Mortgages in Dubai for non-residents
UAE banks do lend to buyers who live abroad, on less than they lend to residents. What you can borrow, on which homes, and what it costs.
Short answer
If you live abroad, expect a UAE bank to lend about 50–60% of a ready home's value, after checking your income, credit history and bank statements. Residents can borrow more: up to 80% on a first home under AED 5 million. Few banks lend before a home is built, so off-plan buyers usually pay the plan's instalments themselves and borrow for the handover payment.
How much banks lend
| Buyer | Typical most you can borrow |
|---|---|
| Living abroad | About 50–60% of the value: each bank's own policy |
| Expatriate resident, first home under AED 5M | Up to 80% |
| Expatriate resident, first home over AED 5M | About 65–70% |
| A second or further home | About 60% |
| Off-plan, before handover | Rarely: a few banks, on approved projects, at about 50% |
Banks also cap your total monthly debt payments at about half your income. A mortgage broker can compare several banks at once.
What it costs
Registration
0.25% of the loan to the Land Department, plus a small admin fee.
Valuation
The bank's valuation of the home, often AED 2,500–3,500.
Arrangement fee
The bank's own fee, up to 1% of the loan, sometimes waived.
Getting a mortgage, in 5 steps
Get pre-approved
Send the bank or a broker your passport, proof of income, six months of bank statements and a credit report from home. A pre-approval says how much they would lend.
Choose the home
A ready home, or an off-plan one whose handover is close. Keep the deposit and costs in cash.
Valuation and offer
The bank values the home and issues its final offer, on the lower of the price and the valuation.
Sign and register
The mortgage is registered at the transfer (or at handover), and the 0.25% fee paid.
Repay
Monthly, usually from a UAE bank account. Fixed rates usually last a few years before turning variable.
Advice first, then the right project
Dubai has thousands of projects and every developer says theirs is the best. We compare them for you, in your language, and tell you honestly which we would buy.
Many developers compared
Prices, payment plans, service charges and track records side by side, not one developer's sales pitch.
No fee from you on new projects
When you buy off-plan from the developer, the developer pays our fee: the price is the developer's price.
In your language
Contracts, payment schedules and the Land Department's paperwork, explained in English or Turkish.
With you to the keys
Reservation, registration, instalments, snagging and handover: one consultant from start to finish.
Questions buyers ask us
Yes, several UAE banks lend to non-residents, usually up to about 50–60% of the value and with stricter checks on income and credit.
Before handover, rarely. The usual way is to pay the plan's instalments yourself and take a mortgage for the handover payment, once the home is finished.
Sometimes: against a property you own there, or with a bank that lends abroad. It can be cheaper; take advice on the currency and tax.
It can. A home mortgaged with a UAE bank can qualify, counted on its value, under conditions the authorities set.
More guides
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Ownership, visas and protection
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Dubai's rules and fees change; figures are correct to the best of our knowledge on 15 October 2026. Check the latest with the Dubai Land Department or an adviser before you sign or pay.
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