Can Foreigners Buy Property in Dubai? Freehold Areas, Rules and Costs 2026
Updated September 5, 2026 · 11 min read · Sources: Dubai Law 7 of 2006 and Regulation 3 of 2006 (designated areas), DLD fee schedule and trustee tariffs, UAE Central Bank mortgage regulations, DLD registered transactions (trailing 12 months to September 2026), ICP and GDRFA visa rules as published.
The short answer, and the law behind it
Foreigners have been able to own property outright in Dubai since 2002, and the rule was written into law in 2006. Law 7 of 2006 on real property registration lets non-UAE nationals hold freehold title, or a usufruct or long lease of up to 99 years, in the areas the Ruler designates, and Regulation 3 of 2006 is the instrument that names those areas. The title is registered at the Dubai Land Department in your own name, it has no expiry, and it passes to your heirs. There is no residency test. You do not need a UAE visa, a local sponsor, a company or a bank account in the country to buy, and you can complete from abroad through a notarised power of attorney. What you need is a passport, the money, and a property inside a designated area. The qualifier is the last part. Outside the designated areas, land in Dubai is reserved for UAE and GCC nationals, and a foreign buyer there is limited to a lease. Most of what a foreign buyer will look at sits inside the designated map, because the master developers built for that market, but the check is worth a minute on any purchase outside a well-known community.
Freehold, leasehold and usufruct: what you actually get
Freehold is the full thing: the unit or the villa and the share of the land under it, in perpetuity, registered on a title deed. You can sell it, let it, mortgage it, gift it and leave it in a will, subject only to the community rules and the service charge. This is what almost every off-plan launch and resale in Dubai’s major communities is selling. Leasehold is a right to occupy for a fixed term, usually 30 to 99 years, after which the property reverts to the freeholder. It is registered at the DLD and can be sold and mortgaged, but the clock runs and the price reflects it. Usufruct is a related right, the use and income of a property for a term, more common on commercial plots. Both appear in the older Jumeirah and Deira leasehold schemes and in some Dubai South and Silicon Oasis plots. Ask the question directly before you pay a deposit: “Is this freehold, and can you show me the DLD registration?” A developer’s brochure that says “ownership” without the word freehold is a reason to look at the plot record. The DLD’s Dubai REST app shows the tenure of any registered unit.
The designated freehold areas, with what they cost
The list has been expanded many times since 2006, and in January 2025 the DLD allowed private owners of 457 plots on Sheikh Zayed Road and in Al Jaddaf to convert to freehold. The communities below are the well-established ones; the DLD’s designated areas list is the only authority on any specific plot.
| Community | Type | Registered apartment median | Sales, 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Marina and JBR | Waterfront towers | AED 2.7M | 3,708 |
| Downtown Dubai | Burj Khalifa district | AED 2.9M | 2,595 |
| Palm Jumeirah | Island, villas and apartments | AED 5.75M | 1,168 |
| Business Bay | Canal-side towers | AED 2.0M | 7,219 |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | Mid-market apartments and townhouses | AED 1.02M | 12,627 |
| Dubai Hills Estate | Golf community, villas and apartments | AED 2.03M | 2,533 |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | Waterfront, Emaar | AED 2.6M | 3,932 |
| Jumeirah Lake Towers | Towers around the lakes | AED 2.01M | 2,887 |
| Dubai South | Airport city, Expo district | AED 958,000 | 14,564 |
| Al Furjan | Villas and new towers, Jebel Ali | AED 1.5M | 6,587 |
| Dubai Islands | Nakheel islands, all off-plan | AED 2.81M | 4,963 |
| Arabian Ranches, Emirates Hills, Jumeirah Golf Estates | Villa communities | Villas only | See community pages |
Buying through a company
A foreign buyer can hold Dubai property through a company as well as personally, and many do for succession or privacy reasons. The long-standing route is a JAFZA offshore company: since 2011 the DLD has recognised JAFZA offshore entities as owners of freehold property, and the company name goes on the title deed. RAK ICC companies are also permitted to hold freehold in the designated areas, and an onshore or free zone UAE company can own property as part of its activities. Companies registered in other foreign jurisdictions are generally not accepted directly on a Dubai title. The cost is the company itself: formation, a registered agent and an annual renewal, plus attested company documents and, at transfer, a board resolution and the beneficial owner declaration. Transfers of the shares of a property-holding company are treated by the DLD as a transfer of the property, so the 4% fee is not avoided by selling the company instead of the unit. Take advice on your home-country tax position before choosing the structure; the Dubai side is straightforward, the other side rarely is.
What it costs on top of the price
There is no purchase tax beyond the DLD fee, no annual property tax, no capital gains tax on a later sale and no tax on rental income for an individual. A long-term residential lease is exempt from VAT. That is why the table below is the whole list rather than the start of one. On a AED 2 million resale bought for cash the cash on the day is the price, AED 80,000 DLD fee, AED 580 admin, AED 4,200 trustee and AED 42,000 agency with VAT: AED 2,126,780. The resale transfer calculator on this site itemises it for any price, and the payment plan calculator does the same for an off-plan launch.
| Cost | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee | 4% of the price (paid once at Oqood for off-plan) | Transfer or booking |
| DLD admin fee | AED 580 | Transfer |
| Trustee office | AED 4,200 (AED 2,100 under AED 500,000) | Transfer |
| Agency commission | 2% plus 5% VAT on a resale; usually none on a developer launch | Transfer |
| Oqood and admin (off-plan) | AED 3,000 to 5,500 | Booking |
| Mortgage registration | 0.25% of the loan plus AED 290 | Transfer, if financed |
| Bank valuation | AED 2,500 to 3,500 | Application, if financed |
| Power of attorney, if buying from abroad | Notary and attestation, by country | Before transfer |
| Service charge deposit | The first quarter or year, by community | Handover or transfer |
The visas a purchase unlocks
Property is one of the cleanest routes to UAE residency. Two schemes matter. The Dubai 2-year property investor visa is issued against a completed, registered property; since May 2026 there is no minimum value for a sole owner of a completed home, so a single owner of a ready unit can apply on any registered purchase. It renews every two years while you hold the property and it covers a spouse and children. The Golden Visa is the 10-year one. It requires property with a registered value of AED 2 million or more, which can be one unit or several, ready or off-plan (from the Oqood registration), and in Dubai a mortgaged property qualifies on its full value. Government fees run about AED 9,500 to 13,500 per applicant, and the visa covers the family. It does not require you to live in the UAE for any minimum period each year, which is why so many overseas owners hold one. The Golden Visa guide on this site walks through the application. Neither visa is automatic. You buy, register, then apply. And neither is required to own: an owner who never wants residency simply does not apply.
Mortgages for non-residents
A buyer without UAE residency can borrow, but from a shorter list of banks and on tighter terms. The Central Bank’s caps are the same for everyone (80% on a first home under AED 5 million for a resident expatriate), but bank policy for non-residents sits at 50% to 60% loan-to-value on a completed property, with a rate premium of roughly half a point to a point over resident pricing, so fixed rates from about 4% upwards in mid-2026. Off-plan is harder still, because the 50% construction-stage cap and the approved-project lists apply on top. ADCB, Emirates NBD, Mashreq, Dubai Islamic Bank, FAB and RAKBANK all lend to non-residents on their published criteria, each with its own list of accepted countries, minimum incomes and document rules. Expect to provide the last six months of bank statements, proof of income in your home country, a credit report from home, and a UAE bank account opened before drawdown. Pre-approval takes a week or two longer than for a resident. The non-resident mortgage guide and the mortgage tool on this site size the loan; the desk arranges it at no fee to the borrower.
The process, from abroad or in person
A resale: agree the price and sign the DLD’s Form F contract with a 10% deposit; the seller obtains the developer’s no-objection certificate; both sides, or their attorneys, attend a DLD trustee office with manager’s cheques for the price and the fees; the title deed is issued in your name the same day. Thirty to 45 days is typical with cash on both sides. If you are abroad, a power of attorney notarised in your country, attested by the UAE embassy there and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, lets a representative sign for you. An off-plan launch: reserve with a booking form and a deposit, sign the sale and purchase agreement, pay the 4% DLD fee and the Oqood registration, and the unit is registered to you in the interim register. Every instalment goes into the project’s RERA-supervised escrow account under Law 8 of 2007, and the developer can draw against it only as construction is certified. Verify the escrow account before the first payment and pay only into it. The mistakes foreign buyers make are few and repeated: paying a developer or a “consultant” outside the escrow account; buying at a portal asking price without checking what the register says the building trades at, when the valuation tool on this site pulls the registered medians for any community; assuming a Golden Visa comes with a AED 2 million purchase rather than an application; treating a non-resident pre-approval as final before the bank has valued the unit; forgetting that service charges are annual and material; and signing a power of attorney wider than the transaction needs. The off-plan finder on this site lists current launches in the designated areas with registered prices beside them. Shortlist there, then talk to us about the one you want to see.
Related questions
Can a foreigner own property in Dubai outright?
Yes. In the designated freehold areas any nationality can hold full freehold title, registered at the Dubai Land Department in their own name, with no expiry and no local partner. Outside those areas foreigners are limited to leasehold.
Do I need a UAE visa or residency to buy property in Dubai?
No. You can buy without a visa, a residency permit or a UAE company, and you can complete from abroad through a notarised and attested power of attorney. A purchase can then support a visa application if you want one.
Which areas of Dubai are freehold for foreigners?
The well-established ones include Dubai Marina, Downtown, Palm Jumeirah, Business Bay, JVC, Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai Creek Harbour, JLT, Emirates Hills, Arabian Ranches, Dubai South, Al Furjan and Dubai Islands. The DLD’s designated areas list is the authority on any specific plot.
What does it cost a foreigner to buy property in Dubai?
The 4% DLD transfer fee, AED 580 admin, AED 4,200 trustee fee (AED 2,100 under AED 500,000) and 2% agency commission plus VAT on a resale, about 6.1% of the price plus fixed fees. Add 0.25% of the loan plus AED 290 and a valuation if you finance. There is no annual property tax.
Does buying property in Dubai give me a visa?
It can. A sole owner of a completed, registered property can apply for the 2-year investor visa with no minimum value since May 2026. Property registered at AED 2 million or more, ready or off-plan, supports a 10-year Golden Visa on application.
Can a non-resident get a mortgage in Dubai?
Yes, from ADCB, Emirates NBD, Mashreq, DIB, FAB and RAKBANK among others, typically at 50% to 60% loan-to-value on a completed property, with a rate premium of half a point to a point over resident pricing.
