How to buy a home in Dubai, step by step
From setting your budget to collecting the title deed: every stage of buying a ready home, what you sign and what you pay.
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Buying a resale property in Dubai
How a secondary market purchase of a ready home works, from agreeing the price to collecting the keys: the paperwork, the cheques, the fees and the time it takes.
Agreeing the price and signing Form F
Buying a ready property in Dubai on the secondary market means buying from its current owner rather than from a developer, and the home already has a title deed. Off-plan or ready compares the two routes, and how to buy a home in Dubai gives the short version of the process. If you are borrowing, get mortgage pre-approval before you make an offer, and run the checks before buying a ready property before you sign anything.
Once you agree a price, buyer and seller sign Form F, the Dubai Land Department's standard sale contract, often called the MOU. It records the property and its title deed, both parties, the price and how it is paid, any mortgage or tenancy, how the DLD fee is split, whether a developer NOC is attached, the transfer timing and any extra conditions. Its terms bind both sides once both have signed.
By market custom the buyer gives a 10% security deposit when Form F is signed, usually as a manager's cheque. It is a practice, not a legal requirement. The cheque is held in trust, usually by the broker, and is not cashed or released without written authority or a court order; at transfer it is returned or counted towards the price.
- If the buyer pulls out without a valid reason, the seller is generally entitled to keep the deposit, after following the notice steps in Form F.
- If the seller pulls out, the deposit goes back to the buyer, and under many versions of Form F the seller must also pay the buyer a sum equal to the deposit.
- If your mortgage falls through, you will in most cases lose the deposit unless Form F carries a finance condition, so write one in when you are borrowing.
The developer's NOC and the seller's mortgage
The NOC. For a resale in a freehold area, DLD requires the developer's electronic no-objection certificate, the e-NOC, issued through the Dubai REST app. Developers issue it only once the seller's dues are paid: Nakheel, for example, lists service charges, including provisional ones, among its conditions.
- Published NOC fees run from AED 500 to AED 5,000, depending on the developer.
- Emaar charges AED 500 for a NOC on a secondary-market transfer, meaning a home that is completed or fully paid, and the same again to renew one.
- Nakheel charges AED 500 + VAT, expects to issue it within 2 to 3 working days, and the NOC is valid for 30 days.
- By custom the seller usually pays it, but it is negotiable, so Form F should say who does.
The seller's mortgage. Many resale homes are still mortgaged. The seller asks the bank for a liability letter stating the amount needed to clear the loan. It is valid only for a short period, so it is timed close to transfer day. DLD's service for registering the sale of a mortgaged property then works like this:
- The price is split.At the trustee office the buyer provides three manager's cheques: one to the seller's bank (or the developer) for the debt in the liability letter, one to the seller for the rest of the price, and one to DLD for the 4% fee.
- The sale is registered, pending release.DLD registers the sale with both parties' rights reserved, and the seller takes the bank's cheque to the bank to obtain a mortgage release letter.
- The release completes it.Once the release letter is submitted, DLD completes the release, the sale and any new mortgage in your name.
DLD charges AED 1,290 for the mortgage release and AED 315 for the registrar, normally the seller's costs. The seller's bank may also charge an early settlement fee, which the Central Bank caps at 1% of the outstanding balance or AED 10,000, whichever is lower.
The part of the price that clears the seller's loan goes straight to the seller's bank by manager's cheque, for the amount in the liability letter. If you are borrowing too, your bank arranges this with the seller's bank.
If you are buying with a mortgage
- Pre-approval first.A bank reviews your income and debts and says how much it will lend, before you make an offer. It lasts for a limited period set by the bank, so check the date.
- Valuation.After Form F the bank values the home, for a fee of typically AED 2,500 to AED 3,500 + VAT. Lenders lend on whichever is lower, the price or the valuation, so a low valuation means more cash from you.
- Final offer.The bank issues its final offer letter. Set the transfer date in Form F with room for the valuation and the offer.
- Transfer and registration.Your bank's manager's cheque pays its share of the price at the trustee office, and the bank's mortgage is registered on your title deed for 0.25% of the loan plus AED 270 in DLD fees.
Banks may lend an expatriate up to 80% of the price of a first home worth up to AED 5 million. How mortgages work in Dubai has the full limits, and the mortgage calculator estimates the repayments.
Register your mortgage on transfer day. DLD's fee list for the sale of a mortgaged property waives the trustee's fee for the new mortgage when it is registered the same day, and charges AED 4,000 + VAT if it is done the next day.
Transfer day at the trustee office
Ownership passes at a Dubai Land Department registration trustee office. Buyer and seller attend, or are represented by an attorney, and identify themselves with an Emirates ID, or a valid passport for non-resident foreigners. DLD gives the appointment itself as about 25 minutes. Bring:
- The signed Form F and the original title deed
- The developer's e-NOC
- Manager's cheques from a UAE bank for the price, split with the seller's bank if the home is mortgaged
- Payment for DLD's fees, which it accepts by ePay, Dubai Pay, the Noqodi wallet or manager's cheque
- The original power of attorney if anyone is acting for a party: it must expressly authorise the sale or purchase, and one issued abroad must be legalised, attested and no more than two years old
The trustee checks the documents, enters the sale, takes the fees and submits it for DLD's approval. DLD then issues the title deed in your name, and the seller hands over the keys.
If both parties hold an Emirates ID and an active UAE Pass, and the home is a mortgage-free unit in a freehold area with a single owner and a UAE bank account, the whole sale can instead run on DLD's Digital Sale service in the Dubai Now app. Buying from abroad explains how an attorney can act for you.
What it costs, and who usually pays
| Cost | Amount | Usually paid by |
|---|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee | 4% of the price | The buyer, although DLD's schedule splits it 2% each unless agreed otherwise |
| DLD title deed and map fees | AED 520: AED 250 title deed, AED 250 map, AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees | The buyer |
| Registration trustee | AED 4,000 + VAT, or AED 2,000 + VAT under AED 500,000 | The buyer |
| Agency fee | Customarily 2% of the price + VAT | The buyer, if a broker acts for you |
| Developer NOC | AED 500 to AED 5,000, by developer | The seller |
| Mortgage registration, if borrowing | 0.25% of the loan + AED 270 | The buyer |
| Bank valuation, if borrowing | Typically AED 2,500 to AED 3,500 + VAT | The buyer |
| Releasing the seller's mortgage | AED 1,290 + AED 315 registrar fee | The seller |
Any of these can be split differently if Form F says so. The fixed amounts are from DLD's own service pages; Bayut and Property Finder quote slightly higher figures, about AED 580 in title deed fees and AED 290 on top of the 0.25% mortgage fee, so expect small differences on the trustee's invoice.
On a AED 2,000,000 home bought with cash, the buyer's usual costs come to AED 126,720: AED 80,000 to DLD, AED 520 in title deed fees, AED 4,200 to the trustee and AED 42,000 in agency fees. What it costs to buy property in Dubai covers every fee, and the calculator below works it out for your price.
AED
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee4% of the price, customarily paid by the buyer | AED 80,000 |
| DLD title deed feesItemised by DLD for apartments and villas | AED 520 |
| Registration trustee feeAED 4,000 + VAT | AED 4,200 |
| Agency fee2% + VAT, the customary rate | AED 42,000 |
| Developer NOCAED 500 to 5,000, set by the developer; who pays is agreed in Form F. The top of the range is shown | AED 5,000 |
| Fees and charges | AED 131,720 |
- Price plus fees
- AED 2,131,720
- Fees as a share of the price
- 6.6%
An estimate. Government fees are the Dubai Land Department's, checked 16 September 2026; agency, bank and developer fees vary and are shown at their customary or upper level. How each fee works
How long it takes
Estimates vary with the deal. Betterhomes puts a cash purchase at around two to three weeks from Form F to title deed, with a mortgage adding a couple of weeks; Bayut gives two to ten weeks overall, longer when the home is mortgaged. What sets the pace:
| Stage | Cash purchase | With a mortgage |
|---|---|---|
| Before Form F | Funds ready for manager's cheques | Pre-approval from your bank |
| After Form F | Developer's NOC, a few working days | Developer's NOC, plus the bank's valuation and final offer |
| If the seller has a mortgage | Liability letter, then the bank's release letter | The same, with your bank paying the seller's bank |
| Transfer day | About 25 minutes at the trustee office | About 25 minutes, with your mortgage registered the same day |
| Overall, per Betterhomes | Around two to three weeks | A couple of weeks longer |
Leave room in the transfer date. A NOC or liability letter that expires before transfer day has to be issued again: Nakheel's NOC lasts 30 days, and Emaar charges its NOC fee again to renew one.
After the transfer
- Title deed. DLD issues it in your name, and anyone can check it with DLD's Title Deed Verification service on its website or in the Dubai REST app.
- Electricity and water. Open a DEWA account in your name. DEWA takes a refundable security deposit of AED 2,000 for an apartment or AED 4,000 for a villa, plus activation fees.
- Cooling. If the building runs on district cooling, register with the provider. Empower, for example, takes a refundable deposit of AED 2,000 for an apartment or AED 3,000 for a villa.
- Service charges. The management company bills owners through Mollak, RERA's service charge system, and owners can view and pay them in the Dubai REST app. See service charges in Dubai.
- Letting it out. Every lease must be registered with RERA through Ejari; renting out property in Dubai covers the rules.
- Bought with a tenant? The lease continues with you as landlord, as buying a tenanted property explains.
Browse ready apartments and villas for sale when you are ready to start.
Questions buyers ask
How long does a resale property transfer take in Dubai?
Betterhomes puts a cash purchase at around two to three weeks from Form F to title deed, with a mortgage adding a couple of weeks, and Bayut gives two to ten weeks overall. The appointment at the registration trustee office itself takes about 25 minutes.
Who pays the 4% DLD fee on a resale?
By custom the buyer pays all of it. Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013 shares the fee equally between seller and buyer unless they agree otherwise, so a different split can be written into Form F.
Is the 10% deposit on Form F a legal requirement?
No, it is market practice. The cheque is held in trust, usually by the broker, and if the buyer pulls out without a valid reason the seller is generally entitled to keep it.
Can I buy a property that still has a mortgage in Dubai?
Yes. The seller's bank issues a liability letter showing the amount owed. At the trustee office that amount is paid to the bank by manager's cheque, the rest goes to the seller, and DLD completes the sale once the bank's mortgage release letter is submitted.
Who pays the developer NOC fee on a resale?
Usually the seller, though it is negotiable and Form F should record it. Published fees run from AED 500 to AED 5,000; Emaar charges AED 500 on a secondary-market transfer and Nakheel AED 500 + VAT.
Do I need to be in Dubai for the transfer?
No. An attorney can attend for you with a power of attorney that expressly authorises the purchase. One issued abroad must be notarised, legalised by the UAE embassy or consulate, attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, translated into Arabic if needed and issued within the last two years.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department: property sale registration
- Dubai Land Department: registering the sale of a mortgaged property
- Dubai Land Department: mortgage registration
- Dubai Land Department: title deed verification
- Dubai Land Department: Dubai REST
- Dubai Land Department: Digital Sale service on the Dubai Now app (October 2025)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013 on Land Department fees
- Meraas: guide to Form F (April 2026)
- ATB Legal: pulling out of a resale purchase in the UAE (April 2026)
- Emaar: property transfers factsheet
- Nakheel: NOC for transfer (FAQ)
- Property Finder: no-objection certificates in Dubai (April 2026)
- Property Finder: DLD fees in Dubai (July 2026)
- Bayut: the cost of buying property in Dubai (October 2026)
- Bayut: how to buy a property in Dubai (October 2026)
- Betterhomes: legal checklist for buyers of Dubai resale homes (March 2026)
- Property Finder: how much you can borrow on a Dubai mortgage (September 2026)
- Central Bank of the UAE: Resolution 31/2/2020 amending the mortgage regulations
- Bayut: early settlement fees on UAE mortgages (October 2026)
- BSA Law: Dubai's standards for powers of attorney in property deals (August 2025)
- Anders: rules on powers of attorney for real estate in Dubai (November 2025)
- DEWA: activation of electricity and water (move-in)
- Bayut: frequently asked questions about DEWA (August 2025)
- Bayut: Empower district cooling charges (October 2026)
- Mollak: about the system
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Law No. 26 of 2007 on landlords and tenants
Keep reading
Buying property in Dubai from abroad
How non-residents buy without living in the UAE: identification, powers of attorney, paying, borrowing, and the visas property can bring.
Read the guide