How much can I borrow in the UAE?
What your salary can borrow, and the cash you need to buy.
Highest price within the limits
AED 2,776,926
Borrowing AED 2,221,540 at 80% loan to value
What you can borrow
- Debt burden limitRepayments up to AED 15,000 a month, tested at 6.5%
- AED 2,221,540
- Income limit7 times your annual salary
- AED 2,520,000
- Loan to valueDecides80% of AED 1,500,000
- AED 1,200,000
- Most you can borrow
- AED 1,200,000
Buying at AED 1,500,000
- Down payment20% of the price, from your own funds
- AED 300,000
- DLD transfer fee (4%)Paid to the Dubai Land Department on registration. The department lists it as 2% from each party, but contracts almost always pass the full 4% to the buyer, so a developer's '50% DLD waiver' means the developer is paying its own listed half. Off-plan, it is paid when the sale is registered in the Oqood system.
- AED 60,000
- DLD admin and title deed feesTitle deed, map and knowledge and innovation fees. The DLD itemises AED 520 to AED 540; AED 580 is the figure widely quoted.
- AED 580
- Registration trustee fee (incl. 5% VAT)Paid to the DLD-approved trustee office that processes the transfer.
- AED 4,200
- Mortgage registration (0.25% of loan)Charged by the land registry to record the bank's charge over the property. The registration office adds a service fee (about AED 4,000 plus VAT in Dubai) and banks add their own arrangement and valuation fees.
- AED 3,270
- Arrangement fee
- Not entered
- Valuation fee
- Not entered
- Cash you need
- AED 368,050
- Loan
- AED 1,200,000
- Monthly repaymentAt 4.5% over 25 years
- AED 6,670
Limits from the Central Bank of the UAE mortgage regulations: repayments within 50% of income, a loan of at most 8 times annual income for UAE nationals and 7 times for expatriates, the loan-to-value caps, and a term of up to 25 years. Banks can be stricter. An illustration, not an offer of finance.
Your figures
Gross, before deductions, plus any other regular income.
Car loans, personal loans and credit cards.
Enter a rate you have been quoted.
More options
Up to 25 years.
The age by which the loan must be repaid. Each bank sets its own.
Banks test repayments at 2 to 4 points above the rate.
Percent of the loan. Ask your bank.
Ask your bank.
Rules last reviewed 12 November 2026. Figures are estimates for planning, not quotations or advice.
For UAE residents and nationals: the most a bank can lend on your salary under the Central Bank limits on debt burden, income and loan to value, the highest price that reaches, and the cash you need for the down payment and fees.
What this calculator assumes
A UAE lender checks three limits before it lends, and the lowest of the three decides what you can borrow. All three are set by the Central Bank of the UAE in its Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans, and banks may apply stricter ones.
Debt burden. Your monthly repayments on every loan, the new mortgage included, can be at most 50% of your gross salary and other regular income. Banks test the new mortgage at 2 to 4 percentage points above its rate, so a rate rise would still be affordable. Car loans, personal loans and credit cards all count against the 50%.
Income. The loan can be at most 8 times your annual income if you are a UAE national, or 7 times if you are an expatriate.
Loan to value. The loan can be at most a set share of the property's value:
| Buyer | First home up to AED 5 million | First home above AED 5 million |
|---|---|---|
| UAE national | 85% | 75% |
| Expatriate | 80% | 70% |
For a second or later home the cap is 65% for UAE nationals and 60% for expatriates, whatever the value. For a property bought off-plan it is 50% for everyone.
Term and age. The longest term is 25 years. The age by which the loan must be repaid is not set by the Central Bank; each bank sets its own. Enter your bank's limit and the calculator shortens the term to fit.
The cash you need. The down payment has to come from your own funds, not from a personal loan or a credit card. On top of it you pay the land department's fees in cash: in Dubai, the 4% transfer fee and 0.25% of the loan to register the mortgage, plus a trustee fee on a resale. The bank adds its own arrangement and valuation fees, which vary by bank; enter your quotes and they are added to the total.
UAE nationals on a housing programme. Where a local government housing programme guarantees the loan, the Central Bank allows a debt burden of up to 60%. The calculator uses the standard 50%.
Source: Central Bank of the UAE, Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans (Circular 31/2013, consolidated 8 April 2020), checked 13 November 2026.
Questions buyers ask
How much can I borrow on my salary in the UAE?
Under the Central Bank's rules, your monthly repayments on all loans, the new mortgage included, can be at most 50% of your gross income, and the loan can be at most 7 times your annual income as an expatriate or 8 times as a UAE national. The loan-to-value cap then limits it against the price. The calculator shows all three and which one decides.
What is the minimum down payment for a UAE resident?
On a first home up to AED 5 million, 20% for an expatriate and 15% for a UAE national; above AED 5 million, 30% and 25%. On a second home, 40% and 35%. Off-plan, 50% for everyone. Buying costs are paid in cash on top.
Can I use a personal loan for the down payment?
No. The Central Bank requires the down payment to come from your own resources, not from other borrowing such as a personal loan or a credit card.
What is the longest mortgage term in the UAE?
25 years. The age by which the loan must be repaid is set by each bank rather than by the Central Bank, so ask your bank for its limit.
Do UAE nationals get different mortgage limits?
Yes. UAE nationals can borrow up to 85% of the value on a first home up to AED 5 million, against 80% for expatriates, and up to 8 times annual income, against 7. Where a government housing programme guarantees the loan, the debt burden limit rises to 60%.
Want these numbers for a real development?
Send us the development or budget and we'll run the figures on live prices.
- Current price list and availability, direct from the developer
- No fee to you on off-plan purchases: the developer pays us
- One salaried adviser, not on commission, from first call to handover
