The Dubai Land Department (DLD) charges 0.25% of the mortgage value to register a mortgage. That is calculated on the loan, not on the property price. On top of it come a handful of small fixed charges and a trustee or service-partner fee. This guide shows how the fee is worked out, what else lands on the same invoice, and which costs belong to other parts of your purchase.
TL;DR
- The mortgage registration fee is 0.25% of the loan amount, set by DLD and by Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013.
- Fixed extras apply on top: AED 250 for each title deed issued, AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees per drawing, and a service-partner fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT.
- The 4% DLD sale registration fee is a separate charge on the purchase price, not on the loan.
- Releasing a mortgage later has its own costs, and amending one costs 0.25% of any increase in the loan.
- Bank charges (arrangement, valuation, insurance) are not DLD fees, so ask your lender for them in writing.
Table of Contents
- How the mortgage registration fee is calculated
- The fixed charges that come with it
- Registration fee versus the 4% DLD sale fee
- Costs that are not DLD fees
- Documents and steps to register
- Off-plan purchases and mortgages
- Changing or ending a mortgage
- Our perspective
- Budgeting for a Lapis Properties home
- A simple checklist before you register
- FAQ
- Sources
How the mortgage registration fee is calculated
A mortgage in Dubai is a security over your property. The bank must register it with DLD so that it is legally recorded against the title. The charge for that registration is simple: 0.25% of the mortgage value, as listed in Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013. DLD’s own e-service page for mortgage registration shows the same rate.
The base is the loan, not the price. If you buy a AED 1,500,000 apartment and borrow AED 1,000,000, the percentage applies to AED 1,000,000.
| Loan amount | 0.25% registration fee |
|---|---|
| AED 500,000 | AED 1,250 |
| AED 750,000 | AED 1,875 |
| AED 1,000,000 | AED 2,500 |
| AED 2,000,000 | AED 5,000 |
| AED 3,000,000 | AED 7,500 |
The fee scales with borrowing. A bigger deposit means a smaller loan and a smaller registration fee, although that is rarely the reason to change your deposit.
The fixed charges that come with it
The percentage is only part of the registration bill. DLD’s mortgage registration page lists these additional items:
- AED 250 for the issuance of each title deed, where an ordinary mortgage and an ordinary or usufruct title deed exist.
- AED 10 knowledge fee and AED 10 innovation fee for each drawing.
- A service-partner fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT for ordinary registration, or AED 5,000 plus VAT for provisional Oqood registration, which is the route used for off-plan property.
All of these come from the DLD mortgage registration application page. Fees can be revised, so check that page before you transfer funds.
A worked example
Take an illustrative AED 1,000,000 loan on a completed apartment, registered in the ordinary way with one drawing:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Mortgage registration, 0.25% of AED 1,000,000 | AED 2,500 |
| Title deed issuance | AED 250 |
| Knowledge fee | AED 10 |
| Innovation fee | AED 10 |
| Service-partner fee | AED 4,000 |
| VAT at 5% on the service-partner fee | AED 200 |
| Total | AED 6,970 |
The sum is our own arithmetic from the DLD figures above. Your final invoice depends on the number of drawings and on whether the property is ready or off-plan, so treat it as a planning figure, not a quote.
Registration fee versus the 4% DLD sale fee
This is where buyers most often double count or under-budget. Dubai separates the registration of the security from the transfer of the property. Under the same resolution, the sale contract is charged at 4% of its value, while the mortgage is charged at 0.25% of the debt.
DLD’s Know Your Rights guide for investors states that registering a sale and purchase contract costs 4% of the purchase price, payable equally by seller and purchaser unless otherwise agreed. In practice many contracts place it on the buyer, so read your sale agreement.
On the same AED 1,500,000 apartment with a AED 1,000,000 loan:
- Sale registration at 4% is AED 60,000.
- Mortgage registration at 0.25% is AED 2,500.
The first number is roughly twenty-four times the second. If your budget is tight, the sale fee deserves your attention first.
What about a land purchase with no mortgage?
Without finance, no mortgage fee applies at all. For a direct land sale valued at AED 5,000,000, the 4% sale registration fee would come to AED 200,000 (shared equally unless you agree otherwise). Trustee, map and administrative charges are then added according to the current DLD fee schedule for that property type. Ask the registration trustee centre handling the file for the itemised total before you book a slot.
Costs that are not DLD fees
Your bank sets its own charges, and they never appear on DLD’s invoice. Typical headings are an arrangement or processing fee, a valuation fee and property or life insurance. The UAE Central Bank’s mortgage loan regulations require loan terms to cover matters such as the loan amount, the interest or profit rate, insurance requirements, the borrower’s contribution and the disbursement method. Use that as a checklist: your offer letter should state each one.
Ask the lender for a single written schedule that separates:
- Charges paid to the bank.
- Charges paid to DLD or the service partner.
- Insurance premiums and their renewal terms.
- Any early settlement conditions.
If you want to understand how lenders think about documentation and affordability more broadly, a guide to DSCR loan requirements shows how income-based lending is assessed, which is useful context when you compare what banks ask of you.
Documents and steps to register
The bank usually drives this process, but you should know what is in the file. Per DLD, an individual’s file typically contains:
- The bank’s mortgage letter.
- Three bank-certified, signed mortgage contracts.
- UAE identification, or a passport copy for a non-resident.
- A developer e-NOC where the property is under provisional sale.
- A power of attorney if someone represents you.
Online, the bank uploads and submits the file for audit. At a trustee centre, staff check the documents, enter them, audit, collect payment and issue the result by email. DLD states the service time is approximately 20 to 25 minutes, which is the processing step only. Getting the bank’s approval, valuation and final offer in place takes far longer, so start early.
Off-plan purchases and mortgages
Off-plan property is registered provisionally in the Oqood system, which is why the service-partner fee is the higher AED 5,000 plus VAT. A developer e-NOC is part of the file. Mortgage terms for progress-payment properties also have to deal with how and when funds are released: the Central Bank regulations list progress-payment milestones among the matters loan terms must address.
For a buyer, the practical point is timing. Many buyers pay by instalment during construction and bring in financing later, so the bulk of mortgage registration costs arrive at a different moment from the first sale-registration costs. Plan your cash in two stages, not one.
Changing or ending a mortgage
Registration is not the last fee you may meet. DLD publishes charges for later events too.
| Event | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Increasing the mortgage amount | 0.25% of the increase, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees per drawing | DLD mortgage amendment page |
| Changing the term | AED 1,000, plus the same AED 10 fees | DLD mortgage amendment page |
| Transferring a mortgage | 0.25% of the mortgage debt value | Resolution No. 30 of 2013 |
| Discharging a mortgage | AED 1,000 | Resolution No. 30 of 2013 |
Selling a mortgaged property
If you sell before the loan is cleared, DLD’s procedure for registering the sale of a mortgaged property applies. It is completed once a mortgage-release letter is submitted. DLD lists AED 1,290 for the release procedure, AED 315 for the registrar, and AED 1,000 plus the AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. The file requires a bank liability letter or developer letter showing the remaining amount, identification, three manager’s cheques covering the debt, any seller’s balance, and the Department’s 4% sale fees, plus a power of attorney where relevant.
That means a seller with an outstanding loan needs the bank’s settlement figure in hand before the transfer appointment. Your bank may also charge its own early settlement fee, so check your contract.
Our perspective
We develop luxury residential projects in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, and most conversations with buyers about fees follow the same pattern. People focus on the price and the deposit, then discover the transaction costs late. The mortgage registration fee is rarely the problem: at 0.25% it is a small line. The surprise comes from stacking it with the 4% sale fee, trustee charges, bank fees and insurance.
Our advice is to build one sheet before you reserve a unit. List the price, the sale registration fee, the loan, the mortgage registration fee, the fixed charges and the bank’s own costs, each with its source. Ask your bank to confirm its figures in writing, and check DLD’s pages for the current rates. A buyer who sees every cost up front can commit to a home or an investment with confidence, and that is the experience we want for everyone who buys with us.
We also encourage buyers to take the time on timing. If you are buying off-plan, think about when financing starts, because registration costs follow that moment, not the day you sign the sale agreement.
— Mark
Budgeting for a Lapis Properties home
If you are planning a purchase, start with the price and add the costs above. Azure by Lapis starts from AED 790,000, and Lazord by Lapis starts from AED 750,000. Both are boutique residential developments with premium finishes, smart-home integration and wellness amenities. For a unit at the lower end, a loan of AED 500,000 would carry a registration fee of AED 1,250 at the 0.25% rate, before the fixed items. Contact our team through the project page for the current availability, payment plan and a clear picture of the costs for your chosen unit. If you want a broader view of the opportunity, see our guide to your next profitable investment in the UAE.
A simple checklist before you register
- Confirm the loan amount in your final bank offer, then multiply by 0.25%.
- Add the fixed DLD items: AED 250 per title deed, AED 10 and AED 10 per drawing.
- Add the service-partner fee: AED 4,000 plus VAT for ordinary registration, AED 5,000 plus VAT for provisional Oqood registration.
- Add the 4% sale registration fee separately, and settle who pays it in the contract.
- Ask the bank for its arrangement, valuation and insurance charges in writing.
- Check the DLD service page for any change before payment.
FAQ
How much is the mortgage registration fee in Dubai?
It is 0.25% of the mortgage value, according to DLD and Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013. On a AED 1,000,000 loan that is AED 2,500. Fixed charges and a service-partner fee are added to it.
Do I pay the mortgage registration fee on the property price or the loan?
On the loan. The 4% sale registration fee is the one charged on the purchase price. The two are separate, so budget for both.
Is VAT charged on the mortgage registration fee?
DLD lists the service-partner fee of AED 4,000 or AED 5,000 as plus VAT. The 0.25% registration charge itself is shown on DLD’s page as a percentage of the mortgage value, so confirm the VAT treatment of each line with the trustee centre or your bank before you pay.
What does it cost to release a mortgage in Dubai?
The statutory discharge fee in the Executive Council resolution is AED 1,000. When a mortgaged property is sold, DLD’s procedure lists further items, including AED 1,290 for the release procedure and AED 315 for the registrar. Your bank may add its own settlement charges.
Does the fee change if I increase my loan later?
Yes. DLD charges 0.25% of the increase in the mortgage amount, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees for each drawing. Changing only the term costs AED 1,000.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department: Mortgage registration application
- Dubai Land Department: Mortgage amendment application
- Dubai Land Department: Registering the sale of a mortgaged property
- Dubai Land Department: Know Your Rights for investors
- Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013
- CBUAE Rulebook: Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans
- DSCR loan requirements, math and pitfalls
