DLD fees in Dubai: the 4% and every other cost you pay

Most buyers hear one number: 4%. On an AED 2 million apartment that is AED 80,000, paid to the Dubai Land Department (DLD). It is the biggest cost after the price, but it is not the only one. This guide lists every charge shown on the DLD’s own pages, points out where those pages disagree, and adds up a worked example.

What is the DLD fee in Dubai?

The DLD transfer fee is 4% of the sale value. On the DLD’s sale-registration page it appears as two lines: 2% for the seller and 2% for the buyer. Brokers and property portals say that in most resale deals the buyer pays all 4%, because the sales contract is written that way. That is a market habit you can negotiate. I did not find it written as a rule on any DLD page, so settle it in your offer before you sign.

The same 4% applies when you buy off-plan. It is paid when the sale is entered in the DLD’s interim register, known as the Oqood. The DLD’s page for that service lists the same 2% for each side, and says the contract must be registered within 90 days of signing.

What other fees come with the DLD fee?

On top of the 4%, the DLD sale-registration pages list a short set of flat charges:

• Title deed issuance: AED 250.
• Registration trustee office (service partner) fee: AED 4,000 + VAT if the price is AED 500,000 or more, AED 2,000 + VAT below that. The DLD’s page for selling a mortgaged property shows AED 4,200 and AED 2,100 for the same registration fee. Those match the figures above with 5% VAT added, which is my reading, not a line the DLD prints.
• Map fee for an apartment or villa: AED 250. The page also lists AED 225 for a plot map unified with Dubai Municipality and AED 100 for land outside the Municipality.
• Knowledge fee and innovation fee: AED 10 each on the trustee-office page.

The DLD page does not say who pays these flat fees. Agree it in writing, like the 4%. It mentions VAT only on the trustee fee, not on the others.

What is the mortgage registration fee in Dubai?

If you borrow, the DLD charges 0.25% of the mortgage value to register the loan. On the page for selling a mortgaged property, the same 0.25% sits next to the title deed and map fees. The page also says the registrar fees are waived if the mortgage is registered on the same day as the sale. If it is registered the next day, it lists a service-partner fee of AED 4,000 + VAT instead. The page asks for three manager’s cheques, one of them for the DLD’s 4%.

Your bank’s own charges, such as arrangement, valuation and insurance fees, are not on DLD pages. Ask your bank for the full list in writing before you choose a lender.

Do you pay a broker fee and an NOC fee?

Broker. Property portals and law-firm guides quote 2% of the price plus 5% VAT, usually paid by the buyer in a resale. I found no DLD or RERA page that fixes the rate. Treat 2% as the market habit. It is negotiable and must be written in your agreement with the broker.

Developer NOC. To resell a freehold unit you need an electronic no-objection certificate (e-NOC) from the developer, requested through the Dubai REST app. The DLD pages list no NOC fee, so any charge comes from the developer. Ask for the amount, and for confirmation that service charges are paid, before you make an offer.

How much does it cost to buy an AED 2 million apartment?

Take a ready apartment bought in a resale at AED 2,000,000. Assume the buyer pays the full 4%, the trustee fee is AED 4,000 + 5% VAT, and a broker charges 2% + VAT.

Cost	How it is worked out	AED
DLD transfer fee	4% of 2,000,000	80,000
Title deed	Flat fee	250
Trustee office fee	4,000 + 5% VAT	4,200
Knowledge + innovation fees	10 + 10	20
Apartment map	Flat fee	250
Government and trustee total		84,720
Broker	2% = 40,000 + 5% VAT (2,000)	42,000
Total on top of the price	About 6.3% of the price	126,720

If you also take a AED 1,500,000 mortgage, add the 0.25% registration fee: AED 3,750. That brings the total to AED 130,470, or about 6.5% of the price. Bank charges and any developer NOC fee are not included, because there is no official figure for them.

The result is an estimate. If the trustee quotes different flat fees, see the next section.

Where do the official pages disagree?

Some small numbers change from page to page. Here is what I found, so you know what to ask for:

• Knowledge and innovation fees: AED 10 each on the sale-registration pages, AED 30 each on the DLD’s “Buy or Sell Property via Dubai Now” page.
• Service partner fee: AED 4,000 + VAT (AED 2,000 + VAT under AED 500,000) at a trustee office, but AED 1,000 + VAT (AED 500 + VAT under AED 500,000) payable to Emirates Real Estate Solutions on the Dubai Now page. These are two different routes, so the quote depends on how you transfer.
• Who pays the 4%: 2% each on every DLD page, but the buyer in most market deals.
• Trustee registration fee: AED 4,000 in the DLD FAQ, AED 4,200 on the mortgaged-sale page. See the VAT note above.

These gaps are small next to the 4%. Ask your trustee office for a written fee quote before transfer day.

How do you pay the DLD fees?

At a trustee office the DLD page accepts ePay, Dubai Pay, Noqodi Wallet and manager’s cheque, and the transfer takes about 25 minutes. On Dubai Now, the buyer signs the sale agreement online and sends the price and service fees to a DLD-approved escrow account. The DLD says the title deed is then viewable in the service.

Check the latest rules with DLD or a licensed broker before you sign.