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How buying off-plan in Dubai works, step by step

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Buying off-plan means you sign for a home before it is built, and pay for it in stages while it goes up. Dubai has a legal framework for every stage: a provisional register at the Dubai Land Department (DLD), a project escrow account at an approved bank, and a title deed when the building is finished. This guide walks through the stages in the order you will meet them, and shows what to check at each one.

It is general information, not legal advice. Every figure below links to the government page it comes from.

The short version

  1. Check the developer, the project and the broker.
  2. Reserve the unit (a booking or expression of interest).
  3. Sign the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with the developer.
  4. The developer registers your SPA in DLD's provisional register (Oqood). You get a provisional registration certificate.
  5. Pay instalments into the project's escrow account as the plan requires.
  6. Follow construction progress on DLD's project status service.
  7. Inspect the unit at handover and report defects.
  8. Pay the balance, take the keys, and receive your title deed.

Check the developer, the project and the broker

Before money changes hands, check these points.

The project is registered and has an escrow account. Dubai's escrow law requires a developer to be on DLD's Register of Real Estate Developers before selling off-plan, and to open an escrow account for the project with an escrow agent accredited by DLD [S2, Art. 4, 6 and 2]. DLD publishes the list of approved escrow trustees [S4].

The project is real and moving. DLD's Project Status Enquiry lets a customer enquire about a project's completion percentage and details by entering the land number, project number or project name, via the Land Department website, the Dubai REST App or WhatsApp. The Land Department number is 8004488 [S3]. If the project does not appear, ask why before you go further.

The broker is licensed. DLD's website has a searchable Licensed Real Estate Brokers page where brokers can be looked up [S7]. Ask for the broker's registration number (BRN) and check it.

The law also requires the developer to get written permission from DLD before advertising or exhibiting an off-plan sale [S2, Art. 5]. A listing or advert should carry its permit; ask to see it.

Reserve the unit

Developers usually take a booking (sometimes called an expression of interest, EOI, or reservation form) to hold a unit while the SPA is prepared. When a developer asks to open an escrow account, the law requires it to submit a standard sale contract between the developer and the purchaser [S2, Art. 6(8)]. Read the booking form before you pay. Ask:

  • Is the deposit refundable if I do not sign the SPA? Within how many days?
  • Is the deposit paid into the project escrow account?
  • What exactly is reserved: unit number, floor, size and view?

Sign the SPA

The SPA is the contract that matters. It sets the price, the payment plan, the expected completion date, what happens if either side is late, and what you get at handover. DLD requires the SPA to be signed by both the developer and the buyer, and to be registered in the provisional register within 90 days of signing [S1, Terms 1 and 3].

What to read closely:

  • Payment schedule: the amount and the trigger for each instalment (a date, or a construction milestone). See our guide to payment plans.
  • Fees: who pays the DLD registration fee and any admin fees. See our guide to off-plan fees.
  • Completion date and grace period: what the developer owes you if it is late.
  • Default: what happens if you miss a payment. See our escrow and protection guide.
  • Resale before handover: whether you may sell your position, and on what conditions.
  • Specification: finishes, appliances and the floor plan attached to the contract.

Provisional registration (Oqood)

"Oqood" is the name of DLD's portal for the provisional (interim) register of off-plan sales. DLD describes the service "Request to register the initial sale" as one that allows a real estate developer to register off-plan units at the provisional register. The procedure starts with login to the Oqood portal [S1, Procedures]. The documents required include:

  • a copy of the SPA,
  • a valid UAE ID, or a valid passport if you are not resident [S1, Required documents].

Companies supply a trade licence and further papers [S1].

DLD's fee table for this service is 2 % of the sale value for the seller and 2 % for the purchaser, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees [S1, Fees]. Your SPA says who actually pays, so check that clause. Payment can be made by Noqodi wallet or by deduction from the escrow account [S1, Payment method].

The output is a provisional registration e-certificate, sent to the buyer by email [S1, Issued documents and Procedures]. Keep it: it is your proof that the sale is on DLD's record.

Pay into escrow

Under the escrow law, payments made by off-plan buyers go into the project's escrow account, held by the escrow agent in the project's name [S2, Art. 7]. The money is dedicated to building that project, and the developer's creditors cannot attach it [S2, Art. 9(1)].

Practical checks:

  • Pay only to the escrow account details printed in your SPA or confirmed by the developer in writing.
  • Keep every receipt.
  • Be suspicious of any request to pay a personal account or an account that is not the project escrow account.

Follow construction

Use DLD's Project Status Enquiry to check the completion percentage as it rises [S3]. If your plan has instalments tied to construction milestones, this is how you can check that a milestone has been reached before you pay.

See how we present the project.

Handover and inspection

When the building is complete, the developer invites you to inspect the unit (often called snagging) and pay the final instalment. List every defect in writing before you accept the keys.

The law gives you protection after handover too. In a jointly owned building the developer remains liable:

  • for 10 years from the completion certificate to fix structural defects;
  • for one year from handover to repair or replace defective mechanical, electrical, sanitary and sewerage installations [S6, Article (40)].

Our handover and snagging guide covers this stage in detail.

Title deed

Once you have paid in full and the project is registered as complete, your provisional registration becomes a title deed in your name. DLD's title deed service lists an AED 250 title deed certificate fee, an AED 120 map fee and AED 10 + AED 10 knowledge and innovation fees [S5, Fees]. Check with the developer which of these it passes on to you.

If you bought with a mortgage, the bank's mortgage is registered against the property too.

Mistakes we see most often

  • Paying before the SPA is registered. Ask for the provisional registration certificate, and do not treat the sale as secure until you have it.
  • Not reading the default clause. Missing an instalment can cost you a large part of what you paid. Know the schedule and keep a buffer.
  • Relying on a brochure. Only the SPA and its annexes bind the developer. If a promise is not in the contract, it is not a promise.
  • Assuming a completion date is fixed. Read the grace-period clause and plan for the possibility of a delay.

FAQ

Can a non-resident buy off-plan in Dubai? For provisional registration of an off-plan sale, individuals provide a copy of the sale and purchase contract, a valid UAE ID and, for non-residents, a valid passport [S1].

Who registers the sale with DLD, me or the developer? DLD describes the service as allowing a real estate developer to register off-plan units. The available channel is the Land Department's website (Real Estate Developers Portal - Oqood). The output e-certificate is sent by email to the purchaser [S1].

How long does the developer have to register my SPA? DLD's terms say the SPA must be registered in the provisional register within 90 days of signing [S1].

Where does my money go? Into the project's escrow account at a DLD-accredited escrow agent [S2, Art. 2 and 7]. DLD lists the approved trustees [S4].

How do I know construction is progressing? Use DLD's Project Status Enquiry via the Land Department website, the Dubai REST App or WhatsApp. For WhatsApp, save the Land Department number 8004488 [S3].

What happens to escrow money after completion? The escrow law says a retained amount is released to the developer one year after Units are registered in purchasers' names [S2, Art. 14].

Is this legal advice? No. It is general information checked against official sources. For your own purchase, read the SPA with a lawyer and confirm with DLD.

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Facts checked against the sources above. Reviewed by the Vetted Property team. Rules and fees change; check the linked DLD pages before you act.

Sources

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