Selling Property in Dubai: Step by Step

Reviewed against Dubai Land Department (DLD) and RERA public guidance current as of September 2026.

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Before you list

Sort these out before you put it on the market — several of them set your real timeline.

Do I need to sign anything before an agent can list my property?

Yes — Form A, RERA's official listing agreement. Without a signed Form A, a broker can't legally market or advertise your property on the portals, so this is normally the first document you sign, before any viewings happen. You can appoint up to three agents at once, each on their own separate Form A, and choose exclusive (one agent only) or non-exclusive (several agents competing) per agreement — decide which suits you before you sign the first one. It's usually generated and signed through the Dubai REST app or your agent's own platform, using UAE Pass. Realcheck doesn't review Form A itself — it's a short, standardised listing agreement with little room for the kind of clause-by-clause risk an independent review adds value on. Our review is for the documents that actually carry financial and legal weight: the sale contract (Form F), any Addendum, or a tenancy handover.

How does agent commission actually work?

It's not government-regulated — it's a market convention. On a completed-property resale, roughly 2% plus 5% VAT per side (each party pays their own agent, if separately represented) is the widely quoted norm, though it's negotiable. It's also normal for the same agent to represent both buyer and seller (dual agency) — you won't have exclusive representation unless you arrange that separately.

I still have a mortgage — what does that actually involve?

You'll need a liability letter (sometimes called a mortgage NOC) from your bank confirming the payoff amount. For a completed-property resale, the outstanding balance is typically settled directly from the sale proceeds at the trustee office on transfer day; an off-plan assignment works differently (see below), so don't assume the same mechanism applies. There's a real cost to closing it early: UAE Central Bank rules cap the early-settlement fee at 1% of the remaining balance or AED 10,000, whichever is lower. On top of that, there's a DLD mortgage-release fee (around AED 1,270 — AED 1,000 for the removal itself plus AED 270 in flat fees, the same regardless of whether the mortgage was conventional or Islamic) plus a trustee service fee (around AED 300–315 + VAT) and any bank admin fee (commonly AED 500–2,000). Ask your bank for the exact figures as soon as you decide to sell — they affect your real net proceeds.

My property is tenanted — do I have to evict before I can sell?

Only if you want to deliver the property vacant. If your buyer is happy to take over the existing tenancy (common with investor buyers), you don't need to evict at all — the tenancy legally carries over to the buyer as the new landlord automatically, on the same terms. The Ejari record itself doesn't transfer with it, though: the buyer needs to re-register it in their own name after handover, using the sale documents — a real step, not just a formality, since a stale Ejari record can cause problems if the tenancy is later renewed or disputed. Re-registration is commonly around AED 200–220 with no fixed statutory deadline, but it's worth handing your buyer the current Ejari and tenancy contract at handover so they can get it done promptly. If you do need vacant possession, Dubai's rental law (Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008) requires at least 12 months' written notice to the tenant, served through a Notary Public or registered mail, stating that you intend to sell — and the notice period generally has to align with the tenancy's expiry/renewal date, not just be any 12 months counted from today. In practice, a buyer who wants vacant possession will usually serve (or re-serve) that 12-month notice themselves once they become the registered owner — don't assume a notice you served as the seller automatically carries over to them. If you haven't already served your own notice, it directly sets your earliest realistic sale-completion date, so this is worth sorting out before you list, not after you have a buyer. Our tenancy guide covers what that existing contract and its Ejari registration should look like, which is worth a read before you hand either over to a buyer.

How do I actually receive the sale proceeds from abroad?

A DLD circular (No. 29/R/2025, 16 July 2025) now requires sale proceeds to be paid directly into the registered owner's own UAE bank account — a Power of Attorney holder, agent, or any other third party can no longer receive the money on your behalf, even though a POA can still sign the documents for you. In practice this means opening a UAE bank account in your own name to receive the funds, then remitting the money abroad yourself. Expect standard source-of-funds and AML documentation on a transaction this size, which is routine, not a red flag. If you don't yet have a UAE account, start that process before you sign Form F — don't leave it until transfer day. Some banks will do this fully remotely via video verification, others still want an in-person visit, and most non-resident personal accounts carry a minimum balance requirement (commonly AED 3,000–25,000) — check what your bank of choice needs before you rely on the timeline.

Does my home country tax this sale?

The UAE has no capital-gains tax, so you keep the full proceeds here. That doesn't mean the sale is untaxed everywhere — many countries tax their own residents/citizens on gains from foreign property when it's sold, regardless of where the property is. This isn't just a non-resident question: a UAE resident who's still a citizen or tax-resident of another country (US citizens are the clearest example) can owe tax at home too, purely on citizenship, regardless of where you actually live. Check your own country's rules; this varies a lot and won't be flagged for you by anyone on the Dubai side of the transaction. Also budget for currency-conversion and remittance fees when moving proceeds abroad — these are bank charges, not taxes, but they affect your net.

Making the sale — resale

Here's what actually happens, and roughly how long each part tends to take — padded generously, since delays are more common than a perfectly smooth run.

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List & accept an offer

Varies — market dependent

1 Confirm your own position, then list

Before you list, confirm there are no unpaid service charges on the property — arrears are one of the most common reasons a developer NOC gets held up later, so it's worth settling or at least confirming the balance now rather than discovering it during the NOC stage. Once you accept an offer, you'll typically sign a Memorandum of Understanding or Addendum alongside the buyer — a deposit cheque (often 2–10% and sometimes refundable only if you as the seller pull out) may be taken at this stage. At Form F signing, a 10% deposit by manager's cheque is standard, usually structured as a breach penalty rather than cash paid upfront.

What your Addendum should actually say: the target transfer date, what happens to the deposit if either side defaults, who's responsible for outstanding service charges up to the transfer date, and who pays the 4% DLD transfer fee and each party's agent commission (commonly ~2% plus 5% VAT). Vague or missing terms here are where most seller disputes start.

You'll need

Title deed and Emirates ID/passport
Confirmation your service charges are up to date
Your bank's liability letter / payoff amount requested early

Get it reviewed

Allow 1–3 days at this stage

Recommended before you sign Form F

Before you sign Form F, get an independent, plain-English read on what you're actually agreeing to. Form F commits you to more than the headline price and date — it allocates real risk to you as the seller in ways that aren't always obvious on a first read, particularly around default consequences and title warranty. Worth having it looked over by someone independent before you sign, not after.

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Apply for your developer NOC

1–3 weeks

2 Apply for your developer NOC — start this early

The No Objection Certificate from your property's developer (now typically an e-NOC via the Dubai REST app) is the single most common source of delay in a Dubai sale. It confirms no service-charge arrears and no objection to the transfer, and it's your responsibility as the seller to obtain it, not the buyer's.

"The No Objection Certificate from your property's developer is the single most common source of delay in a Dubai sale."
— common experience among Dubai sellers, not a DLD-published statistic

Where sellers get caught out: developer turnaround isn't always fast, and some developers require service charges to be fully settled first. Apply as soon as you accept an offer, not once the buyer is pressing you for a transfer date. NOCs are typically valid for 30–60 days, so confirm the validity window and book your transfer before it expires. The developer's NOC fee itself is commonly AED 500–5,000 plus VAT, depending on the developer — this is a real cost, and it's yours to pay as the seller.

Delivering vacant possession? Make sure the 12-month tenant notice period (see "before you list" above) is already well underway or complete by this stage — this is usually the single biggest timing constraint on the whole sale, not the NOC itself.

You'll need

Title deed
Proof service charges are settled (or a plan to settle them before the NOC is issued)
Passport/Emirates ID
Your bank's liability letter — some developers want this alongside the NOC application, not just at transfer

Sign Form F

Same day

3 Sign Form F

Form F is the formal, RERA-registered contract of sale — it records the price, deposit, transfer date, and both parties' details, and is typically signed once the NOC is in hand.

You'll need

Passport/Emirates ID (or POA documents if signing via a representative)
The developer's NOC

Transfer day

1–2 weeks to arrange

4 Book the trustee appointment and attend transfer day

Once Form F is signed and your NOC is in hand, the transfer appointment at a DLD-authorised Trustee Centre needs to be booked — in practice this is usually arranged by the agent handling the deal, on behalf of both sides, but confirm explicitly who's doing it when you sign Form F, rather than assuming. Both parties (or representatives) attend on the day itself, fees are paid, and title transfers to the buyer.

Legally required vs. what usually happens: the DLD transfer fee is 4% of the sale price. DLD's own default splits this 2%/2% between buyer and seller, but in practice the buyer covers the full 4% in most ready-property deals. This directly affects your net proceeds if you've agreed to cover any share of it — get it confirmed in writing in your Addendum, not left implicit. On top of the DLD fee, you'll typically pay your own agent's commission (commonly ~2% plus 5% VAT) out of your proceeds. Trustee fees are typically around AED 2,000 + VAT for deals under AED 500,000, and AED 4,000 + VAT above that. Current trustee fees are on DLD's Property Sale Registration page directly, since government fees can change.

You'll need

Original title deed, passport/Emirates ID
Developer NOC and signed Form F
Mortgage liability letter and a bank representative present — the payoff is normally settled directly from the sale proceeds at this stage via a separate manager's cheque to your bank
If the buyer is taking over the tenancy: the existing Ejari and tenancy contract ready to transfer to them as the new landlord

Receive your proceeds

Same day to a few days

5 Receive your proceeds

Sale proceeds are often issued as a manager's cheque and, if there was a mortgage, only released once the payoff is confirmed. If you deposit the cheque, allow 1–3 business days for it to clear before remitting abroad. See "before you list" above for how this works if you're receiving the funds from outside the UAE — the money has to reach your own account, not a representative's.

You'll need

DEWA account closed or transferred out of your name
If the tenancy ended: Ejari cancelled once the tenant has vacated

Making the sale — off-plan

Selling an off-plan unit before handover — sometimes called an assignment sale — runs on a different track: no title deed to transfer yet, since the property doesn't exist, so instead you're assigning your position in the original Sale and Purchase Agreement to a new buyer. Durations below are padded generously.

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Check you're eligible to assign

A few days to confirm

1 Confirm the developer will actually allow it

Most developers require you to have paid a minimum share of the purchase price before they'll approve an assignment — commonly cited around 30–40%, but this varies by developer and project, so check your own SPA rather than assume. Some projects restrict resale entirely until a certain construction milestone. Confirm this before you spend time finding a buyer, not after.

You'll need

Your original SPA — check the resale/assignment clause directly
Confirmation of how much you've paid against the minimum threshold

Find a buyer & agree terms

Varies — market dependent

2 Agree the assignment price and terms

Your buyer effectively takes over your position in the SPA — the amounts you've already paid, plus whatever premium or discount you've agreed, plus responsibility for the remaining payment schedule to the developer. Be clear with the buyer about exactly what they're taking on before terms are agreed, not after.

Get it reviewed

Allow 1–3 days at this stage

Recommended before you sign the assignment agreement

Before you sign anything with the buyer or the developer, get an independent, plain-English read on what the assignment actually transfers and what it doesn't. Getting this wrong can leave you still liable for payments you thought you'd handed off, or exposed if the developer's own paperwork doesn't match what you agreed with the buyer.

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Developer NOC & assignment fee

1–4 weeks

3 Get the developer's NOC for the assignment

The developer must approve the transfer before DLD will register it — this is mandatory, not optional. Developers typically charge an assignment/transfer fee for this, commonly in the region of 2–5% of a price base that varies by developer: many calculate it on the original purchase price, while some use the resale price — confirm the exact basis and figure in writing before you agree a final price with your buyer, since it comes out of your proceeds. Separately, note that your buyer pays a fresh 4% DLD registration fee on the resale price at Oqood-to-Oqood transfer — there's no credit for the 4% you already paid at original purchase, so it's worth flagging to them so it doesn't blow up the deal late.

Still have a mortgage? Off-plan mortgages are usually tied to the specific unit and developer milestones — talk to your bank early about how an assignment affects your loan, since this isn't the same mechanism as a completed-property payoff at trustee transfer.

You'll need

Original SPA and proof of payments made to date
Developer's assignment fee, paid before the NOC is issued

DLD registration

1–3 weeks

4 Register the transfer with DLD

With the developer's NOC in hand, the assignment is registered with the Dubai Land Department, updating the Oqood record — the interim register DLD keeps for off-plan units before a title deed exists — into the new buyer's name. Total transaction costs on an off-plan assignment — developer assignment fee, agent commission if one was involved, DLD's 4% registration fee, and the trustee/service-partner fee (around AED 4,000 + VAT) — commonly land somewhere around 7–11% of the sale price combined, though this varies by project, so don't assume a figure without confirming your own.

You'll need

Developer's NOC
Signed assignment agreement

Receive your proceeds

Same day to a few days

5 Receive your proceeds

Once registered, the buyer pays you (net of whatever was agreed) and takes over the remaining payment schedule directly with the developer. If the developer's NOC is delayed or refused, the buyer's ~10% security cheque should be returned unencashed; make sure your assignment agreement states this explicitly and sets a long-stop date for NOC approval, otherwise the cheque (and the deal) can be tied up for months. See "before you list" above for how this works if you're receiving the funds from outside the UAE.

This is general orientation, not legal or tax advice, and not a substitute for advice from a licensed conveyancer or lawyer. Fee and process figures checked against Dubai Land Department's own e-service pages and the Dubai Legislation Portal (linked inline above); the 12-month tenant-notice requirement checked against Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008; the early-settlement fee cap checked against CBUAE Decision No. 96/2019 (amending Regulation No. 29/2011) as reported by licensed UAE law firms; mortgage-release and trustee fee figures, the requirement for sale proceeds to be paid into the registered owner's own UAE account, and off-plan assignment thresholds and fees were all checked against multiple current UAE mortgage-broker, trustee, and legal sources and flagged as varying by bank/developer rather than stated as a fixed rule. Phase durations are deliberately rough and padded generously, not tight estimates — real transactions run long more often than short, and your own timeline may differ. Fees, thresholds, and requirements can change — verify current figures with the Dubai Land Department, RERA, your bank, or your trustee office. Realcheck reviews the actual documents in your transaction; it does not replace independent legal or tax advice.