Buying Property in Dubai: Full Cost Breakdown for 2026
- Published 27 Oct 2026
- Updated 27 October 2026
- 9 min read
- Data verified on 27 Oct 2026
In short
Dubai property fees come to about 4.2% of the price for a cash purchase: a 4% Dubai Land Department registration fee (2% seller, 2% buyer on the official schedule), an AED 4,000 trustee fee plus VAT and about AED 520 in fixed fees. A mortgage adds 0.25% of the loan, per the DLD in October 2026.
Dubai Land Department, October 2026
4%
Sale registration fee, 2% paid by the seller and 2% by the buyer
Source: Dubai Land Department, October 2026
AED 4,000
Registration trustee fee plus VAT, for a sale of AED 500,000 or more
Source: Dubai Land Department, October 2026
0.25%
Mortgage registration fee, charged on the loan amount
Source: Dubai Land Department, October 2026
AED 2 million
Minimum property value for the 10-year investor Golden Visa
Source: Dubai Land Department, October 2026
Dubai property fees: signing day facing the Dubai skyline.Illustration: Ā© VALORISIMO
In this article Ā· 9 sections
- What do Dubai property fees add on top of the price?
- Which fees do you pay the Dubai Land Department?
- How much does a mortgage add to Dubai property fees?
- Buying off-plan: what does Oqood registration cost?
- VAT and taxes: what do you actually pay?
- Worked example: Dubai property fees on an AED 2 million home
- Golden Visa: what does the 10-year residence cost?
- What costs come after the purchase, and how do you check them?
- Frequently asked questions
What do Dubai property fees add on top of the price?
The asking price is never the full bill. Unlike France, Dubai has no notary in a property sale: the Dubai Land Department transfer fee, 4% of the price, is the main cost. Dubai property fees are almost all fixed by one public body: the Dubai Land Department (DLD), which registers every sale and every mortgage in the emirate. For an investor used to European transaction costs, the official bill in Dubai is light, as long as you know exactly who pays what.
Here is the overview of every official line item, as published on the DLD’s service pages, checked on 27 October 2026:
| Cost item | Official amount | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Sale registration fee | 4% of the price (2% + 2%) | Seller and buyer, 2% each |
| Title deed certificate | AED 250 | Buyer |
| Map fee (villas and apartments) | AED 250 | Buyer |
| Knowledge and innovation fees | AED 20 | Buyer |
| Registration trustee, sale of AED 500,000 or more | AED 4,000 + VAT | Buyer |
| Registration trustee, sale below AED 500,000 | AED 2,000 + VAT | Buyer |
| Mortgage registration | 0.25% of the loan | Borrower |
Source: Dubai Land Department, “Sale registration” and “Mortgage registration” service pages, checked 27 October 2026.
These Dubai property fees apply in a very active market. According to the Dubai Land Department release of 9 April 2026, Dubai recorded real estate transactions worth AED 252 billion in Q1 2026, up 31% year on year, across 60,303 transactions. Investments reached AED 173 billion (57,744 deals), foreign investment AED 148.35 billion, and 29,312 new investors entered the market, 14% more than a year earlier. For entry prices by budget, see our guide to the minimum investment for property in Dubai.
Which fees do you pay the Dubai Land Department?
The first and by far the largest item is the sale registration fee, usually called the “DLD fee”. It is 4% of the sale price. The official “Sale registration” schedule splits it 2% for the seller and 2% for the buyer.
Who really pays the 4%?
On paper, the fee is shared. In a negotiation, however, the sale contract can allocate it differently. Our analyst’s advice: build your budget on the cautious assumption that you pay the full 4%, then negotiate. If the seller pays their share, you save 2%; if you did not plan for it, you have a 2% hole in your financing.
Fixed title deed fees
The DLD also charges small fixed fees that belong in the budget:
- AED 250 to issue the title deed certificate;
- AED 250 for the map of a villa or apartment (AED 225 for the unified map of a plot under Dubai Municipality);
- AED 20 in total for the knowledge and innovation fees.
For an apartment, that is about AED 520 in fixed fees.
The registration trustee
The transfer is signed at an approved Real Estate Registration Trustee office, which checks the documents and enters the deal for the DLD. Its fee is set by the DLD: AED 4,000 plus VAT for a sale of AED 500,000 or more, AED 2,000 plus VAT below that. With VAT at the standard 5% rate, that is AED 4,200 or AED 2,100.
The DLD asks for both parties’ identity (Emirates ID, or a passport for a non-resident) and, in freehold areas, an electronic no-objection certificate from the developer issued through the Dubai REST app. Foreigners can buy freehold in the areas designated by Regulation No. 3 of 2006, issued under Law No. 7 of 2006 on real property registration in Dubai. For the less obvious extras, read our list of hidden costs when buying property in Dubai.
How much does a mortgage add to Dubai property fees?
If you finance the purchase, the bank registers a mortgage on the property, and that registration has its own cost under the DLD’s “Mortgage registration” service:
- Mortgage fee0.25% of the loan amount.
- Title deedAED 250 to issue the updated title deed.
- Knowledge and innovation feesAED 10 each per map, AED 20 in total.
- TrusteeAED 4,000 plus VAT to register the mortgage on a completed property; AED 5,000 plus VAT on an off-plan unit registered in Oqood.
Example: on an AED 1,000,000 loan, the mortgage fee is AED 2,500, plus the title deed (AED 250), fixed fees (AED 20) and the trustee (AED 4,200 including VAT), so AED 6,970 in total.
On top of these public fees come the bank’s own charges: processing fee, valuation and insurance. They differ by lender and are not set by one public schedule, so ask each bank for an itemised list and compare at least two offers. Maximum loan-to-value ratios are set by the Central Bank of the UAE and depend on your status, the price and the type of property: have your bank confirm them in writing before you sign anything.
If you are aiming for the Golden Visa, note that a mortgaged property can still qualify, provided you submit a no-objection letter from the bank stating the amount paid and the balance, according to the DLD’s conditions.
Buying off-plan: what does Oqood registration cost?
An off-plan purchase is not yet entered in the final land register: it is provisionally registered in a system called Oqood. Dubai property fees for off-plan units follow the same logic as for a completed home.
According to the official “Initial sale registration” service page:
| Cost item (off-plan) | Official amount | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Initial sale registration | 4% of the price (2% + 2%) | Seller (developer) and buyer, 2% each |
| Knowledge and innovation fees | AED 20 | Buyer |
| Developer self-registration (Oqood portal) | AED 1,000 | Developer |
Source: Dubai Land Department, “Initial sale registration” service, checked 27 October 2026.
Developers sometimes advertise that they will cover the registration fee. Our view: always compare projects on the all-in cost (price, fees you pay and the payment plan), never on the headline price alone. A 4% fee waiver is worth nothing if the base price was raised by the same amount.
On the safety side, off-plan payments go into escrow accounts governed by Law No. 8 of 2007: the developer cannot use buyers’ money freely. Check that the payment plan sends each instalment to the project’s escrow account, not to any other account. For current launches, see our selection of Dubai off-plan deals.
VAT and taxes: what do you actually pay?
VAT was introduced across the UAE on 1 January 2018 at a standard rate of 5%. Residential property, however, gets favourable treatment, according to the UAE Ministry of Finance:
- sales and leases of residential property are generally exempt from VAT;
- the first supply of a new residential property within three years of completion is zero-rated;
- commercial property (offices, shops) is taxed at 5%.
In practice, the price of an apartment or villa carries no VAT. The 5% does apply to services: the trustee fee, the agent’s commission and bank charges.
On income, Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023 states that real estate investment income earned by an individual is not treated as a business subject to UAE Corporate Tax, whatever the amount, as long as it is not earned through a licensed business.
If you are tax resident elsewhere, your home country may still tax the rent or the gain, depending on its tax treaty with the UAE. This is general information, not tax advice: have your own situation checked by an adviser.
Worked example: Dubai property fees on an AED 2 million home
Take a completed (resale) apartment priced at AED 2,000,000, exactly the Golden Visa threshold. Cautious assumption: the buyer pays the full 4%.
| Cost item | Cash purchase | With an AED 1,000,000 loan |
|---|---|---|
| Sale registration fee (4%) | AED 80,000 | AED 80,000 |
| Title deed, map and fixed fees | AED 520 | AED 520 |
| Sale trustee (VAT included) | AED 4,200 | AED 4,200 |
| Mortgage registration (0.25%) | ā | AED 2,500 |
| Mortgage title deed, fixed fees and trustee | ā | AED 4,470 |
| Total official fees | AED 84,720 | AED 91,690 |
| As % of the price | 4.24% | 4.58% |
Source: Valorisimo calculation based on the Dubai Land Department fee schedules (“Sale registration” and “Mortgage registration”), checked 27 October 2026.
If the seller pays their 2% share, the cash buyer’s bill falls to AED 44,720, or 2.24% of the price.
This table only covers the official Dubai property fees. Three more items may apply:
- The agent’s commissionset in the brokerage agreement you sign, plus 5% VAT. Get it in writing before any serious viewing.
- Bank chargesprocessing, valuation and insurance, depending on the loan offer.
- The Golden Visaif you apply, see the next section.
Our advice: keep a reserve of at least 6% to 7% of the price to cover official fees, commission and surprises. That is a Valorisimo rule of thumb, not an official schedule. To compare with the neighbouring emirate, read our Abu Dhabi vs Dubai comparison.
Golden Visa: what does the 10-year residence cost?
Buying property worth at least AED 2 million, wholly owned in the applicant’s name (one or several properties), qualifies for the 10-year investor Golden Visa. The applicant must be inside the UAE when applying. The fees published by the Dubai Land Department for the investor Golden Visa are:
| Item (10-year investor visa) | Official amount |
|---|---|
| Medical examination | AED 700 |
| Emirates ID (10 years) | AED 1,153 |
| Residency permit confirmation (10 years) | AED 2,856.75 |
| Dubai Land Department fees | AED 4,020 |
| Administrative fees | AED 1,155 |
| Total | AED 9,884.75 |
Source: Dubai Land Department, “Golden Visa ā investor” service, checked 27 October 2026.
For family members, the DLD lists AED 5,774.50 per 10-year residence permit (spouse, children or parents), plus AED 318.75 to open the family sponsorship file. Include it in your budget if you plan to relocate with your family.
What costs come after the purchase, and how do you check them?
Once you own the unit, you pay annual service charges for the upkeep of common areas. In Dubai they are approved by RERA, the DLD’s regulatory arm, and published in the official Service Charge Index, searchable by project, use and year on the DLD website, the Mollak system and the Dubai REST app. Charges vary widely between buildings, and they are often the line that separates a good net yield from a poor one. Our analysis of rental yield in Dubai shows how they affect returns.
Add utilities (electricity, water and, in some communities, district cooling), home insurance and a maintenance reserve. Before you sign and pay your Dubai property fees, run this checklist:
- Pull the service chargescheck the official index for the building and the last three years.
- Settle the 4% splitwrite in the offer who pays the seller’s share.
- Get the loan pricedpublic fees (0.25% and trustee) and bank fees, in writing.
- Check the escrow accounton an off-plan deal, every instalment goes to the project’s escrow account.
- Plan your home-country taxtreaty rules, reporting of foreign accounts and income.
To see how these costs fit a cooling market, read our Dubai property market report for September 2026.
Watch out
Dubai Land Department fee schedules can change: check them on the official website on the day you sign. Bank charges and the agent's commission are not set by a public schedule. Your home country may tax rental income or gains under its tax treaty with the UAE; this is not tax or legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
*How much are Dubai property fees in total?
For a cash purchase, official fees come to about 4.2% of the price: the 4% Dubai Land Department registration fee, an AED 4,000 trustee fee plus VAT and about AED 520 in fixed fees. A mortgage adds 0.25% of the loan. The agent’s commission and bank charges come on top, depending on your deal.
*Who pays the 4% Dubai Land Department fee?
The Dubai Land Department’s official schedule splits the 4% into 2% for the seller and 2% for the buyer. The sale contract can, however, allocate it differently. To be safe, budget the full 4% yourself, then negotiate the seller’s share in the written offer.
*Is there VAT on buying an apartment in Dubai?
Not on the price of a home: according to the UAE Ministry of Finance, sales of residential property are generally exempt and the first supply of a new home within three years of completion is zero-rated. The standard 5% VAT does apply to services such as the trustee fee, commission and bank charges.
*How much does mortgage registration cost in Dubai?
The Dubai Land Department charges 0.25% of the loan amount, plus AED 250 for the title deed, AED 20 in fixed fees and an AED 4,000 trustee fee plus VAT on a completed property. On an AED 1,000,000 loan, the total is AED 6,970, before the bank’s own charges.
*How much does the property Golden Visa cost in Dubai?
For property worth at least AED 2 million, the Dubai Land Department lists a total of AED 9,884.75 for the 10-year investor visa: medical test, Emirates ID, residency permit, DLD fees and administrative fees. Each family member costs AED 5,774.50 more for a 10-year permit.
Figures are indicative as of the date shown: check them with official sources before any decision.
- For information only; this is not tax, legal or financial advice.
Planning a purchase in Dubai?
Our analysts price the all-in cost of your project with you, fees, mortgage and service charges included, from official sources.
