Buying Property in Dubai from Saudi Arabia and the GCC

GCC nationals can buy property anywhere in Dubai, and other buyers living in the GCC can buy in designated areas. Under Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006 on real property registration, the right to own property across the emirate is given to UAE nationals, nationals of Gulf Cooperation Council member states, companies fully owned by them and public joint stock companies. Everyone else may hold freehold, usufruct or leasehold rights in areas designated by the Ruler.

This guide covers the UAE side of a purchase: your ownership rights, how to view, sign and pay from your home country, financing and residence. Rules on sending money out of your home country, and on tax there, are outside its scope. Ask a bank and a tax adviser in your country about those.

GCC nationals and gcc-resident expatriates have different rights

The key question is your nationality, not your address.

The Dubai Land Department (DLD) summarises the same split in its FAQ: ownership across all regions for Emirati or GCC citizens and their wholly owned companies, and foreign ownership in freehold areas. See the DLD frequently asked questions.

If your household includes both a GCC national and an expatriate spouse, think about whose name goes on the title before you sign. The ownership right follows the person who owns, and the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) and registration will be in those names.

Where GCC nationals can own in Dubai

The legal basis is Dubai’s real property registration law. In short, UAE and GCC nationals may own property anywhere in Dubai (Article 4 of Law No. 7 of 2006); other foreigners only in designated areas. You can read the article on the Dubai Legal Portal.

The wider right matters mainly if you are looking at property outside the designated areas. Whatever the location, check the title or project details carefully before you commit, and read the sales terms the developer sets in the SPA.

For any off-plan project, start with DLD's Project Status Enquiry (Mashrooi) on the DLD website and in the Dubai REST app. It shows the project’s status, completion, developer and escrow bank. Our guide on whether foreigners can buy property in Dubai explains freehold and the designated areas in more detail.

Visiting, viewing and signing

Living nearby can make visits easier, but you do not need to travel for every step.

• Viewing. You can see show apartments, the site and the surrounding area in person, or use video calls and the developer’s materials. Visiting a completed project by the same developer is a useful check on build quality.
• Signing. Some developers may offer electronic signing of the booking form and SPA. Where they do not, you may sign in person or through a representative.
• Registration. For off-plan sales, the developer registers the sale on DLD’s interim register through the Oqood portal, within 90 days of signing the sale and purchase contract. DLD lists a copy of the SPA and a valid UAE ID, or a passport for non-residents, among the documents for individual buyers. See DLD’s initial sale registration service.
• Representation. For steps you cannot attend, a representative with a power of attorney may be able to act for you. How a power of attorney made in your home country must be prepared and attested to be accepted in Dubai is a legal question, so ask a notary or lawyer to handle it.

Our guide to buying property in Dubai remotely goes through each remote step, and our documents guide lists what to prepare.

Paying from your home country

Payments for off-plan property go into the project’s escrow account under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 on escrow accounts. That account is ring-fenced for building the project. Make every payment directly from your bank to the escrow account named in your SPA, and check the account on the Dubai REST app, which shows the escrow account number for off-plan projects.

Points to plan with your bank:

• Transfer rules at home. Your home country’s bank or regulator may have rules on transfers abroad, documents and reporting. These are outside our sources, so ask your bank.
• Currency and timing. Ask how long a transfer takes and in which currency it will arrive, so that each instalment reaches the escrow account by its due date.
• Verification. If you receive changed bank details by email or message, verify them with the developer through a contact you already have before you send anything.

Keep every bank confirmation and developer receipt. You will need them for registration and when you sell. Our guide to escrow accounts explains what the account protects.

Financing: UAE banks and home-country options

You can fund a purchase from savings, from a UAE bank loan or, in some cases, from a loan in your home country.

UAE bank lending is regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE. For property bought off-plan, the maximum loan-to-value is 50% of the property value, whatever the buyer’s nationality. For completed property, the caps differ for UAE nationals and expatriates. We have not found an official source that says how UAE banks classify GCC nationals for these caps, so ask the bank directly. Banks set their own criteria for non-residents, and individual lenders may lend less than the maximum.

Whether a bank in your home country will lend against, or for, a property in Dubai is a question for that bank. Our guide to UAE mortgages for non-residents explains what UAE banks typically look at.

Residency considerations

Owning property and living in the UAE are separate questions.

Ownership does not require residence. The UAE government portal states that foreigners who do not live in the UAE, as well as expatriate residents, can acquire freehold property in Dubai’s designated areas, and that there is no age limit to own property in Dubai. See expatriates buying a property in the UAE. The right of GCC nationals in Article 4 is not tied to residence either.

If you are a GCC national, whether you need any permit to live or stay in the UAE depends on your nationality and is set by the federal authorities. Ask ICP or GDRFA Dubai.

If you are an expatriate living in the GCC, property can support a UAE residence application under the criteria set by the authorities. A real estate investor may qualify for the Golden Visa with property worth at least AED 2 million, subject to conditions. DLD also runs a separate property-owner residence service, called Taskeen. Neither is automatic. See our guides to the Golden Visa through property and other property investor visa routes.

How we support GCC clients

Next Reality is a Dubai brokerage with a team of 30 working in 7 languages, including Arabic and English. For buyers in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC, we:

• Explain your ownership rights based on your nationality, and check that a project suits them.
• Help you verify the project, developer and escrow account on DLD’s official services.
• Arrange viewings around your visits, or by video when you cannot travel.
• Coordinate signing and registration with the developer, and tell you which steps need you or a representative.
• Refer you to a lawyer, notary or tax adviser when a question goes beyond property advice.

We do not handle buyer money: Dubai rules require off-plan payments to go into the project escrow account, never a broker’s own account. Payments go from your bank to that account. We work Monday to Saturday, 9:00 to 18:00 Dubai time. Every consultation is free, with no obligation. See our remote buying service for how a purchase from abroad runs.