Dubai Property Transfer Fees

Independent reference — not affiliated with the Dubai Land Department. Operated by Cendale Documents Clearing Services FZCO.

Dubai Property Transfer Fees: The Complete Schedule

Transferring ownership of a property in Dubai involves a fixed set of government fees payable to the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and its authorised Real Estate Registration Trustee offices. The fees are published, predictable, and — with one exception — non-negotiable. This page lists every charge in the schedule; the calculator itemises them for any transaction. Every figure is sourced from the Dubai Land Department’s published service pages and re-verified monthly.

Fee schedule verified against Dubai Land Department service pages: 16 July 2026. See the methodology.

The fee schedule at a glance

Nine charges make up a standard Dubai transfer. The percentages are set on transaction value; the rest are fixed.

The DLD transfer fee is 4% of the sale price, paid by the buyer in most transactions — the law provides for a 2%/2% split.
The trustee office fee is AED 4,200 including VAT for a property valued at AED 500,000 or above, and AED 2,100 including VAT below that threshold — paid by the buyer.
Title deed issuance is AED 250, and the property map is AED 250 for an apartment or villa (AED 100–225 for land, by jurisdiction).
The knowledge and innovation fees are AED 10 each, applied per fee and per drawing.
The mortgage registration fee, on financed purchases only, is 0.25% of the loan amount plus AED 290.
Where the property is mortgaged, the seller pays a mortgage release fee — AED 1,290 to the DLD plus AED 315 trustee and AED 20 knowledge and innovation.
The developer No Objection Certificate is a developer charge, not a DLD fee — typically AED 500–5,000, paid by the seller.

DLD government fees are exempt from VAT. Only the trustee office fee, a private service charge, carries 5% VAT, which is included in the AED 4,200 and AED 2,100 figures above.

How the fees break down

The 4% transfer fee is the largest component and is calculated on the actual sale price stated in the contract — not the listing price, the valuation, or the mortgage amount. Market convention in Dubai places the full 4% on the buyer unless the Memorandum of Understanding records otherwise. The trustee office fee is the processing charge levied by the authorised registration centre that executes the transfer.

Buyers financing with a bank pay a separate mortgage registration fee calculated on the loan amount, not the property price. Off-plan purchases follow a different path through the Oqood system, and transfers between first-degree relatives qualify for the reduced gift transfer rate of 0.125%.

Worked example: an AED 1,500,000 apartment with a mortgage

On an AED 1,500,000 ready apartment purchased with an AED 1,125,000 mortgage, where the buyer pays the full 4% by agreement, buyer-side government and trustee costs total AED 67,822.50: AED 60,000 transfer fee, AED 250 title deed, AED 250 property map, AED 20 knowledge and innovation fees, AED 4,200 trustee office fee including VAT, and AED 3,102.50 mortgage registration. Further scenarios — cash purchases, off-plan, gift transfers, and seller-side costs — are set out on the worked examples page.

Frequently asked questions

The amount of the DLD transfer fee

The transfer fee is 4% of the sale price stated in the contract, on both ready and off-plan purchases.

Allocation of the 4% between buyer and seller

The law splits the fee 2% to the seller and 2% to the buyer. Market convention places the full 4% on the buyer in most transactions; the allocation is agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding.

VAT on DLD fees

DLD government fees are VAT-exempt. Only the trustee office fee carries 5% VAT, included in the AED 4,200 and AED 2,100 figures.

Off-plan purchases and the 4%

The 4% applies at Oqood registration. No trustee fee applies, admin is lower, and there is no second 4% at handover.