When a Dubai property purchase is financed by a bank, the mortgage is registered with the Dubai Land Department as a charge on the title. Registration triggers its own fee, separate from and additional to the 4% transfer fee.
The fee is a DLD charge based on the mortgage amount: 0.25% of the loan, not the property price, plus AED 250 for the title deed issuance and AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees, as the DLD mortgage-registration card lists them (site updated 23 September 2026). The fee applies whenever a new mortgage is created, and to the incremental amount when an existing mortgage is increased or restructured. Finance provided by the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment operates under separate provisions.
The mortgage is normally registered at the same trustee office appointment as the transfer itself — the bank prepares the documentation and the buyer signs and pays. When sale and mortgage are registered on the same day, the registrar’s fees on the mortgage component are exempted; a mortgage registered on a separate day attracts its own registration-trustee fee of AED 4,000 + VAT (AED 5,000 + VAT for an Oqood mortgage). Coordinating bank timelines toward same-day registration avoids that additional charge.
DLD and trustee charges are not normally financed within the property loan; the lender’s own terms decide it, so confirm the position with the lender. On a financed purchase the 4% transfer fee, the trustee fee, fixed admin charges and this fee are ordinarily settled at completion — the calculator itemises them from the loan amount and price. When a mortgaged property is later sold or the loan repaid, discharging the registration follows its own DLD route, and the lender may charge separately for settlement or administration.
From the transcripts Understanding the Mortgage on Your Title Deed — and What Happens When It’s Released