Where foreigners may own
In Dubai, foreign freehold ownership is permitted in areas designated as freehold, for non-residents and resident expatriates alike, under Regulation No. 3 of 2006; title deeds are issued by the Land Department (UAE Government portal). Outside those areas, the answer is different — confirm a property's status before anything else.
How a resale works
The Dubai Land Department's own service description sets out the sequence: the seller obtains a no-objection certificate from the developer, the parties attend a Real Estate Registration Trustee centre with their documents, the fees are paid, and an electronic title deed is issued. The DLD fee is listed as 2% for the seller and 2% for the buyer, with AED 250 for the title deed and small knowledge and innovation fees; a trustee service fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT applies at AED 500,000 and above (Dubai Land Department, Property sale registration). DLD also notes that the 4% is paid according to the agreement between seller and buyer (DLD) — so read who pays what in your contract.
Buying off-plan
Units sold before completion are registered by the developer in DLD's interim register, Oqood (DLD, initial sale registration). Buyer money is protected by Law No. 8 of 2007: an escrow account is opened in the project's name and dedicated to its construction, and the escrow agent retains 5% after the completion certificate, released a year after the units are registered (Law No. 8 of 2007%20of%202007.html)). Pay into the project escrow account named in your contract, and nowhere else.
Residency
The UAE's federal identity and residency authority, ICP, grants golden residency to owners of one or more properties worth at least AED 2,000,000 in total — including property financed by a loan from an approved local bank, and off-plan units bought from approved local developers — with health insurance required (ICP, UAE Golden Residency; GDRFA Dubai). The two government sources we read disagree on its length: ICP says 10 years for real-estate investors, while the u.ae portal says 5 (u.ae, Golden visa). Confirm the term with the issuing authority when you apply.
Tax, and letting
The UAE levies no income tax on individuals, and charges 5% VAT (u.ae, Taxation). We have not found an official page confirming how a gain on the sale of a home is treated for an individual in every case, nor a single statement of annual municipal charges — ask a Dubai adviser, and check your home country's rules. If you let the property, tenancy contracts are registered through DLD's Ejari service; registering a contract costs AED 100 plus small fees (DLD, Ejari).
