Off-Plan Mortgage Eligibility Checker
Since September 2026 an Abu Dhabi bank can be registered on your off-plan unit once you have paid half, and fund every instalment from there to handover. Dubai banks do the same on approved projects part-way through the build. Put in your numbers and see whether the door is open for you, how much the bank can fund, and what it costs a month.
Off-plan mortgage eligibility: can the bank step in?
Lock the terms before you qualify
The rules, in plain English
Three layers decide the answer. The Central Bank sets the ceilings: an off-plan loan can never exceed 50% of the price, the whole loan can never exceed 7 times your annual income (8 for UAE nationals), and your total monthly commitments after the mortgage must stay under half your income, tested at a rate two points above the offer. The loan runs for 25 years at most and must be repaid by 65, or 70 if you are self-employed.
The emirate sets the door. In Abu Dhabi the ADREC framework lets the bank register its interest on your unit in the interim register once you have paid 50%, so the bank funds the remaining instalments and the handover payment from that point. Aldar and ADCB completed the first one in September 2026, with ADIB, DIB, Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic and FAB also on the framework. In Dubai the bank lends against your Oqood registration on projects from its approved list, usually once the building is 40% complete and you have paid 50%. The Emirates NBD and Dubai Holding model opens at 30% complete for Nakheel, Meraas and Dubai Properties projects.
The bank sets the rest: which developers it accepts, its minimum income, its rate. Pre-approvals typically hold for 12 months and renew until handover, so the sensible order is pre-approve at booking, keep paying instalments, and draw the loan the day you cross 50%.
Questions buyers ask
Can I get a mortgage on an off-plan property in the UAE?
Yes. The Central Bank caps an off-plan loan at 50% of the price for every buyer, so you fund the first half in cash and a bank can fund the rest. In Abu Dhabi the ADREC framework registers the bank on your unit once you have paid 50%. In Dubai banks finance projects on their approved lists, usually once the project is 40% built and you have paid 50%.
What is the ADREC off-plan mortgage framework?
A route launched by the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre in 2026 that lets a bank be recorded on an off-plan unit in the interim real estate register before handover. Once the buyer has paid 50% of the price, the bank funds the remaining instalments and the handover payment. Aldar and ADCB completed the first one in September 2026.
How much can I borrow against an off-plan unit?
The lowest of three caps: 50% of the price, 7 times your annual income (8 times for UAE nationals), and the loan that keeps your total monthly commitments under 50% of income at a rate stressed two points higher than the offer. The checker shows all three.
Do I have to wait until handover?
No, and that is the point of the new routes. You can be pre-approved as soon as you book (pre-approvals typically hold for 12 months and renew to handover) and draw the loan once you have paid 50%, so the mortgage terms are fixed while the building goes up.
What does an off-plan mortgage cost on top of the purchase fees?
Mortgage registration of 0.25% of the loan (plus AED 290 in Dubai), a valuation of around AED 3,000, a bank arrangement fee that is typically 1% but often waived on launch offers, and in Abu Dhabi the ADREC trustee fee of AED 1,575 for a transfer with a mortgage. The 4% DLD or 2% ADREC purchase fee is separate and paid at booking.
Can non-residents get an off-plan mortgage?
The Central Bank caps are the same, but only a few banks lend to non-residents before handover and most prefer the loan at completion. It is done case by case, which is where a broker who knows each bank’s current appetite earns their keep.