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How much do you need to buy off-plan in Dubai?

The cash to reserve, what common budgets reach on each payment plan, and how to plan for the instalments that follow.

Updated 2 October 2026

The cash to reserve

Reserving an off-plan home takes two payments at the start. The developer's booking payment, often called the down payment, is set by its payment plan: on the projects we track it runs from 5% to 20% of the price. The Oqood fee is what the Dubai Land Department charges to register the sale: 4% of the price plus AED 20.

So the cash to reserve is the price times the booking percentage plus 4%, plus AED 20. A developer may add an administration fee of its own, so ask for every amount due at booking in writing. Put in what you have to see the highest price it reserves:

AED
Booking payment the developer asks
Highest price you can reserve
AED 714,000
Booking payment
AED 71,400
DLD Oqood fee (4% + AED 20)
AED 28,580
Still to pay over the plan
AED 642,600

An estimate. Developers may add an administration fee of their own; ask for every amount due at booking in writing. Projects that fit this budget

What common budgets reserve

The highest price each sum reserves, after the Oqood fee, at three common booking payments:

Cash to start5% booking10% booking20% booking
AED 50,000AED 555,000AED 357,000AED 208,000
AED 100,000AED 1,110,000AED 714,000AED 416,000
AED 150,000AED 1,666,000AED 1,071,000AED 624,000
AED 200,000AED 2,222,000AED 1,428,000AED 833,000
AED 300,000AED 3,333,000AED 2,142,000AED 1,249,000
AED 500,000AED 5,555,000AED 3,571,000AED 2,083,000

Each budget has its own page listing the projects on sale that fit it today: AED 50k, AED 100k, AED 150k, AED 200k, AED 300k and AED 500k.

What comes after the booking payment

The rest of the price follows the payment plan: instalments during construction, a balance at handover and, on some plans, payments after handover. Off-plan payment plans, explained sets out the types.

Plan for the total you will pay before handover, not just the first payment. On a 10/70/20 plan, 80% of the price is paid before you get the keys; on a 5/55/40 plan, 60%. A low booking payment changes when you pay, not how much.

Paying at handover

If you will borrow for the handover payment, a bank may lend up to 50% of an off-plan home's price under the Central Bank of the UAE's limits, depending on its policy for the project. Some buyers pay the construction instalments themselves and arrange a mortgage for the balance at handover. Speak to a bank before you reserve, not when the handover notice arrives. Mortgages for off-plan property explains when banks lend and how the handover payment is financed.

Costs beyond the price

  • The Oqood fee, 4% of the price plus AED 20, when the sale is registered. DLD lists the 4% as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer; on a developer's sale the buyer is normally quoted the whole 4%, as in Meraas's guidance.
  • Any administration fee the developer charges. By law developers may charge only administrative costs approved by DLD (Article 7, Law No. 13 of 2008).
  • Some developers cover the 4% as a limited-time offer, as DAMAC did in September 2026. DLD says only the Ruler of Dubai can waive its fees, so the developer pays it for you.
  • DLD's title deed issuance fee of AED 250 when the completed home is registered in your name.
  • Mortgage costs if you borrow: registration of 0.25% of the loan plus AED 270, and the bank's valuation and arrangement fees.
  • The service charge from handover, set through Mollak and published in DLD's Service Charge Index. See service charges in Dubai.

Keep the next instalment covered

Instalments fall due on dates or at construction stages, as the plan states, so keep the next one set aside. Falling behind has consequences: under Law No. 13 of 2008, as amended by Law No. 19 of 2020, after a 30-day notice served through DLD a developer may terminate and keep up to 40% of the unit's value on a project more than 60% complete, or up to 25% below that.

Questions buyers ask

What is the minimum deposit for off-plan property in Dubai?

Developers set the booking payment in their payment plans: on the projects we track it runs from 5% to 20% of the price. The Dubai Land Department's Oqood fee, 4% of the price plus AED 20, is paid on top.

Can I buy off-plan in Dubai with AED 50,000?

Only a home priced up to about AED 555,000 on a 5% booking plan, or AED 357,000 on 10%, because the 4% Oqood fee is due as well. See what AED 50k reserves.

Is the DLD fee included in the down payment?

No. The Oqood fee is paid to the Dubai Land Department in addition to the developer's booking payment: 4% of the price plus AED 20.

How much do I pay before handover?

It depends on the plan. On a 10/70/20 plan, 80% of the price is paid before handover; on a 5/55/40 plan, 60%. The Oqood fee is paid at the start.

Can I use a mortgage to buy off-plan?

Yes, for up to 50% of an off-plan home's price under the Central Bank of the UAE's limits, subject to the bank's policy on the project. Many plans ask for more than half the price before handover, so the rest has to come from your own funds. See mortgages for off-plan property.

Sources

Buying off-plan in Dubai

How payment plans work, where your money is held, what you register with the Dubai Land Department, and what to check before you reserve.

Read the guide

Off-plan or ready: how to choose in Dubai

How the two compare on payments, fees, mortgages, protection and moving in, using the rules that apply to each.

Read the guide