What is Oqood?
Oqood is the Dubai Land Department (DLD) system for registering off-plan property sales in the interim property register. It is the official record that you have bought a specific unit in a project that is not yet complete, and it stands in for a title deed until the project is completed and registered.
The legal basis is Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008, which created the interim register for off-plan sales and other dispositions of units before they enter the main property register. Article 3 of the law says any sale or other disposition of an off-plan unit is void unless it is entered in that register. That is why Oqood registration is one of the most important protections for an off-plan buyer.
Oqood works alongside the escrow system under Law No. 8 of 2007, which requires payments made by off-plan buyers to be deposited into a dedicated project escrow account. See our guide to escrow and RERA protection.
Who registers Oqood, and when?
The developer registers the sale, not the buyer. According to the DLD's initial sale registration service, a real estate developer uses the Oqood portal to register units sold off-plan, or land plots not yet fully paid, in the provisional register.
The DLD sets these service terms:
- The sale and purchase agreement (SPA) must be signed by both the developer and the purchaser.
- The SPA must be registered in the provisional register within 90 days of signing.
- If the purchaser is a minor, the guardian signs and provides their passport or ID.
The process runs online: the developer logs in to the Oqood portal, selects the unit, enters the details, attaches documents, chooses a payment method and submits. The output is a provisional registration e-certificate, which the DLD sends to the purchaser by email. Ask your developer when to expect it, and follow up if it has not arrived.
Oqood fees
The DLD fee schedule for registering an initial off-plan sale is:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Seller (developer) | 2% of the sale value |
| Purchaser | 2% of the sale value |
| Knowledge fee | AED 10 |
| Innovation fee | AED 10 |
| Developer self-registration fee (Oqood portal), provisional sale | AED 1,000 |
Fees are paid through a Noqodi wallet or by deduction from the escrow account. The DLD schedule splits the 4% between seller and purchaser, but your SPA sets out what you are actually asked to pay, so check whether the developer passes the full 4% to you, shares it, or offers to cover some of it.
Illustrative example (not a real project): on a unit priced at AED 1,200,000, 2% is AED 24,000 and 4% is AED 48,000. Budget for whichever share your SPA assigns to you. For a full breakdown of purchase costs, see our guide to DLD fees on off-plan purchases.
Documents needed for registration
The developer submits the documents, but you supply your own. For individual buyers, the DLD lists:
- a copy of the signed sale and purchase agreement
- a copy of a valid UAE ID
- a copy of a valid passport, for non-residents
Company buyers need more. For example, a limited liability company provides a valid trade licence, the licence holder's ID or passport, any power of attorney, a legal Arabic translation of the Memorandum of Association and a shareholder certificate. Foreign and GCC companies need their translated Memorandum of Association ratified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a foreign company also needs a no-objection letter from the free zone, valid for one year, for purchase contracts. Check the full list on the DLD service page before booking if you are buying through a company.
How to verify your Oqood registration
You can check property records yourself through official DLD channels rather than relying on the developer or a broker. Do this once you receive your e-certificate.
- Check the e-certificate: confirm that your name, the project, the unit number, the area and the price match your SPA exactly.
- Use DLD verification services: the DLD's Title Deed Verification service is available on the DLD website and in the Dubai REST app, and gives an immediate result. If the form does not accept the details on your off-plan certificate, ask the DLD which service to use.
- Check the property status: the DLD's Property Status Enquiry service, on the website and in Dubai REST, lets you look up a property by details such as area and land number.
- Check the project: confirm the developer and project are registered and that your payments go to the project's escrow account.
If anything does not match, raise it with the developer in writing straight away and contact the DLD on its call centre (800 4488) if it is not resolved.
What Oqood lets you do
A registered Oqood gives your off-plan purchase legal standing. Article 6 of Law No. 13 of 2008 says units entered in the interim register may be sold, mortgaged or otherwise disposed of. In practice, this means:
- Reselling before handover: the DLD says resale is possible after obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the developer, and the resale must itself be registered. Developers often set a minimum payment threshold in the SPA. The law limits developers' charges on resales to administrative costs approved by the DLD. See our guide to selling off-plan before handover.
- Financing: banks can lend against registered off-plan units, within the Central Bank's 50% off-plan cap. See off-plan mortgages in Dubai.
- An official record: your Oqood certificate is the DLD's record of your purchase, so keep it safe with your SPA and payment receipts.
From Oqood to title deed
Oqood is interim. Once the project is finished, the record moves to the main property register and a title deed is issued. Under Article 8 of Law No. 13 of 2008, developers must enter completed projects in the property register once they receive the completion certificate, including registering sold units in the names of purchasers who have fulfilled their contractual obligations.
The law also allows the DLD, on the purchaser's request or on its own initiative, to register an off-plan unit in the purchaser's name once the purchaser has met all contractual obligations. If you are on a post-handover payment plan, expect the title deed to follow your final payment rather than the handover date. Before collecting keys, complete your inspection; our snagging guide explains what to check.
Red flags and what to do
Treat a missing or delayed Oqood as a serious warning sign. Without registration, the law treats a sale of an off-plan unit as void, and your SPA alone gives you weaker protection.
- No e-certificate after 90 days: the DLD's service terms require registration within 90 days of signing. Ask the developer for the registration status in writing.
- Payment to a personal or non-escrow account: under Law No. 8 of 2007, payments by off-plan buyers go into the project's escrow account.
- Selling before approvals: Law No. 13 of 2008 says private sale contracts signed before the competent authorities approve the project are null and void.
- Details that do not match: a wrong unit number, area or price on the certificate needs correcting before you pay further instalments.
Before booking, read our guide on how to judge a Dubai developer, and work with a RERA-licensed broker who can show you the project's registration details.
