Living in the UAE? Own instead of renting.

In short

A UAE resident of any nationality can buy freehold in the areas of Dubai open to foreign ownership. The title deed is registered in your name at the Dubai Land Department. Living here makes three things easier: viewings, financing with a local bank and signing in person.

• Freehold ownership in designated areas, under Law No. 7 of 2006
• Off-plan purchases protected by an escrow account (Law No. 8 of 2007)
• DLD fee: 4% of the price, plus administrative fees
• Mortgages from UAE banks, within the framework set by the Central Bank
• Golden Visa route from AED 2 million of property

What being a resident changes

With your Emirates ID most steps are online: checks on the official Dubai REST app, sign-in with UAE PASS, exchanges with the developer and the registration trustee. Your residence is handled by the ICP; your purchase by the DLD.

You can view properties yourself, compare communities you already know and meet the developer. That is a real advantage: you buy what you have seen, not a brochure.

Financing with a UAE bank

As a resident you can apply for a mortgage with UAE banks. The share of the price that can be financed and the terms are regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE and depend on your profile: income, status, first home or not. The bank confirms your capacity in writing before any booking.

Off-plan, the developer's payment plan often replaces a mortgage during construction, with bank financing at handover. See off-plan payment plans and Dubai mortgages.

Off-plan or ready

Off-plan, your payments go into the project's escrow account, supervised by RERA, and the sale is recorded in the Oqood register. Every step is in buying off-plan in Dubai.

A ready property is negotiated with the seller, signed on the RERA standard contract (Form F), then transferred at a trustee office with the developer's no-objection certificate (NOC). See buying a resale property in Dubai.

Live in it, let it, or both

If you move in, you stop paying rent. If you let it, the tenancy is registered on Ejari and rent is paid into your UAE account. See renting out your Dubai property.

Living in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or Ras Al Khaimah? Each emirate has its own areas and land registry: see Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.

Moroccans in the UAE: keeping a foot in Morocco

Many Moroccans living in the UAE run two projects side by side: a property in Dubai to put savings to work, and a home in Morocco for the family. Both can be prepared at the same time.

To buy in Morocco without travelling, a power of attorney can be drawn up through Morocco's consular network in the UAE (embassy in Abu Dhabi, consulate general in Dubai) or before a notary. Funds coming from abroad can be held in convertible dirhams under the rules of the Office des Changes. See buying in Morocco from abroad and Moroccans in the UAE and the Gulf.

The steps, in order

• A call to set the goal: live in, let, Golden Visa, or a Morocco project alongside
• Written confirmation of your financing capacity from your bank
• A short list of properties, viewed together or on video
• Booking, then the contract (SPA off-plan, Form F for a ready unit)
• Registration at the DLD: Oqood off-plan, title deed for a ready unit
• Follow-up: instalments, handover, Ejari if you let

Let's talk about your project

I am Moroccan, based in Dubai, and I run Cevitas Real Estate, a RERA-licensed brokerage, with more than AED 200 million placed for private investors. More on the agency: invest in Dubai real estate with Cevitas.

The simplest start: a free 30-minute call, or a meeting in Dubai. Book a call.