Transferring Dubai Property to a Family Member: The 0.125% Gift Transfer (Hiba) Guide
Updated September 21, 2026 · 10 min read · Sources: DLD gift registration service, Executive Council Resolution 30 of 2013, Dubai Laws 7 of 2006, 13 of 2008 and 14 of 2008, MoFA, Cabinet Resolution 65 of 2022
Who qualifies, and who does not
Dubai Land Department (DLD) runs a registration service for gifts of property between first-degree relatives, charged at 0.125% of the property value with a minimum of AED 2,000.1 First degree, in DLD’s terms, means the owner’s parents, the owner’s children and the owner’s spouse.1 A transfer between an owner and a company the owner holds is also registered on the gift route, with the shareholding checked against the same relationship test; how DLD treats mixed or minority shareholdings is decided case by case, so treat this line as broker-grade until DLD has looked at your company’s papers.
Everyone else pays the standard transfer fee of 4% of the value, set by the Executive Council’s fee resolution for DLD.2 That includes the relatives people most often expect to qualify: brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchildren, step-parents and step-children, and in-laws. A gift to any of them is registered as a sale and charged as one.
The transfer itself, whichever fee applies, only takes effect when it is registered in the DLD real property register.3 A family agreement on paper, however sincere, moves nothing until the trustee centre stamps it.
What it costs: 0.125% against 4%
The gift fee is 0.125% of the value DLD puts on the unit, with an AED 2,000 floor.1 Below AED 1.6 million the percentage comes out under the floor, so the minimum applies. The sale fee is 4% of the value.2 The table shows both at four price points. The fixed fees below apply to either route and are left out of the table.
On top of the percentage fee sit fixed administrative fees. DLD publishes these with its registration services and they change, so the figures here are broker-grade and should be confirmed with the trustee centre on the day: a title deed issue fee of AED 580 for an apartment or villa, a registration trustee fee of AED 4,000 for a property at or above AED 500,000 (AED 2,000 below that) plus 5% VAT on the trustee’s service,8 and AED 10 each for the knowledge and innovation fees. Together they come to about AED 4,800 on a typical unit. A DLD valuation, where you need one, is a separate service with its own fee.
| Property value | Gift transfer at 0.125% | Sale transfer at 4% | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 2,000,000 | AED 2,500 | AED 80,000 | AED 77,500 |
| AED 5,000,000 | AED 6,250 | AED 200,000 | AED 193,750 |
| AED 10,000,000 | AED 12,500 | AED 400,000 | AED 387,500 |
| AED 13,700,000 | AED 17,125 | AED 548,000 | AED 530,875 |
Run your own numbers
Pick the relationship and the value. The calculator shows both fees and the saving, then the route and the document list for the situation: a mortgage on the unit, an off-plan unit still under its sale agreement, certificates issued abroad, or a part share. The full version with a saved estimate is at the gift transfer checker.
Five quick questions, about a minute. At the end: which route your transfer takes, the DLD fee, what you save, and exactly what to bring to the trustee centre.
Who is the property going to?
This one question decides the fee. DLD gives its 0.125% gift rate to first-degree relatives only. Everyone else pays 4%, the same as a sale. Tap the one that fits.
The process at a Real Estate Registration Trustee centre
Gift transfers are registered at the same registration trustee centres that handle sales. The sequence is short when the papers are right.
- Get the valuation. The fee is charged on DLD’s figure for the unit, not on a price the family agrees. There is no price on a gift, so the valuation is the only base. Broker-grade: ask the trustee which valuation it will accept before you pay for one.
- Prove the relationship. A marriage certificate for a spouse, a birth certificate for a child or a parent, and for a company the trade licence, memorandum and shareholder register.
- Attest anything issued abroad. See the checklist below.
- Clear the mortgage position. A no-objection letter from the bank if there is a loan on the unit.
- Attend the trustee centre. Owner and recipient both attend, or a representative holds a notarised power of attorney for whoever cannot. The trustee checks the relationship, the valuation and the title, takes the fees, and the new title deed issues in the recipient’s name, usually the same day.
Document checklist
- Original title deed
- Emirates ID or passport of the owner and of the recipient
- Relationship proof: marriage certificate, birth certificate, or the company documents
- Bank no-objection letter where the unit is mortgaged
- Notarised power of attorney for any party not attending
Attestation for foreign marriage and birth certificates. A certificate issued outside the UAE is accepted by UAE authorities once it has been attested in the issuing country, by that country’s foreign ministry and then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, and then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.6 It is then translated into Arabic by a legal translator licensed in the UAE. Countries that issue apostilles are not exempt: the UAE is not a party to the apostille convention, so the embassy chain applies. Start this first. It is the step that takes weeks, and nothing at the trustee centre can begin without it.
Special cases
A mortgaged property. The mortgage is registered against the unit and the bank must consent before the unit is disposed of.5 In practice the bank issues a no-objection letter and sets the terms: some banks move the loan into the recipient’s name after their own credit check, others ask for settlement first. The mortgage is then re-registered at the transfer. Ask the bank before you book the trustee; a refusal at the counter wastes the valuation and the attestation.
Off-plan under a sale and purchase agreement. A unit that has not handed over sits on the interim real property register, and any disposal of it has to be registered there.4 That means the transfer runs through the developer, its no-objection certificate and its transfer fee, and the new buyer is registered on Oqood. DLD’s gift rate belongs to registered title. If the plan is to pass an off-plan unit to a child, run both orders: transfer now through the developer, or wait for the title deed and gift at 0.125%. Broker-grade: the second is usually cheaper, but the developer’s fee and the payment schedule decide it.
Partial gifts. A share of the unit can be gifted rather than the whole, written as a percentage on the transfer, and the fee is charged on that share of the valuation. Broker-grade on the mechanics: the trustee centre handles the split, and the result is co-ownership, so both owners sign every later disposal.
Power of attorney. Either party can be represented. A power of attorney signed in the UAE is notarised here; one signed abroad follows the same attestation chain as a foreign certificate and is translated into Arabic.6 Name the specific unit and the gift in the power of attorney. A general power of attorney that does not mention disposal by gift is often refused at the counter.
Transfers to a company. Owners moving a unit into a holding company, for succession or for a portfolio structure, can use the gift route where the company is theirs. DLD checks the shareholding against the first-degree test, so a company owned with a business partner does not qualify. Broker-grade: onshore and free zone companies are treated differently by DLD for ownership in the first place, and a company with foreign shareholders may need approval to hold Dubai property at all. Take advice before forming anything for this purpose.
Risks and watch-outs
- The valuation is DLD’s, not yours. The fee is charged on DLD’s figure. A low number agreed in the family has no effect on it.
- No money can change hands. A gift with a payment attached is a sale in DLD’s eyes and is charged at 4%. Broker-grade on enforcement, but the rule follows from the fee schedule itself.2
- It is a completed transfer. Once registered, the recipient owns the unit.3 Getting it back is a new transfer with its own fee and its own paperwork, and it depends on the recipient agreeing. A gift to a child is a gift to that child’s future spouse and creditors too.
- The reduced rate is for the gift itself. Any later transfer by the recipient, including a sale, pays the fee for that transaction. There is no second discount for the same unit.
- Succession is a separate question. A gift during your lifetime settles who owns the unit today. It does not replace a will. For what happens to Dubai property on death, and why a registered will matters for non-Muslim owners, read property inheritance in the UAE and DIFC wills. Get legal advice for any structure built around succession; this guide is not it.
- Golden Visa position moves with the title. The 10-year Golden Visa property route needs the applicant to own property worth at least AED 2 million.7 Gifting a unit away can end the giver’s qualification and, where the unit is worth AED 2 million or more, open it for the recipient. Check the current rules with the immigration authority before relying on either; the Golden Visa checker and the AED 2M rules guide cover the property route as it stands.
- Prime units carry the biggest gap. At the values that trade on Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills and the villa end of Dubai Hills Estate, the difference between 0.125% and 4% runs to hundreds of thousands of dirhams, which is why the relationship test gets checked carefully. Registered values by community are on the sold prices explorer.
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi property is registered with the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) through the DARI platform, not with DLD, and its fee schedule and its treatment of family transfers are its own.9 A reduced route for transfers between close relatives exists there too, but the rates, the relationship test and the documents differ from Dubai’s and are not set out here because we could not verify the current figures at the time of writing. If the unit is on Saadiyat, Yas, Reem or Hudayriyat, contact us and we will confirm the current ADREC position for your case. The Hudayriyat Island report carries the registered values there.
Talk to Danny directly
Danny Anderson is licensed in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and works in English or Spanish. For a direct answer on your unit, WhatsApp him on +971 58 507 9764. For a written estimate of the fees at your unit’s likely valuation, with the document list for your relationship, use the card beside this article.
Disclaimer
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Fees, thresholds and document requirements are set by Dubai Land Department and its registration trustees and change without notice. Confirm every figure with DLD at the time of transfer, and take independent legal advice on any transfer made for succession, matrimonial or tax reasons. Lines marked broker-grade describe the desk’s experience of how the process runs, not a published rule.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department, Property Gift Registration service (gift between first-degree relatives): fee 0.125% of the property value, minimum AED 2,000. dubailand.gov.ae
- Executive Council Resolution No. (30) of 2013 Approving Fees of the Dubai Land Department: the 4% fee on sale transfers and the DLD fee schedule. dubailand.gov.ae
- Dubai Law No. (7) of 2006 Concerning Real Property Registration in the Emirate of Dubai: rights in real property take effect on registration in the real property register. dlp.dubai.gov.ae
- Dubai Law No. (13) of 2008 Regulating the Interim Real Property Register: off-plan units and disposals of them are registered on the interim register. dlp.dubai.gov.ae
- Dubai Law No. (14) of 2008 Concerning Mortgages in the Emirate of Dubai: a registered mortgage follows the property and the mortgagee’s consent is needed to dispose of it. dlp.dubai.gov.ae
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation of documents issued outside the UAE: attestation by the issuing country’s foreign ministry and the UAE mission there, then by the Ministry in the UAE. mofa.gov.ae
- Cabinet Resolution No. (65) of 2022 on the Executive Regulation of Federal Decree-Law No. (29) of 2021 on Entry and Residence of Foreigners: the Golden Visa property route at AED 2 million. u.ae
- Federal Decree-Law No. (8) of 2017 on Value Added Tax: 5% VAT on services, which is why the trustee’s fee carries VAT. tax.gov.ae
- Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC), registration services through DARI. adrec.gov.ae
Related questions
Can I transfer my Dubai property to my brother or sister at 0.125%?
No. Siblings are not first degree in DLD’s terms. The transfer registers as a sale at 4% of the valuation. Only a spouse, a child, a parent, or a company the owner holds qualifies for the gift rate.
What is the minimum fee on a gift transfer?
AED 2,000. The 0.125% works out below that for any unit valued under AED 1.6 million, so the minimum applies there. Fixed administrative fees sit on top of it.
Is the 0.125% charged on the price we agree in the family?
No. There is no price on a gift, and DLD charges on its own valuation of the unit. Agreeing a low figure between you changes nothing.
Can I gift a property that has a mortgage on it?
Only with the bank’s written no-objection. The bank decides whether the loan moves into the recipient’s name or is settled first, and the mortgage is re-registered at the transfer.
Can I gift an off-plan unit I am still paying for?
Not through the DLD gift route. Until the title deed issues, the unit sits on the interim register and moves through the developer’s transfer process and fee. Once it hands over, the 0.125% gift is available.
Can a gift transfer be reversed?
Not by cancelling it. A registered gift is a completed transfer of ownership. Returning the unit is a new transfer, with its own fee and paperwork, and it needs the recipient to agree.
Do I keep my Golden Visa if I gift the property that qualified me?
The property route needs the applicant to own property worth at least AED 2 million. Gifting that unit away can end your qualification, and can open the route for the recipient where the unit is worth AED 2 million or more. Check the current rules with the immigration authority before relying on either.
My marriage certificate was issued abroad. What does DLD need?
Attestation by your country’s foreign ministry, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed by a certified Arabic translation. An apostille alone is not accepted. Start this step first; it takes the longest.
