpart of Dubai's Ejari.
- [Rental index](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rental-index): The rental index is the Dubai Land Department's official benchmark of market rents, used to decide whether and by how much a landlord may raise rent at renewal.
- [Long-term lease](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/long-term-lease): A long-term lease normally means a standard residential tenancy of a year, registered with the authorities; in law it can also mean a lease of 10 to 99 years.
- [Tenant deposit](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tenant-deposit): A tenant deposit is a refundable sum the tenant pays the landlord at the start of a lease as security against damage and unpaid bills.
- [DEWA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dewa): DEWA is Dubai's state-controlled electricity and water utility; every home needs an active DEWA account in the name of the owner or the tenant.
- [Eviction notice (12 months)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/eviction-notice): In Dubai a landlord can recover a let home at the end of the lease only for four reasons, with at least 12 months' notice served by notary public or registered mail.

## In depth

- [Dubai rental yields by area and property type: gross, net and what 2026 changed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/dubai-rental-yields)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari. 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.