Off-Plan Fees and Costs in Dubai: DLD 4%, Registration, Mortgage

General information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm current terms with the Dubai Land Department (DLD), RERA or a lawyer before you sign. Official sources were checked on 3 November 2026.

Short answer: The main off-plan cost in Dubai is the Dubai Land Department (DLD) registration fee of 4% of the sale value, plus small fixed fees, and commission if you use an agent. DLD's service page lists 2% for the seller and 2% for the purchaser, but a DLD notice says the buyer pays the 4% to the developer in practice, so confirm who pays before you sign.

What fees apply when you buy off-plan in Dubai?

Cost	Amount	Source and notes
DLD registration fee	4% of the sale value	Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013. DLD's initial sale service lists 2% seller and 2% purchaser; the resolution says shared equally unless agreed otherwise
Knowledge and innovation fees	AED 10 each	DLD initial sale service page
Final registration of a first-time unit	AED 540 per unit	DLD FAQ (title deed and map fees plus AED 10 + AED 10)
Mortgage registration, if financed	0.25% of the mortgage value, plus a partner fee of AED 5,000 + VAT for provisional mortgages	DLD mortgage registration page
Completion report (optional)	AED 15,000 per unit or villa	DLD FAQ: report on percentage of completion by the RERA technical auditor
Agency commission	Negotiable, often quoted around 2%	Not set by DLD; confirm in writing
Service charges	Yearly, per square foot	From handover: service charges explained

Who pays the 4% registration fee?

The resolution says the fee is shared equally between seller and buyer unless agreed otherwise, and DLD's initial sale service lists 2% for each. A DLD news item from 2021 said the buyer or investor pays the 4% to the developer, who then registers the sale. Developers sometimes advertise covering the fee as an incentive. We could not find an official source for such waivers, so treat the offer as a term to get in writing in the contract. DLD's initial sale page also lists a developer self-registration fee of AED 1,000 for the Oqood portal; that is a developer-side cost.

Illustrative total cost

Illustrative arithmetic only, using round numbers. On a AED 1,000,000 unit: 4% registration fee = AED 40,000; commission at 2% = AED 20,000; fixed fees of a few hundred dirhams; total buying costs around AED 60,000 to 61,000, or about 6% of the price. If you borrow, add the mortgage registration fee and bank fees. Use the Dubai mortgage calculator to include fees in your payment estimate. The effect on returns is in is off-plan a good investment in Dubai.

What to ask before you sign

• Is the registration fee included in the price, and who pays it?
• Are there administrative or other charges in the SPA? Developers may charge only DLD-approved administrative costs.
• What are the estimated service charges from handover?
• Is a fee waiver or discount written in the contract?

For payment structures see off-plan payment plans explained, and for the process how to buy property in Dubai as a foreigner.

Related: how to buy property in Dubai, Dubai market and prices, the off-plan guide, the Dubai mortgage calculator and our Dubai city guide. Figures change, so confirm current rules with official sources. This is general information, not financial or legal advice.

Sources

• Executive Council Resolution No. (30) of 2013 on Land Department fees
• DLD: Request to Register the Initial Sale (checked 3 Nov 2026)
• Dubai Land Department FAQ (checked 3 Nov 2026)
• DLD: Request for mortgage registration (checked 3 Nov 2026)
• DLD: calls on developers to pay property registration fees within 60 days (31 May 2021)
• Law No. (13) of 2008 regulating the Interim Real Property Register in Dubai

Frequently asked questions

How much are off-plan fees in Dubai?

The main cost is the 4% DLD registration fee, plus small fixed fees, any mortgage registration at 0.25% of the loan, and agent commission if you use one. Service charges start after handover.

Who pays the DLD fee on an off-plan purchase?

DLD's service page lists 2% for each side and the fee resolution says shared equally unless agreed otherwise, but a DLD notice says the buyer pays the 4% to the developer in practice. Confirm in your contract.

Is there an Oqood fee for buyers?

We found no separate buyer Oqood fee on DLD pages. The developer pays an AED 1,000 self-registration fee on the Oqood portal. Broker blogs quote other admin fees, so ask for any charge in writing.

Can a developer waive the DLD fee?

Developers advertise fee waivers as incentives, but we could not find an official source for them. Make sure any waiver is written into the contract.

What is the title deed fee on a new unit?

DLD's FAQ says AED 540 per unit is paid when a property is registered for the first time.