The real costs of buying property in Dubai

Registering a resale (completed property)

Fee	Amount listed by the DLD
Registration fee	2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% for the buyer (4% in total)
Title deed certificate	AED 250
Map fee	AED 250 for villas and apartments; AED 225 for land under Dubai Municipality's unified map; AED 100 for land not under Dubai Municipality
Knowledge and innovation fees	AED 10 each
Registration trustee (service partner) fee	AED 4,000 + VAT if the sale value is AED 500,000 or more; AED 2,000 + VAT if it is less

Who pays the 4% is a matter for your contract. The DLD sets the split as 2% each, but the parties can agree otherwise in writing.

Registering an off-plan purchase (Oqood)

The DLD lists 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% for the purchaser, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. It also lists an AED 1,000 fee where the developer registers the sale through the Oqood developer portal. Check your SPA for which of these you pay.

Registering a mortgage

The DLD lists 0.25% of the mortgage value, AED 250 for issuing each title deed, and AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. Where the registration goes through a trustee office, the DLD lists service partner fees of AED 4,000 + VAT, or AED 5,000 + VAT for a provisional (Oqood) mortgage.

Costs the DLD doesn't set

Brokerage. Agreed in writing with your broker before any viewing. On off-plan sales, the developer usually pays ours, and we tell you who pays us on every deal.
Bank fees. Valuation and arrangement fees are set by each bank in its published schedule of charges, under CBUAE fee rules.
Service charges. Annual building or community charges depend on the property. Ask for the current figure before you commit.

Our mortgage calculator adds these DLD fees to an illustrative purchase for you.

Official sources

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