Buying property in Dubai, explained
Plain-English guides to buying property in Dubai: how off-plan works, what it costs, how payment plans, mortgages and the Golden Visa work, and how the law protects your money.
Buying in Dubai
Ownership, visas and protection
Buying in Dubai: FAQs
Yes. Foreigners of any nationality can buy freehold property in Dubai's designated freehold areas, in their own name, without living in the UAE. Most of the areas international buyers look at are freehold.
The main cost is the Dubai Land Department's 4% transfer fee. Add registration and admin fees, and on a resale a trustee fee and usually a 2% agency fee. Off-plan from the developer usually comes to about 4–5% on top; a resale to about 6–8%.
The first figure is the share you pay before handover -- the booking deposit and instalments while it is built -- and the second what you pay when you get the keys. A post-handover plan spreads part of the price over months or years after handover.
Property worth AED 2 million or more can qualify you for the ten-year Golden Visa, off-plan included under conditions. Smaller purchases may qualify for a two-year property investor visa.
Dubai's rules protect off-plan buyers better than most: projects must be registered, and your payments go into an escrow account released to the developer only as the building progresses. Delays still happen, so choose established developers and read the contract.
Yes. Reservation, the sale agreement and payments can all be done remotely, and a power of attorney covers the steps that need someone in person.
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