Dubai property transfer fees, escrow and the Golden Visa
Buying the property and applying for the Golden Visa are two DLD invoices. On DLD’s sale procedure for heirs, the seller pays 2% of the sale value and the purchaser pays 2%. DLD’s FAQ uses the same 2% registration fee on each side of an auction. Off-plan payments go into the project escrow account under Law No. 8 of 2007. None of that is the investor Golden Visa fee, which DLD lists separately at AED 9,884.75. Escrow deposits show what you paid. They do not lower the AED 2 million test.
The registration fee on a sale
These figures are taken from two DLD pages: Sale procedure (heirs), and the FAQ answer on auction registration. An ordinary sale that is neither an heir transfer nor an auction should be read off the current DLD service for that transaction. THAJ does not promote the heir schedule as a universal quotation.
| Charge | Amount | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | 2% of the sale value | Seller |
| Registration | 2% of the sale value | Purchaser |
| Title deed | AED 250 | On that service’s fee list |
| Land plot map outside Dubai Municipality’s jurisdiction | AED 100 | On that service’s fee list |
| Land plot map unified with Dubai Municipality | AED 225 | On that service’s fee list |
| Knowledge fee and innovation fee | AED 10 each, per drawing | On that service’s fee list |
| Service-partner fee if the sale is AED 500,000 or more | AED 4,000 plus VAT | Heir-sale service only |
| Service-partner fee if the sale is under AED 500,000 | AED 2,000 plus VAT | Heir-sale service only |
DLD’s FAQ also says registering a transaction at a Real Estate Registration Trustee office costs AED 4,000, in addition to the required service fee. Agency commission is not a DLD fee and is not stated here.
The 4% people quote in conversation is those two 2% registration lines added together. It is not a discount, and it is not part of the AED 9,884.75 Golden Visa total. Budget the purchase costs and the visa costs as separate lines. Inheritance registration, which is not a sale, has its own fee list.
Escrow is the off-plan project account
DLD’s FAQ describes the real estate escrow account as the bank account of a project, holding what purchasers pay for off-plan units and what financiers pay toward the project. The point of the account is to regulate construction, not to issue visas. DLD’s investor-rights note cites Law No. 8 of 2007: a developer selling off-plan must open a separate escrow account with an escrow agent accredited by DLD, and purchaser payments for those units go into it.
For the Golden Visa, ICP still requires an off-plan unit of at least AED 2 million from an approved local developer, and DLD still looks at purchase value and, where there is a mortgage, at the amount paid. Money in escrow is evidence of payment. It does not replace Oqood, the developer test, or the AED 2 million category. Read off-plan for that file and mortgage if a bank is funding part of it. A developer’s “NOC fee” or a broker’s admin fee is not published on the pages cited here, so it is not published on this one.
The Golden Visa invoice is the third document
After the property is in your name, DLD’s investor Golden Visa service has its own fees: medical, Emirates ID, residency confirmation, DLD fees and administrative fees, totalling AED 9,884.75. You must be inside the UAE and attend in person. Paying the 2% transfer fee, or paying the developer into escrow, does not submit that visa application. The line-by-line visa table is on the cost page. THAJ’s service fee for preparing the visa file is quoted in writing after the title is read. It is not added to the government figures above.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Dubai transfer fee 4%?
On DLD’s heir-sale service and on its auction FAQ, registration is 2% of the sale value from the seller and 2% from the purchaser. That is the 4% people add together. Confirm the service that matches your own sale.
Does money in the escrow account count as the Golden Visa investment?
Escrow is where off-plan payments are held. The visa still uses ICP’s AED 2 million category and DLD’s purchase-value rules. Escrow is not itself the visa fee.
Are transfer fees included in the AED 9,884.75 Golden Visa cost?
No. That total is the investor Golden Visa government fee list. Transfer registration, trustee charges and escrow payments are purchase costs.
What does a trustee office charge to register a sale?
DLD’s FAQ says AED 4,000 to register a transaction at a Real Estate Registration Trustee office, plus the required service fee. The heir-sale page has its own partner-fee tiers. Use the schedule for the service you are actually filing.
Official sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Rules and fees can change; the authority’s current page always prevails.
- Sale procedure (heirs) — registration fees — Dubai Land Department (DLD)
- Frequently asked questions (escrow, trustee office fee, auction registration, mortgagor revenue) — Dubai Land Department (DLD)
- Know your rights for investors in Dubai (Law No. 8 of 2007 on real estate escrow accounts) — Dubai Land Department (DLD)
- Golden Visa application — Investor (fees, documents, terms) — Dubai Land Department (DLD)
- Golden Residency Guide — Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP)
Keep the purchase invoice and the visa invoice apart
Send the sale contract or Oqood. We will say which DLD charge is the purchase and which one is the visa.