DLD fees in Dubai: what buyers and sellers pay

The Dubai Land Department (DLD) charges 4% of the sale value to register a property sale, listed as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer. On a ready home at AED 500,000 or more, add AED 520 in title deed, map, knowledge and innovation fees and a trustee fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT.

The fee lines below are copied from DLD e-service pages in DLD’s wording, and the totals are our arithmetic. Developer, broker and bank charges are separate; where one applies, we say who sets it.

The 4% DLD transfer fee

DLD’s Property Sale Registration page carries two percentage lines: 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% of the sale value for the buyer. Together they make 4% of the sale value.

Nothing on that page says the buyer pays both halves. A 2017 guide published by DLD and Al Tamimi & Company describes the 4% as “to be paid in equal parts by the seller and the purchaser, unless agreed otherwise”. Whatever your sale contract says is the split that applies, so settle it before you sign.

Off-plan sales are registered through Oqood with the same 2% and 2%, and DLD adds AED 10 each for knowledge and innovation. Before paying an off-plan registration fee, work through our off-plan checklist.

Every fee on DLD’s sale registration page

Source: DLD Property Sale Registration, page last updated 23 September 2026.

DLD writes “+ VAT” and does not state the rate. The Federal Tax Authority gives the standard rate as 5%. DLD’s own mortgaged-sale page lists the same fee as AED 4,200 or AED 2,100, which matches 5%.

Only the two 2% lines name a party. DLD lists the title deed, map, knowledge, innovation and service partner fees without saying which party pays them, so cover those in the contract as well.

The registration itself happens at a Real Estate Registration Trustees Center, and DLD gives the service time as 25 minutes. Seller and buyer each show an Emirates ID; a non-resident foreigner can use a valid passport instead. For a sale in a freehold area, DLD also needs the developer’s no-objection e-certificate (e-NOC), which comes through the Dubai REST app.

DLD accepts payment by ePay, Dubai Pay, Noqodi Wallet or a manager’s cheque, and the service produces an electronic title deed, an electronic map and fee balances. Our title deed guide explains how to check the deed. If you live abroad, our guide to buying as a foreigner covers the steps and documents.

Cost of buying property in Dubai: three cash examples

Illustration, not a quote. Each example assumes a cash purchase of a ready apartment or villa, a transfer at a trustee centre, a buyer who pays the full 4%, and VAT at 5% on the service partner fee.

The fixed fees are identical at all three prices: AED 250 title deed + AED 250 map + AED 10 knowledge + AED 10 innovation + AED 4,000 service partner fee + AED 200 VAT = AED 4,720.

Shares of the price are rounded to two decimal places. If the seller pays its own 2%, as DLD lists it, the buyer’s part of the registration fee halves to AED 20,000, AED 40,000 or AED 100,000.

Three costs are left out. Agency commission is agreed with your broker, and Firswood does not publish a percentage. Any developer NOC charge is set by the developer. Mortgage costs are not shown either: if you are borrowing, our mortgage coordination page explains how we organise the finance side.

Add these fees to the purchase price when you work out a yield, as in our rental-yield worked example. After transfer, budget for service charges, which DLD’s index publishes by project. If you let the home, the tenancy is registered through Ejari, which has its own DLD fees.

The Dubai Now route

DLD’s Buy or Sell Property via Dubai Now service is for UAE ID holders, citizens and residents, who sign in with UAE PASS. A sale request generates the sale and purchase agreement, the agreement is signed, and the purchase amount and fees go to a DLD-approved escrow account. The title deed and receipt are then available to view.

At AED 500,000 or more, the Dubai Now fixed fees come to AED 1,610: 250 + 250 + 30 + 30 + 1,000 + 50 VAT. That is AED 3,110 less than the AED 4,720 at a trustee centre (4,720 minus 1,610).

Two limits apply. Non-resident buyers and sellers cannot use the channel, because DLD lists its residency status as Citizen and Resident only. DLD also gives no reason why the knowledge, innovation and service partner fees here differ from the trustee centre lines, so confirm them with DLD before you rely on them.

Selling property in Dubai: fees for sellers

The e-NOC is a required document for sales in freehold areas, but no DLD service page we read attaches a fee to it. Ask the developer for its current charge in writing before you agree a price. Our residential sales page lists what a seller should prepare before instructing a sale.

Selling a mortgaged home: two DLD figures for the release

A home that still carries a mortgage is sold through DLD’s Registering the Sale of a Mortgaged Property service at a trustee centre, which takes 15 to 20 minutes. DLD asks for a liability letter from the bank, or a letter from the developer stating the remaining amount. Payment is split across three manager’s cheques: one to the bank or developer for the debt, one to the seller for any remaining amount, and one to DLD for the 4% fee.

The two pages differ by AED 20. DLD does not explain why, so we show both; confirm the figure with the trustee centre when you book.

The buyer may take a new mortgage in the same transaction. DLD lists 0.25% of the mortgage value for it. If that mortgage is registered on the same day, the registrar’s fees are waived; on the next day, a service partner fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT applies.

Mortgage registration fees

DLD’s Mortgage registration application lists 0.25% of the mortgage value, AED 250 for issuing each title deed, AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees for each drawing, and a service partner fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT. For a provisional (Oqood) mortgage on an off-plan home, the service partner fee is AED 5,000 plus VAT. Bank fees, valuation and loan terms are set by the lender; see mortgage coordination.

Other title deed fees

DLD’s Issue Title Deed service, open to Emirati citizens according to its page, has four fee lines: AED 250 title deed, AED 120 map issuance, AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation. Handover of an off-plan home, when the Oqood record becomes a title deed, has separate fees, set out in our title deed guide.

How we checked

We read each DLD service page on 1 October 2026 and copied the fee lines as DLD writes them. All of them carry the footer “Site was last updated on 23 September 2026”, which is a site-wide stamp, not the date a fee changed. Totals are our arithmetic from those lines, with VAT at the standard 5%. Where two DLD pages disagree, we show both. We did not use any portal or broker fee guide as a source.

Fees change, so check them again before you pay. This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Firswood Properties L.L.C is licensed by RERA as ORN 59926, and its registered broker is BRN 96318.

Common questions

If you are still choosing an area, compare areas in our Dubai property guides. To discuss the fees on a specific purchase or sale, contact us through the enquiry form.

Cite as: Firswood Properties, DLD fees in Dubai: what buyers and sellers pay, 2 October 2026.