What does the Dubai Land Department charge on a transfer?
The largest single cost is the transfer registration fee of 4% of the sale value. The Dubai Land Department’s published property sale registration schedule sets this as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer, although sale contracts in Dubai frequently allocate the whole amount to the buyer. Read that allocation in the contract rather than assuming it.
Sitting alongside are smaller fixed items on the same schedule: AED 250 for issuance of the title deed certificate, AED 250 for a villa or apartment map, and AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees.
The registration trustee, described by the Department as the service partner, charges AED 4,000 plus VAT where the sale value is AED 500,000 or more, and AED 2,000 plus VAT below that level, again per the Department’s published schedule. All of these figures are indicative, reflect the schedule as published at the time of writing in September 2026, and can be revised.
Who pays the agent, and what does buy-side representation cost?
Agency commission is separate from government fees. Reporting by Gulf News on buying a home in the UAE describes an agent service fee of around 2% of the property value in Dubai as the customary figure; treat that as indicative market practice rather than a fixed tariff, and have the amount, the payer and the trigger point written into the paperwork before signing.
It is worth separating two different things. The listing agent is engaged by the seller and markets the seller’s property, while buy-side representation is engaged by the purchaser and owes its duty to the purchaser. We set out the distinction in more detail in who represents the buyer in a Dubai property transaction.
What extra costs apply with a mortgage or an off-plan purchase?
Where a purchase is financed, the Department’s mortgage registration service sets the mortgage registration fee at 0.25% of the mortgage value, with a further AED 250 for issuance of the title deed in the case of an ordinary mortgage. Lenders then add their own charges, typically an arrangement fee, a valuation fee and insurance requirements. These are set by the bank, vary between institutions and should be requested in writing as a full schedule before an offer letter is accepted.
Off-plan purchases follow a different rhythm. Gulf News reporting on off-plan buying in Dubai describes the 4% Dubai Land Department registration fee being levied on the property value and usually settled when the sale and purchase agreement is signed, often bundled with the down payment. On an off-plan resale, the developer will also charge for the no-objection certificate that permits the transfer; the amount is set by the developer and differs from project to project.
What costs continue after completion?
Service charges are the main recurring item. They are levied annually by the owners’ association for the building or community, usually calculated per square foot, and they fund maintenance, security, insurance and common-area utilities under the jointly owned property framework overseen by the Dubai Land Department. Asking for the last two years of service charge statements before exchange gives a clearer view than a single current-year figure.
Utility connection deposits, district cooling charges where applicable, and property management or letting fees if the unit is rented out complete the picture. On tax, the UAE has no personal income tax and no capital gains tax on property for individuals, while corporate tax applies at 9% above the threshold, with exemptions. Where a property is held through a company or an SPV, the position is fact-specific and belongs with a qualified tax adviser.
What does it cost to move funds in from abroad?
Cross-border purchases carry costs that never appear on a fee sheet: the exchange rate spread, the sending bank’s charges and any intermediary bank deductions along the payment chain. Asking for the all-in landed dirham amount, rather than the headline rate, is the only way to compare quotes properly.
Where the capital originates in digital assets, conversion to dirhams is carried out by a VARA-regulated payment partner, and the conversion cost sits with that partner rather than with the property transaction. Settlement can then be handled through a DFSA-engaged escrow agent. Every client is subject to KYC and to source-of-wealth and source-of-funds documentation; that work takes time and is best started early, as we explain in how digital-asset capital reaches a Dubai property purchase.
Where does independent advice fit?
A buyer’s total cost is rarely a single percentage. Government fees, trustee charges, commission, lender costs, developer charges and transfer-in costs all land at different moments, and each has a different degree of negotiability.
Revest acts only for buyers, never for sellers or developers. Our buyer’s consultancy service models the full cost of a purchase, checks how fees have been allocated in the draft documents and negotiates on the buyer’s side. Revest is not a financial, investment or tax adviser, and matters of tax treatment or legal structure should be put to qualified professionals in those fields.
