Dubai property purchase costs beyond the price

The short answer

The main mandatory cost of buying property in Dubai is the Dubai Land Department (DLD) registration fee: 4% of the property value. On top of that come fixed fees for registration and documents; on the resale market, the Trustee centre fee and a developer NOC; and with a mortgage, 0.25% of the loan amount to register it. After handover, the owner pays annual service charges. Below is every item with its source, as of October 2026.

Summary table of costs

Fees change; the final amount is always confirmed at the transaction.

DLD registration fee — 4%

This is the largest item. DLD's fee schedule shows it as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. For off-plan property DLD states separately that the buyer pays the 4% registration fee to the developer, who must remit it to DLD within 60 days. Payment can be made by bank cheque via Noqodi, through the project escrow account, or via ePay channels. How the fee is split between the parties in a given deal is set in the contract — check this clause before signing. Some developers cover part of the fee as a promotion; that too must be written into the SPA.

Oqood and administrative fees for off-plan purchases

A sale of an apartment under construction is registered in the DLD interim register through the Oqood portal. Besides the 4% and the AED 10 fees, this service's schedule lists a developer self-registration fee of AED 1,000. Whether the developer passes it on to the buyer is shown in the SPA. Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008 prohibits developers from charging any fees on the sale, resale or other dispositions of units other than administrative costs approved by DLD.

Resale: Trustee, Title Deed and NOC

Resale transactions are registered at Real Estate Registration Trustee centres. Their service fee under DLD's schedule is AED 4,000 + VAT if the sale value is AED 500,000 or more, and AED 2,000 + VAT if below. Issuing the ownership certificate (Title Deed) costs AED 250, an apartment or villa map AED 250, plus the AED 10 fees.

A sale in a freehold area requires an electronic NOC (no-objection certificate) from the developer, confirming there is no objection to the sale, typically related to outstanding payments. The same applies to assigning an off-plan unit before it moves to the main register. The NOC fee is set by the developer, so ask for it in advance.

Mortgage

If the purchase is bank-financed, the mortgage is registered with DLD: 0.25% of the loan amount, AED 250 for issuing the document and the AED 10 fees. Through a service partner centre add AED 4,000 + VAT, or AED 5,000 + VAT for a mortgage on an off-plan (Oqood) unit. The bank's own fees and valuation are set by the bank and are not part of DLD's schedule.

Service charges

After handover the owner pays annual service charges. DLD defines them as annual charges approved by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) that cover managing, operating, maintaining and repairing jointly owned property. They include security and cleaning, maintenance contracts, utilities for common areas, insurance, administrative fees, master community charges and the reserve fund.

The rate for a specific project is published in DLD's official Service Charge Index and in the Dubai REST app: select the project, usage and year, then multiply the approved rate by your unit's area from the Title Deed. Payment goes to RERA-approved accounts after a notice from the Mollak system. We do not publish average rates — check the index for the specific project.

Taxes: VAT and annual property tax

• VAT. According to the UAE Ministry of Finance, supplies of residential property are generally exempt from VAT, and the first supply of new residential property within three years of construction is zero-rated. Commercial property is taxed at the standard 5% rate. VAT is charged on service partner fees, such as Trustee centre fees.
• Annual property tax. DLD's official fee schedules and the government pages listed here do not include an annual tax on owning residential property in Dubai; the owner pays service charges.
• Rental income. Under the Federal Tax Authority guide, income an individual earns from real estate investment not conducted through a licence is not subject to UAE Corporate Tax.

Tax obligations in your country of residence are a separate matter; check them with an adviser. We do not give tax advice.

Worked example

An off-plan apartment for AED 1,500,000, no mortgage:

• DLD registration fee 4% — AED 60,000;
• knowledge and innovation fees — AED 20;
• developer administrative costs — per the SPA;
• agency commission for the buyer — 0.

The same apartment on the resale market: the 4% is joined by the Trustee fee of AED 4,000 + 5% VAT (AED 200), AED 250 for the Title Deed, AED 250 for the map and the NOC fee set by the developer. How the 4% is split between seller and buyer depends on the contract.

Agency commission

We work directly with developers and charge buyers no commission — 0%. This is company policy, not a government rule. You can choose a project in the new projects catalogue or by budget collections, for example under AED 1M. Golden Visa fees are covered in the Golden Visa article, and the order of the transaction in the step-by-step guide.