---
title: "Pre-approval"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/pre-approval
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/pre-approval.md
type: glossary-term
description: "A mortgage pre-approval is a bank's written, conditional indication of how much it will lend you, issued before you have chosen a specific property."
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."
---

# Pre-approval

> A mortgage pre-approval is a bank's written, conditional indication of how much it will lend you, issued before you have chosen a specific property.

Also known as: Mortgage pre-approval, Approval in principle, AIP, Agreement in principle.

## What Pre-approval means for a buyer

Pre-approval is the first formal stage of a UAE mortgage. The bank reviews your income, existing debts, credit history and documents, and issues a letter stating the maximum loan and the terms it is prepared to offer. It is the UAE equivalent of a British agreement in principle, but it involves a fuller document check.

Expect to provide your passport, proof of address, bank statements for several months, payslips and an employer's letter if employed, or accounts and tax returns if self-employed. Non-residents are often asked for a credit report from their home country. Some banks charge a fee. The letter is typically valid for 60 to 90 days.

It is conditional. The final offer depends on the bank's [valuation](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/valuation) of the property you choose, on the property and developer being acceptable to the lender, and on nothing in your circumstances changing. The amount is governed by the [LTV](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ltv) caps and by the bank's affordability test.

The practical rule is to obtain pre-approval before signing [Form F](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/mou-form-f) on a resale, because your 10% deposit is at risk if finance falls through. Make the contract conditional on final approval where the seller will accept it.

Pre-approval relates to you, not the home. For off-plan, where the loan is normally drawn at [handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover) years later, an early pre-approval will have expired; begin the process several months before completion instead.

## Related terms

- [LTV](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ltv): Loan-to-value is the share of a property's value a bank will lend; UAE Central Bank rules cap it, and non-residents are usually offered less than the cap.
- [Valuation](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/valuation): A valuation is a professional assessment of a property's market value, most often commissioned by a bank to decide how much it will lend.
- [Mortgage registration](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/mortgage-registration): Mortgage registration is the recording of a lender's charge against a property at the land department; in Dubai the fee is 0.25% of the loan amount.
- [EIBOR](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/eibor): EIBOR is the Emirates Interbank Offered Rate, the benchmark interest rate published daily by the UAE Central Bank, to which variable mortgage rates are linked.

## In depth

- [Non-resident mortgages in the UAE: how much you can borrow, 2026 rates, fees and how to apply](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/non-resident-mortgages-uae)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/pre-approval. 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.