Property
Emirate-level land law with designated foreign freehold areas
Land is regulated by each emirate. Foreign nationals can own freehold only in designated areas, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi operating the largest and best-documented registers.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Dubai Land Department, Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, and the equivalent authority in each emirate. The DIFC and ADGM maintain their own registers.
- Deadline — Registration of a sale with the land department is required for title to pass
- Deadline — Off-plan payments must be made into a project escrow account
Governing law
- Civil Transactions Law, Federal Decree-Law 41 of 2022 — property provisions
- Dubai Law 7 of 2006 on Land Registration
- Dubai Law 8 of 2007 on Escrow Accounts
- Abu Dhabi Law 3 of 2015 on Real Estate
In practice
Because land is an emirate matter, there is no national property regime and no national register, and the designated-area rule means a foreign buyer's ability to take freehold depends entirely on the plot's location. Dubai's escrow legislation was the direct response to the off-plan failures of the 2008 crash and is the main protection for buyers of unbuilt units; verifying that payments go to the registered escrow account is the single most useful practical check. Long leasehold and usufruct of up to ninety-nine years are the usual structures outside designated areas. The DIFC and ADGM hold their own registers with their own rules, so a property inside a free zone is not governed by the emirate's register.