Guide
The Dubai Property Selling Process, Step by Step
Who does what at each stage, which documents and fees belong to each step, the timings the authorities publish, and what usually causes delays.
Written by We Buy DubaiLast reviewed 16 sources citedEditorial standards
The short answer
What actually happens between deciding to sell and the transfer?
A Dubai resale runs through a listing agreement (Form A) if you use an agent, a sale contract between buyer and seller (Form F), mortgage clearance where there is a loan, the developer's NOC, and a transfer appointment at a Registration Trustee office where the title deed is issued. Official timings exist only for the individual services, not for the whole sale.
The eight stages of a Dubai resale
The order below is the usual one. Stages 4 to 6 often run in parallel, and a cash buyer or an unmortgaged property skips some of them.
Stage 1
Prepare the property and the paperwork
Check what you owe on service charges and on the mortgage before you set a price: both are paid out of the sale. The costs calculator shows what is left.
- Who
- You
- Documents
- Title deed, ID, service charge statement, mortgage balance
- Fees
- None yet
- Official timing
- DLD valuation, if you want one: instant for apartments and attached villas, otherwise 7 working days
Stage 2
Appoint an agent (if you use one)
Contract A is created by the broker in DLD's Dubai Brokers app and approved by you through a link; it records the commission and the contract duration. Before any advert, the brokerage must obtain a Trakheesi permit and show its number on the ad.
- Who
- You and a registered broker
- Documents
- Contract A, with your signed NOC to the broker
- Fees
- Commission as agreed in Contract A
- Official timing
- Advertising permit: 1 working day
Stage 3
Agree the sale: Contract F
Contract F records the price, the payment plan, any tenancy, the contract duration and the DLD fee details. It is the place to agree who pays the transfer costs and how the deposit is held, because the standard form leaves a lot to the parties.
- Who
- You and the buyer (and their brokers)
- Documents
- Contract F; the buyer's Contract B with their broker
- Fees
- Deposit as agreed (10% is commonly reported, not set by DLD)
- Official timing
- The contract duration you agree
Stage 4
Buyer's finance
Central Bank rules cap how much a buyer can borrow: for an expatriate's first home, 80% of the value up to AED 5 million and 70% above it. Since February 2025, banks no longer finance the DLD fee or commission, so the buyer needs that in cash. A cash buyer skips this stage.
- Who
- The buyer and their bank
- Documents
- Mortgage approval and bank valuation (mortgage buyers only)
- Fees
- Buyer's costs: mortgage registration is 0.25% of the loan plus fees
- Official timing
- Set by the buyer's bank
Stage 5
Settle your mortgage (if any)
The loan is repaid at the transfer from the buyer's funds by manager's cheque. Afterwards you take the cheque to your bank for the release letter, and DLD completes the registration. The mortgaged sale guide walks through it.
- Who
- You and your bank
- Documents
- Liability letter; later, the mortgage release letter
- Fees
- Early settlement fee (capped) and DLD release fees of AED 1,290 + AED 315
- Official timing
- DLD service time for a mortgaged sale: 15 to 20 minutes at transfer
Stage 6
Developer NOC and any eNOC
Apply once the buyer's finance is lined up, because NOCs expire, often after 15 or 30 days. See the developer NOC guide.
- Who
- You, your developer and your building's management company
- Documents
- Developer NOC; management company eNOC for Mollak buildings
- Fees
- Set by each developer
- Official timing
- eNOC: 3 to 5 working days (DLD). Developer NOCs vary
Stage 7
Transfer at a Registration Trustee office
Documents are checked and uploaded, fees are paid by ePay, Dubai Pay, Noqodi or manager's cheque, and DLD issues the buyer an electronic title deed and map.
- Who
- You, the buyer (or holders of a valid power of attorney), and any banks
- Documents
- Title deed, IDs, NOC, Contract F, manager's cheques
- Fees
- DLD 4% transfer fee, AED 520 registration fees, trustee fee AED 4,000 or 2,000 + VAT
- Official timing
- 25 minutes for a standard sale registration (DLD)
Stage 8
Handover
DEWA emails the final bill and sets your deposit against it. If the property is tenanted, the tenancy continues and the buyer takes over as landlord; see selling a tenanted property.
- Who
- You and the buyer
- Documents
- DEWA clearance; keys and access cards
- Fees
- DEWA move-out AED 125 or 300 + AED 20
- Official timing
- DEWA deactivates supply within 24 working hours
Timings the authorities actually publish
No authority publishes a timeline for a whole sale. These are the published service times for individual steps; the weeks in between depend on finance, NOCs and the parties.
| Step | Published time | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sale registration at a trustee office | 25 minutes | Dubai Land Department |
| Sale of a mortgaged property | 15 to 20 minutes | Dubai Land Department |
| Mortgage release | 10 to 15 minutes | Dubai Land Department |
| Management company eNOC | 3 to 5 working days | Dubai Land Department |
| Advertising (Trakheesi) permit | 1 working day | Dubai Land Department |
| DLD property valuation | Instant for apartments and attached villas, otherwise 7 working days | Dubai Land Department |
| DEWA move-out | Within 24 working hours | DEWA |
Avoiding delays
What usually slows a sale down
- Incomplete or inconsistent documents, the most common cause according to conveyancing lawyers. Use the documents checklist.
- Unpaid service charges or utility bills holding up the NOC or DEWA clearance.
- Two mortgages in one transaction. When the seller has a loan and the buyer is borrowing too, two banks have to coordinate cheques and letters, which takes longer.
- Developers that need an in-person visit or a long NOC process.
- Company ownership, disputes or unclear tenant arrangements.
On a deadline? Selling a property fast explains which of these you can remove in advance. For how working with us fits into this process, see how it works.
FAQ
Common questions
How long does the transfer at the trustee office take?
The Dubai Land Department gives a service time of 25 minutes for a standard sale registration and 15 to 20 minutes for the sale of a mortgaged property, once every document and cheque is ready. The weeks before the appointment depend on the NOC, any mortgages and the buyer's finance.
Is there a standard deposit when signing Form F?
A 10% deposit is commonly reported by agencies, held by the broker or another party named in the agreement. It is market practice, not a figure set by the Dubai Land Department, so agree it explicitly.
Does my agent need a permit to advertise my property?
Yes. The Dubai Land Department requires brokerages to obtain a Trakheesi permit for every property advertisement and to show the permit number on the ad.
Sources
Fees, laws and procedures on this page were checked against these pages. Official sources are listed first where available. Rules change, so confirm the position for your own sale.
- Dubai Land Department announces the issuance of unified real estate contracts (Dubai Land Department)
- Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide 2024 (Dubai Land Department, 2024)
- Broker's journey to create Contract A (Dubai Land Department)
- Broker's journey to create Contract F (Dubai Land Department)
- Real Estate Ad Permit (Dubai Land Department)
- Property Sale Registration (Dubai Land Department)
- Registering the sale of a mortgaged property (Dubai Land Department)
- Mortgage release application (Dubai Land Department)
- Electronic No Objection Certification (eNOC) (Dubai Land Department)
- Deactivation of Electricity/Water (Move-out) (DEWA)
- Clearance Certificate (DEWA)
- Property valuation (Dubai Land Department)
- MOU in Dubai real estate: Form F, deposit and process (Driven Properties, updated August 2026)
- Property transfers in Dubai (LYLAW, February 2026)
- A guide on how to sell mortgaged property in Dubai (Bayut, updated October 2026)
- Resolution 31/2/2020 amending Circular 31/2013 (mortgage loans) (Central Bank of the UAE Rulebook, effective 8 April 2020)
Last reviewed 14 October 2026. This is general information only, not legal, financial or tax advice. Fees and requirements change, so confirm specifics for your own transaction.
Review history
- : First published. Fees and rules checked against the sources listed.
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