Dubai Islands Area Guide

Dubai Islands is a group of man-made islands off the Deira coast, in the older northern part of the city. Previously known as Deira Islands, the development is planned for beaches, hotels and homes, and is being built in phases. This guide explains what the islands are like today, what you can buy, who they tend to suit and what to check. It does not give prices or rents, and it does not repeat plans for future amenities; the official sources for live data are listed at the end of the page.

Character and lifestyle

Dubai Islands is at an early stage. Some parts have beaches, hotels or completed buildings, while much of the land is still under construction or awaiting development. The character the islands will have when complete depends on how the masterplan is delivered over the coming years.

For a buyer, that means two things. First, you are buying into a plan, and you should judge the risk of that plan as well as the specific project. Second, daily life on the islands in the early years may involve construction nearby and fewer services on the doorstep than in an established district.

The setting is distinctive: islands on the old Dubai coast, close to Deira’s markets, the historic creek districts and the airport, rather than the newer coastal districts in the south-west of the city.

Location and connectivity

Dubai Islands sits off the Deira coastline, north of Dubai Creek.

• Roads: road bridges link the islands with Deira, and from there with the main roads into the rest of the city.
• Neighbours: Deira and the historic districts around Dubai Creek are next to the islands, and Dubai International Airport is a short drive away.
• Public transport: most of the islands are not within walking distance of a metro station, so residents rely mainly on cars, taxis or buses.

Traffic in Deira can be heavy at peak times. If you will commute to the business districts further south, test the drive at the hours you would travel.

Property types you will find

• Apartments in residential buildings, released project by project.
• Villas in some parts of the islands, where released.
• Plots for building, where offered.

Because most projects are new, a large share of what is offered is off-plan. Specifications, building facilities and charges differ from project to project.

Who Dubai Islands tends to suit

• Long-horizon buyers who are comfortable owning in an early-stage development and can wait for the surroundings to mature.
• End users who want island and beach living close to the older city and the airport, and accept construction nearby for some years.

It may suit buyers less if you want a finished neighbourhood, need every service nearby now, or are buying with a short time horizon.

Buying off-plan in an early-stage development

Most homes on Dubai Islands are sold off-plan, so the risks of off-plan buying apply in full, with the added uncertainty of an early masterplan.

Your home has to be completed. You pay in stages under a payment plan into the project’s escrow account under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 on escrow accounts, and you depend on the developer to complete on time and to the standard in the contract.

Your surroundings have to be completed too. Beaches, roads, shops and services in a masterplan may be delivered in later phases, and timings can change. Plan on what exists today and on what you can confirm on official pages, not on brochures.

Read our overview of off-plan risks and our guide to what happens if a project is delayed or cancelled before you commit.

Master developer and community management

We have not confirmed the master developer of Dubai Islands on an official source, so we do not name one here. Ask the seller or developer to name the master developer and management company, and to provide the community and building documents.

Under Dubai’s jointly owned property law, a master developer issues a Master Community Declaration, which RERA must approve, before selling land or units, and may collect usage charges for shared community facilities. These can apply to completed buildings, buildings under construction and vacant land. Buildings also have service charges. The same law covers those too. Owners pay annual service charges pro rata to unit area; charges need RERA approval. In an early-stage development these charges may not be fully set yet, so ask how and when they will be.

What to check before buying on Dubai Islands

Project registration and escrow

Search for the project in DLD's Project Status Enquiry (Mashrooi) on the DLD website and in the Dubai REST app. Check that it is registered, note its escrow account number and its completion percentage, and compare them with your contract. Our guide on how to verify a project and a broker walks through each step.

Developer track record

Confirm the developer on Dubai Land Department’s licensed developers list and look at what it has already completed and handed over elsewhere. Our guide on how to evaluate a developer gives a checklist.

Masterplan stage and what exists today

Visit the islands. Note which roads, beaches and services are open today and what surrounds the plot. Ask the developer what will be built next to your building and when, and get any commitments in writing in the contract.

Freehold status

The basic rule in Dubai comes from Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006 on real property registration. UAE and GCC nationals may own property anywhere in Dubai (Article 4 of Law No. 7 of 2006); other foreigners only in designated areas. Regulation No. 3 of 2006, issued under the same law, designates areas plot by plot, and the published text does not name Dubai Islands or Deira Islands; areas have also been added by later resolutions. If you are not a UAE or GCC national, ask for the plot number and confirm with Dubai Land Department, for example at a registration trustee office, that you can register freehold title on it.

Service charges once set

New communities may start with temporary budgets. Ask how service charges will be set and approved, and once buildings are complete, look them up in the DLD / RERA Service Charge Index. Our guide to service charges in Dubai explains how they work.

Selling before handover

Plans change, and some buyers want to sell an off-plan unit before it is complete. The basic rule comes from Dubai Land Department. A no objection certificate (NOC) from the developer is needed to resell an off-plan unit, and the developer sets its fee. The sale contract may also set resale conditions. Read the resale terms in the sale contract before you sign, and see our guide to selling off-plan property before handover. In Dubai Islands, as anywhere, do not assume a resale will be quick or at a particular price.

Holiday home rules

Short-term letting needs official approval. A DET (formerly DTCM) licence and a holiday home permit are required. Under the permit rules, apartments and villas (in a compound or independent) can hold a permit, and the whole unit must be let rather than rooms or bed spaces. Check current requirements with DET before you plan around short-term income.

Reading official data correctly

Records for Dubai Islands are mostly off-plan sales across different projects. Filter by project, and remember that off-plan sale records do not show what a completed home will rent for. Once homes are completed, check rents in the DLD Rental Index (website, Ejari system, Dubai REST) and test returns with our rental yield calculator.