A French-speaking real estate agent in Dubai

Support in French, from A to Z

A property purchase in Dubai has around ten steps, and each one produces a document. I am with you at every step, in French, by phone, video call or WhatsApp, at times that suit you:

• The brief: your goal (rental income, family use, Golden Visa, passing assets on), your real budget with fees included, your time horizon.
• The payment route from your country: bank, currency, proof of the source of funds.
• The shortlist: a few properties only, never a catalogue, with the project documents and comparable sales registered with the DLD.
• Viewings by video, narrated in French, or in person if you come to Dubai.
• The reservation and the contract (SPA): I go through the important clauses with you in French before anything is signed.
• Registration at the Dubai Land Department: Oqood off-plan, title deed for a ready property.
• Follow-up of instalments and construction, the snagging inspection, the handover.
• Afterwards: letting, management, resale. I remain your contact.

Everything can be done remotely if you wish: buying in Dubai without travelling.

Official documents, explained in your language

The documents that count are written in English, in Arabic or in both. They are the reference; my job is to give you a clear reading in French, line by line when needed.

• The sale and purchase agreement (SPA): price, payment plan, expected completion date, resale conditions before completion, penalties.
• The RERA memorandum of understanding (Form F) for a resale: price, deposit, deadlines, how fees are shared.
• The Oqood certificate, which records your off-plan purchase in the DLD register, then the title deed at completion.
• The tenancy contract registered on Ejari, if you let your property on an annual lease.

If your bank or tax adviser needs a certified translation, I tell you which documents to have translated and when.

The official steps of a purchase in Dubai

The framework is the same for every buyer, whatever their nationality. Law No. 7 of 2006 on real property registration opens freehold ownership to foreigners in designated areas; the Dubai Land Department registers every sale and RERA, its regulator, oversees developers, brokerages and brokers.

• Registered project: an off-plan project must be registered with RERA before it is marketed.
• Escrow account: your payments go into the project's escrow account at an approved bank, under Law No. 8 of 2007. Funds are released to the developer according to certified construction progress.
• Oqood: the off-plan sale is recorded in the DLD's interim real estate register, created by Law No. 13 of 2008. The certificate is issued in your name.
• DLD fees: 4% of the price, plus fixed administrative fees, paid at registration.
• Tracking: the project, the developer and construction progress can be checked in the official Dubai REST app.
• Title deed: at completion, or at transfer for a ready property, signed at a DLD-approved trustee office, in person or by a representative.

The complete guide, fees and pitfalls included, is here: investing in Dubai real estate. For costs in detail: Dubai property buying costs; for new builds: buying off-plan in Dubai.

The Golden Visa through property

The Golden Visa is a renewable 10-year residence permit under the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). In Dubai, the application goes through GDRFA, with the DLD documents. According to the official u.ae portal, a property investor can apply with one or more properties worth at least AED 2 million in total, including off-plan from approved developers, under the published conditions.

The visa is a residence permit, not a nationality, and it does not oblige you to live in the UAE. If it is your goal, I check the property's eligibility before the reservation: the Golden Visa through property.

Check your French-speaking agent

Sharing a language is a comfort; the licence is an obligation. In Dubai, every broker must hold a card issued by the DLD (BRN) and work in a licensed brokerage (ORN). Before entrusting your project to anyone, check both numbers in the official Dubai REST app or on the DLD website.

Mine: BRN 83239 for my broker card, ORN 49294 for Cevitas Real Estate. And one rule with no exception: you never pay for a property into a personal account, always into the project's escrow account or through the DLD procedure.

Who I am, what I do and how to check me: Ahmed Benjas, Moroccan real estate agent in Dubai. What an agent does day to day, and what it costs you, is on Dubai real estate agent.

French agent or French-speaking agent?

Many people search for “a French real estate agent in Dubai”. What really matters is to have someone in front of you who thinks and writes in your language, who knows the reality of your country of residence (bank, currency, declarations) and who is licensed in Dubai.

I am a Moroccan broker in Dubai; French has always been my working language, and I know first-hand the situations of French speakers from Europe, North America, North Africa and West Africa, in particular those of Moroccans living abroad. That mix is what I bring to your project. If you are Moroccan, the practical steps are on real estate agent in Dubai for Moroccans and MREs.

What changes with your country

Dubai's framework is the same for everyone. What changes from one French speaker to another is the currency, the banking route and what must be declared in the country of residence. I do not give tax advice: I hand over the documents your adviser needs.

• France: transfer in euros from your bank, euro-dollar exchange built into the calculation; accounts held abroad are declared every year. See investing in Dubai from France.
• Belgium: transfer in euros; an account opened abroad is declared to the Central Point of Contact of the National Bank of Belgium. See investing in Dubai from Belgium.
• Switzerland: payment in Swiss francs converted to dirhams, a property abroad to be mentioned in the cantonal tax return. See investing in Dubai from Switzerland.
• Canada and Quebec: payment in Canadian dollars, a large time difference that I organise around your hours, federal and Quebec declarations. See investing in Dubai from Canada.
• Morocco: investing abroad as a resident falls under the Office des Changes exchange-control rules; we first check the framework that applies to you. See buying property in Dubai from Morocco.

Already living in the UAE? Read buying in Dubai as a UAE resident.

What my support costs

On an off-plan purchase, the agency commission is paid by the developer: you pay the developer's price, with nothing added. On a resale, it is usually 2% of the price. Everything is set out in writing before you commit.

If you are looking beyond Dubai, my guide to investing in the UAE compares the emirates.