Calculate exact Dubai Land Department transfer fees, trustee fees, registration costs, and mortgage registration charges for any property transaction in Dubai and UAE, instantly.
A complete breakdown of all fees payable to the DLD for property transfers in Dubai.
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) charges a 4% transfer fee on all property sales in Dubai. This is one of the largest transaction costs buyers face and must be budgeted carefully when planning a property purchase.
The 4% fee is calculated on the agreed sale price (or DLD valuation, whichever is higher). It is payable at the time of title deed transfer at a DLD-approved trustee office and must be paid in full before the new title deed is issued.
For mortgaged transactions, there is an additional 0.25% mortgage registration fee charged on the loan amount. This is separate from the DLD transfer fee and is paid to register the bank's charge on the property.
By market convention in Dubai, the buyer pays the 4% DLD transfer fee. However, this is legally negotiable and some deals see the fee split equally or paid by the seller, particularly in soft market conditions or for high-value transactions.
Off-plan purchases from developers: the DLD fee is still 4% but the developer often pays part of it as a sales incentive, always confirm with the specific developer before assuming this.
| Fee Type | Amount | Paid By |
|---|---|---|
| DLD Transfer Fee | 4% of sale price | Buyer (typically) |
| Trustee Fee (above AED 500K) | AED 4,000 | Buyer |
| Trustee Fee (below AED 500K) | AED 2,000 | Buyer |
| Title Deed Issuance | AED 250 | Buyer |
| Knowledge Fee | AED 10 | Buyer |
| Innovation Fee | AED 10 | Buyer |
| Mortgage Registration | 0.25% of loan | Buyer/Borrower |
| Mortgage Registration Admin | AED 290 | Buyer/Borrower |
| NOC Fee (from developer) | AED 500–5,000 | Seller |
| Agent Commission | 2% + 5% VAT | Buyer |
Buyer and seller agree on price and sign an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding). Buyer pays 10% deposit to the agent to hold the property.
Seller obtains a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the developer confirming the property is clear of outstanding service charges and management fees.
Buyer prepares manager's cheques for: purchase price (to seller), DLD fee (to DLD), trustee fee (to trustee office), and agent commission.
Both parties attend a DLD-approved trustee office. The transfer is registered, all cheques are exchanged, and the new title deed is issued in the buyer's name.
DLD Fee: AED 32,000
Trustee Fee: AED 4,000
Title Deed: AED 250
Agent (2%+VAT): AED 16,800
Total Add-On Costs: ~AED 53,050
DLD Fee: AED 60,000
Trustee Fee: AED 4,000
Title Deed: AED 250
Agent (2%+VAT): AED 31,500
Total Add-On Costs: ~AED 95,750
DLD Fee: AED 120,000
Trustee Fee: AED 4,000
Title Deed: AED 250
Agent (2%+VAT): AED 63,000
Total Add-On Costs: ~AED 187,250
Full purchase cost including DLD, mortgage registration, agency fees.
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When you buy or sell real estate in Dubai, the transaction is completed through regulated registration channels. The Dubai Land Department (DLD) is the primary government authority for property registration and related public services in the emirate. Your final invoice depends on the transaction type (for example, ready residential, off-plan, land, or commercial), financing, and any published fee updates. Always reconcile marketing language with the official DLD website and current announcements rather than relying on third-party summaries alone.
Dubai’s market is globally connected; many buyers and tenants first encounter your brand through search, Google Business Profile, or AI overviews. Clear, cautious explanations of what moves at transfer (DLD-related lines, trustee/administration, agency, mortgage bank charges where applicable) help both SEO and local relevance without fabricating statistics. Where you need hard numbers for a live campaign, cite the dated official table or notice you used and refresh on a schedule.
Use the tool above as an orientation aid for conversations and internal underwriting, not as legal, tax, or investment advice. For the definitive position on title, charges, and completion, rely on DLD outputs, your trustee, and qualified counsel when appropriate.
Yes. DLD and wider Dubai open-data initiatives publish datasets and indices that analysts use for market commentary. If you embed charts, label the dataset name and month and link to the source so readers can reproduce your method.
Keep NAP (business name, address, phone) and service descriptions aligned between your site footer, structured data, and Google Business Profile. Fee language should match what you can support from official schedules, avoid precise percentages in GBP posts unless tied to a cited official update.
Disclaimer: AgentAdvisor materials are informational. DLD and other UAE authorities remain the source of truth for registration, fees, and compliance.
The DLD (Dubai Land Department) transfer fee is 4% of the property sale price. It is payable at the time of transfer at a DLD-approved trustee office. For a AED 2,000,000 property, the DLD fee is AED 80,000. This is non-negotiable and applies to all property transfers in Dubai regardless of the buyer's nationality or residency status.
No. DLD fees are additional to the property price and must be budgeted separately. When a developer or agent quotes a property price, the 4% DLD fee is almost never included. You must add DLD fee (4%), trustee fee (AED 4,000), title deed fee (AED 250), and agent commission (2% + VAT) on top of the purchase price to get your total buyer cost.
For off-plan property, the DLD transfer fee is still 4%, but many developers in Dubai offer to pay it on behalf of the buyer as a sales incentive (often advertised as "0% DLD fee"). When a developer pays the DLD fee, it is absorbed into the project's pricing structure. Always confirm whether the DLD fee is genuinely waived or embedded in a higher price per sq ft.
The DLD trustee fee is paid to a DLD-registered conveyancing trustee office (not to the DLD directly). For properties over AED 500,000, the trustee fee is AED 4,000; for properties under AED 500,000 it is AED 2,000. The buyer typically pays this fee. Trustee offices handle the actual documentation, verification, and transfer process on behalf of the DLD.
Yes. While by market convention the 4% DLD fee is paid by the buyer, this is legally negotiable. In a buyer's market or for premium properties, sellers sometimes agree to pay part or all of the DLD fee to make the deal more attractive. This should always be explicitly agreed in the MOU and reflected in the transaction documentation.