Can foreigners buy
property in Dubai?

Yes — and in full ownership (freehold), within the zones designated by Regulation No. 3 of 2006. The emirate originally listed 23 freehold zones; the perimeter has since expanded to more than 60 zones, covering Palm Jumeirah, Downtown, Business Bay, Dubai Marina, JBR, Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai Creek Harbour and Palm Jebel Ali. Outside these zones, purchase is still possible via usufruct or a long-term lease of up to 99 years, but not full ownership.

A branded residence pairs a freehold apartment or villa with a luxury house — hospitality, fashion or automotive — that designs the interiors and runs the services: concierge, spa, dining, run like a hotel that never checks you out. According to Savills, Dubai is the world's number one branded-residence market in 2026 with more than 140 projects tracked, and these addresses typically trade at a 25–35% premium over a comparable unbranded freehold property — the premium paid for the brand, the service and the deliberately limited unit count.

The vast majority of off-plan sales in Dubai run on an instalment schedule. The most common structures in 2026 are 80/20, 60/40 and 50/50 (the first figure paid during construction, the second at handover), with a booking deposit of 5–20% and post-handover plans that can stretch up to 5 years after delivery. Ultra-luxury branded residences often use more front-loaded structures before handover — Vela Viento and Armani Beach Residences are 60/40, Como Residences is 20/60/20.

A property investment of at least AED 2,000,000 (the value recorded on the title deed) grants a renewable 10-year Golden Visa, with no minimum stay requirement to keep it. The threshold can be reached by combining several properties, an off-plan purchase from a DLD-approved developer is eligible, and a mortgaged property can also qualify as long as its value reaches AED 2M — the requirement is on the property's value, not the cash amount paid. The property must sit in a freehold zone.

The UAE levies neither personal income tax nor capital gains tax on property held in an individual's own name — rental income and resale gains are untaxed. The 9% corporate tax introduced in 2023 does not apply to an individual's personal real estate holding; it can apply, however, if the property is run as a licensed short-term rental business or held through a company. A detail often missed: Dubai's municipality charges a 5% housing fee on rental value, billed to the occupant via the DEWA (water/electricity) bill — not to the non-resident owner who lets the property.

In the freehold zones designated under Regulation No. 3 of 2006 — Palm Jumeirah, Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai Creek Harbour, Emirates Hills, DIFC (residential) and Palm Jebel Ali are among the most sought-after. The zoning has widened from 23 original zones to more than 60 today — confirming a project's exact freehold status remains a due-diligence step in its own right before booking.

According to trade press (Zawya, 2026), a Sky Mansion Penthouse at Bugatti Residences by Binghatti (Business Bay) sold for AED 550 million (about $150 million) — a Middle East record — while another unit is listed at AED 750 million. The previous record was held by a duplex penthouse at Como Residences (Palm Jumeirah), sold for AED 500 million in November 2023. These deals remain top-of-market exceptions; entry prices at the same branded residences generally start between AED 20M and AED 27M.

Yes, under tighter conditions than for a resident: UAE banks finance non-residents at an LTV generally around 50–75% of the property's value depending on the bank, the buyer's profile and the project — exact thresholds vary by lender and are best confirmed case by case (Emirates NBD, Mashreq and ADCB are among the banks active in this segment). Many international buyers also favour Lombard lending or private banking in their home jurisdiction, particularly for off-plan properties where the developer already offers an instalment schedule.

Under Law No. 8 of 2007, every off-plan project in Dubai must hold a dedicated escrow account with an RERA/DLD-approved trustee bank. Buyers' funds are deposited there and released to the developer only against construction milestones certified by an independent controller — the developer cannot freely draw on buyers' money before building. It is one of the more robust safeguards among global off-plan markets, and it sets Dubai apart from less regulated jurisdictions.

Off-plan, the buyer pays in instalments under escrow protection, typically at a lower entry price with upside potential by handover — but with timeline risk and a property not yet available to view. On the secondary market (already-delivered units), the price already reflects completion and the building's management track record, bank financing is easier to arrange, and the deal closes via a direct transfer at the DLD trustee office against a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by the developer or owners' association.

Service charges are indexed by RERA: budget 10–30 AED/sqft/year for a standard building, 50–70+ AED/sqft/year for a luxury tower in Downtown or on the Palm, and often more for an ultra-luxury branded residence — the exact figure is communicated project by project. On top of that come the 5% municipal housing fee on rental value (borne by the occupant) and ordinary DEWA charges. There is, however, no annual property tax comparable to a European real estate tax.