Dubai Property Fees and Closing Costs for Foreign Buyers

The main fee: 4% DLD transfer

The largest cost is the Dubai Land Department transfer fee — 4% of the purchase price — paid once at the point of transfer. It is technically split between buyer and seller but is almost always paid in full by the buyer in practice. On an off-plan purchase, developers sometimes offer DLD-fee waivers as an incentive, which can save you the full 4%.

Do the fees change if you are American, British or Indian?

No. This is the question behind most of the searches that reach this page, and the answer is simpler than people expect: Dubai charges the same fees to every buyer regardless of nationality or residency. The 4% transfer fee attaches to the property transaction, not to the passport of the person buying it. There is no surcharge for Americans, no separate rate for UK buyers, and no non-resident levy of the kind that exists in the UK, Canada, Australia or Singapore.

So an American, a Briton, an Indian national and a Dubai resident buying the same AED 1,000,000 apartment all pay the same roughly AED 66,000–69,000 in one-time costs. If you have been quoted a 'foreigner fee' on top of that, ask precisely what line item it is — it is not a Land Department charge.

Two things genuinely do differ, and neither is about nationality. The first is mortgage lending, which turns on residency rather than passport: non-resident buyers are generally asked for a larger deposit than residents, and banks commonly cap off-plan lending at 50% of value. The second is what your own country does about it, which is covered below.

What your home country may still tax

Dubai taxes neither the purchase nor the rent nor the gain. That does not always end the matter, because several countries tax their residents or citizens on worldwide income regardless of where the property sits.

US citizens and green card holders are taxed by the IRS on worldwide income wherever they live, and foreign accounts and assets carry separate reporting obligations (FBAR and FATCA). UK residents are generally taxable on overseas rental income and on gains when they sell. Indian residents face similar worldwide-income rules, alongside limits on how much can be remitted abroad each year.

None of that is a Dubai cost and none of it appears in the figures on this page, which cover what you pay in Dubai. But budgeting only for the Dubai side is how overseas buyers get surprised, so confirm your own position with a tax adviser in your country before you commit. We report the Dubai register; we are not tax advisers and this is not tax advice.

Agency commission and registration

A RERA-licensed broker typically charges 2% of the price (plus 5% VAT on that commission). Add DLD registration and admin fees — a few thousand dirhams (higher for units above AED 500,000), plus a title-deed issuance fee. For off-plan bought directly from a developer, there may be no agency commission at all.

Mortgage costs (if you finance)

If you take a mortgage, add a bank arrangement fee (around 1% of the loan), a mortgage registration fee at the DLD (0.25% of the loan amount plus a small admin fee), and a property valuation fee (roughly AED 2,500–3,500). Non-resident and expat mortgages usually require a larger down payment — often 20–50% depending on residency and property value.

Worked example: AED 1,000,000 apartment (cash)

DLD transfer fee (4%): AED 40,000. Agency commission (2% + VAT): ~AED 21,000. DLD registration + title deed + trustee fees: ~AED 5,000–8,000. Total one-time cost: roughly AED 66,000–69,000, or about 6.6–6.9% on top of the price. Add mortgage fees only if you finance. After purchase, ongoing costs are service charges (per sqft, varies by community) — not tax.

What you DON'T pay

There is no annual property tax, no council tax, and no capital-gains tax on residential property in Dubai. Rental income is also untaxed at the personal level. This is a major reason Dubai's net yields compare well internationally — the fees are front-loaded at purchase, not recurring.