When you buy off plan in Dubai, the Dubai Land Department registration fee is 4 percent of the sale value.
DLD’s fee table splits it: 2 percent for the seller, 2 percent for the purchaser.
Who actually pays which half is set by your sale agreement with the developer. DLD says so itself.
On top of the 4 percent, DLD charges AED 10 knowledge fee and AED 10 innovation fee.
The developer registers the sale for you through DLD’s Oqood system. You hand the fee to the developer, and the developer pays DLD.
As of 12 October 2026, from the DLD service page for registering an initial sale.
How much is the registration fee on an off plan unit?
| What | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registration fee, seller’s share | 2% of the sale value | DLD fee table |
| Registration fee, purchaser’s share | 2% of the sale value | DLD fee table |
| Knowledge fee | AED 10 | DLD fee table |
| Innovation fee | AED 10 | DLD fee table |
An example, for a unit sold at AED 1,000,000: 4 percent is AED 40,000 in total. If your agreement puts the whole 4 percent on you, you pay AED 40,000. If it puts only the purchaser’s 2 percent on you, your share is AED 20,000. DLD’s fee table also lists the AED 10 knowledge fee and the AED 10 innovation fee, without naming which party pays them.
Who pays the 4 percent, the buyer or the developer?
DLD’s fee table lists 2 percent for each side. DLD’s own release of 31 May 2021 adds that the 4 percent “is to be paid based on the agreement concluded between the seller and the buyer”.
So read the fee clause in your sale and purchase agreement before you sign.
What is Oqood?
Oqood is DLD’s system for the interim register, the record of off plan sales before the building is finished. The developer logs in, chooses provisional sale registration, attaches the documents and sends it. You receive the registration by email.
The developer’s own charge to DLD for registering the sale through Oqood is AED 1,000. DLD lists it as a developer fee.
How do you pay the fee?
DLD says the buyer settles the registration fee with the developer, and names the ways it can be paid:
- An approved bank cheque, or Noqodi (Developer Wallet) in the Dubai REST app.
- A deposit into the project’s approved escrow account.
- ePay.
How soon must the developer start paying the fee to DLD?
DLD’s release of 31 May 2021 says developers must start paying the registration fees to DLD within 60 days at most.
If you have paid the fee and have not received your Oqood registration by email, ask the developer for it in writing.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 4 percent paid on the full price or on the booking amount?
On the sale value of the unit, as DLD’s fee table states.
Are there other fees?
DLD’s initial sale page lists the 4 percent and the two AED 10 fees for the buyer and seller. This page does not cover mortgage registration or any service centre charge; check those with your bank or DLD before you budget.
Can the developer waive the fee?
The release says the split follows your agreement. If the developer carries part of it, that must be written in the agreement.
Does VILA charge the buyer a commission on off plan?
Ask your VILA adviser for the terms on the project you choose, in writing.
Official sources
“the value of the required 4% of a property’s value is to be paid based on the agreement concluded between the seller and the buyer, whether when registering a whole or partial sale.”
DLD, “DLD calls on developers to pay property registration fees within 60 days”, 31 May 2021.
DLD service “Request to register the initial sale”, Service Fees.
https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/request-to-register-the-initial-sale/
As of 12 October 2026.
