Cost of buying
The true acquisition cost of a Dubai property at a given price: DLD transfer fee, registration, trustee, agency and mortgage costs, itemised and explained. Off-plan and ready variants, because the fee structures differ.
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Buying in Dubai
The purchase process from first viewing to title deed, and every cost along the way.
2 articles · about 15 minutes in total
Buying property in Dubai is quicker and more transparent than in most countries — every transaction is registered with the Land Department, title transfers in a day, and there is no annual property tax. It is also a market with its own conventions: who pays which fee, what a memorandum of understanding commits you to, how a power of attorney gets attested, and what a trustee office is for.
This pillar covers the mechanics that apply whether you buy off-plan or ready: freehold and where foreigners can own, the step-by-step process, the full list of fees, mortgages for non-residents, buying remotely, and what a title deed is and how to check one. Costs are stated as currently published and as market convention; both change, so treat the figures as a working budget and confirm them on the actual transaction.
The reading path
Read in order, or go straight to what you need.
2 articles on buying in dubai, in the order you will meet each question.
- 01
The costs and fees of buying in Dubai, itemised
Budget roughly 7% to 8% on top of the price for a ready property and around 4.5% for off-plan from the developer. Where every dirham goes — DLD, trustee, agency, registration, mortgage, NOC — and who conventionally pays it.
8 min read
- 02
Buying remotely and the power of attorney
Most of our clients buy their first Dubai property without visiting. How a remote purchase actually runs — video viewings, identity checks, the power of attorney and its attestation chain — and the two places it tends to stall.
7 min read
Related tools
Work the numbers these articles describe.
Government-set fees and your own figures, itemised. No login, no email to use them.
Golden Visa checker
Whether a property purchase could support a UAE residence visa, on the criteria as currently published — value, ownership, off-plan or ready, and mortgage status — with the criteria stated and where to verify them.
Open the tool
When the reading turns into a question.
Twenty minutes with an advisor on how this applies to the property you are actually considering — drawbacks named first.