What is the DLD fee on an off-plan purchase?
The DLD fee is a registration fee of 4% of the sale value, charged when your off-plan contract is entered in DLD's Interim Real Estate Register (the system known as Oqood). On top of the 4%, DLD charges a AED 10 knowledge fee and an AED 10 innovation fee.
DLD's service page for registering an initial (off-plan) sale lists the fee as 2% of the sale value payable by the seller and 2% by the purchaser. DLD's investor guide, Know Your Rights, confirms that the 4% is paid in equal parts by seller and purchaser unless agreed otherwise.
That last phrase matters. The split is set by your Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA), and on off-plan purchases straight from a developer the buyer normally carries the whole 4%. Read the fees clause before you sign, and if a developer agrees to cover part of the fee, make sure that is written into the SPA.
Because the fee is a percentage of the sale value of the transaction being registered, check that the price registered with DLD matches the price in your SPA.
When do you pay it, and who registers the contract?
You pay the DLD fee early in the purchase, so the contract can be registered, not at handover. On an off-plan sale the developer registers the contract through DLD's Oqood portal, and DLD has said the buyer pays the registration fees to the developer, who then completes the registration.
DLD's current service terms say the contract must be registered in the provisional register within 90 days of signing, and that it must be signed by both the developer and the purchaser. Once registration is complete, DLD issues a provisional registration e-certificate (the Oqood certificate) and notifies the purchaser by email.
Registration is not a formality. Under Law No. 13 of 2008, any sale of an off-plan unit that is not entered in the Interim Register is void. If you have not received your Oqood certificate within a reasonable time after paying, ask the developer for the registration reference. Our Oqood guide explains the certificate in more detail.
Oqood registration and other charges in the SPA
DLD's fee schedule for off-plan sales includes an AED 1,000 self-registration fee for developers for each provisional sale registered through the Oqood developer portal. Check your SPA for any other charges the developer asks you to pay.
Ask for a written breakdown of every non-price charge before paying a booking deposit. Two legal points help you here:
- Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010 says a developer may not, for any reason, charge purchasers any amounts, other than those approved by DLD, in return for any legal disposition of their units.
- The same resolution says that, unless otherwise agreed, developer and purchaser pay registration fees according to their respective shares under the applicable legislation.
In practice, this means the SPA is where fee responsibility is fixed. Anything not in writing should not be assumed.
Agency fees on off-plan purchases
When you buy an off-plan unit directly from a developer, a separate agency fee is generally not charged to the buyer. On resale purchases, commission is agreed with the broker and a figure of 2% of the price plus 5% VAT is commonly quoted.
Whichever applies, get it in writing. DLD's investor guide states that where a broker represents a party in a sale, DLD's standard form for appointing real estate brokers must also be signed.
One rule protects your money directly: under Resolution No. 6 of 2010, a broker marketing a developer's project must deposit the sale price into the project escrow account. The broker may not pay it into their own account or deduct commission first. See how escrow protects off-plan buyers.
Mortgage registration costs if you borrow
If you finance the purchase, DLD charges a mortgage registration fee of 0.25% of the loan amount. This is in addition to the 4% sale registration fee.
DLD has a combined service, submitted by the developer through the Oqood portal, to register a sale together with its initial mortgage. Its fee list includes the 2% + 2% sale fee, the 0.25% mortgage fee, the AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees, and title deed and map fees of AED 250 each.
DLD's mortgage registration page also lists service partner fees of AED 4,000 plus VAT, and AED 5,000 plus VAT for provisional (Oqood) transactions, where the transaction goes through a service partner.
Your bank will add its own processing, valuation and arrangement charges, which are set by the lender, not DLD. Ask for them in writing before you accept an offer. Our off-plan mortgage guide covers how lenders treat under-construction property.
Worked example: an AED 1.5 million off-plan apartment
The example below uses an illustrative price of AED 1,500,000, not a real listing. It assumes the SPA puts the full 4% on the buyer and the unit is bought directly from the developer.
| Cost item | Basis | Amount (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | Illustrative | 1,500,000 |
| DLD registration fee | 4% of sale value (buyer pays all, per SPA) | 60,000 |
| Knowledge and innovation fees | AED 10 + AED 10 | 20 |
| Other charges in the SPA | As stated in the SPA | Check SPA |
| Agency fee | Direct developer purchase | Usually nil; confirm in writing |
| Government costs on a cash purchase | 60,020 |
If the SPA used DLD's default equal split instead, the buyer's share of the registration fee would be AED 30,000.
If the same buyer took an illustrative loan of AED 750,000, the DLD mortgage registration fee at 0.25% would be AED 1,875, before any bank charges or service partner fees.
To see how the 4% sits alongside your instalments, try the off-plan payment calculator.
Costs when you buy an off-plan unit on resale
If you buy an off-plan unit from an existing buyer before handover, DLD's 4% registration fee applies to that transaction's sale value. You also need the developer's involvement.
DLD states that resale of off-plan units is possible after obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the developer. NOC charges vary by developer and project, so ask the seller for the amount early.
For completed property, DLD's property sale registration service lists service partner (trustee) fees of AED 4,000 plus VAT where the sale value is AED 500,000 or more, and AED 2,000 plus VAT below that, plus a title deed issuance fee of AED 250. Check the current DLD page for the exact fees on your transaction type.
If you are on the other side of the deal, see our guide to selling off-plan before handover.
A checklist before you sign
- Confirm the fee split in the SPA. Is the full 4% on you, or is it shared?
- Ask for a written list of all non-price charges.
- Check who you are paying. Instalments should go to the project's escrow account, which you can see in the Project Status (Mashrooi) service on the Dubai REST app.
- Get your Oqood certificate. DLD's terms require registration within 90 days of signing.
- If borrowing, add 0.25% of the loan for DLD mortgage registration, plus your bank's charges.
- Confirm any agency fee in writing before you commit.
For the full step-by-step process, read our pillar guide on how to buy off-plan property in Dubai. Fees in this guide were checked against DLD's published service pages in October 2026; DLD can change them, so confirm on dubailand.gov.ae before you pay.
