---
title: "EOI"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/eoi
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/eoi.md
type: glossary-term
description: "An Expression of Interest is a deposit paid before an off-plan launch to join the queue for units; it does not secure a specific home or price."
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."
---

# EOI

> An Expression of Interest is a deposit paid before an off-plan launch to join the queue for units; it does not secure a specific home or price.

Also known as: Expression of Interest, Pre-launch registration, Priority booking.

## What EOI means for a buyer

Developers often gauge demand before a launch by inviting Expressions of Interest (EOIs). A buyer completes a short form, usually through a broker, and lodges a cheque or transfer for a fixed sum. In return they receive a place in the allocation: when sales open, EOI holders are offered units first, sometimes in the order their EOIs were received.

An EOI is not a purchase. At the time you submit it you may have only indicative prices and floor plans. You are not guaranteed a unit, the unit type you asked for or the price mentioned by the agent. If you are allocated a unit and accept it, the EOI money is credited against the [reservation fee](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/reservation-fee); if you are not, or you decline, it should be returned.

Because nothing is registered with the land department at this stage, your protection rests entirely on the wording of the form. Before paying:

- get written confirmation that the EOI is fully refundable, and the timescale for refunds
- pay the developer directly, never a broker's personal or company account
- confirm the developer and, once announced, the project registration on [Dubai REST](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dubai-rest) or [DARI](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dari)

EOI counts are also a sales tool. "Oversubscribed" launches create urgency, and that urgency says nothing about what the unit will be worth at [handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover). Decide on the fundamentals set out in the [SPA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/spa), not on the queue.

## Related terms

- [Reservation fee / booking deposit](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/reservation-fee): A reservation fee or booking deposit is the first payment made to a developer to take a specific off-plan unit off the market while the contract is prepared.
- [SPA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/spa): The Sale and Purchase Agreement is the binding contract between an off-plan buyer and the developer, setting the price, payment schedule and completion date.
- [Off-plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/off-plan): Off-plan means buying a property from a developer before it is built or finished, paying in stages during construction against a registered contract.
- [Developer](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/developer): The developer is the company that acquires land, obtains approvals, builds a project and sells its homes; off-plan buyers contract with it directly.

## 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)


---

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