When you buy a property, in order for the full transfer of ownership to take place, you will need to register the property with the Dubai Land Department (DLD) – the central agency for all transactional processes related to freehold and leasehold purchases. If you buy a property through a developer, this will be done at the buying stage, with the developer’s support.

Prerequisites

• A Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA)
• Both parties (buyer/seller) must be present at the DLD 

What to bring

• Passport (original and copy)
• Original title deed
• Original NOC from the developer (freehold only)
• Sales & Purchase Agreement (certificate of property ownership)
• Manager’s cheque in the seller’s name

• Transfer fee of 4% + Dhs.540 from seller (buyer and seller each pay 2% of property value).
• Dhs.4,000 in cash (service fee) if the selling price is more than Dhs.500,000. 
• Dhs.2,000 (service fee) if the selling price is under Dhs.500,000.

Procedure

• Dubai Land Department (DLD), Project Registration Centre.
• The buyer and seller must visit the DLD together to register the sale of the property.
• The buyer presents his passport and full contact details.
• The buyer and seller proceed to the registration desk where the seller will receive payment from the buyer for the amount of the sale in the presence of a DLD official.
• The details of the sale are entered into an e-form which is signed by both parties. This will register the sale with the department.
• The seller and buyer pay the service fee to the cashier. The new title deed is issued in the buyer’s name, along with a map location of the property.
• The process is usually quite streamlined unless the DLD has a question about the value of the proposed sale. In this case the buyer and seller will be referred to the appraisal division where the staff will re-appraise the value of the property.