What does it cost to sell a property in Dubai?

The seller's line items

Agency commission is the largest and the most visible: around 2% of the sale price plus 5% VAT is standard practice in Dubai. On prime property it is negotiable, and as everywhere it should be judged against what is actually delivered rather than against the percentage alone.

The No Objection Certificate is specific to Dubai and specific to the seller. It is issued by the developer to confirm that service charges are settled and there is no impediment to the transfer, typically AED 500 to 5,000 plus VAT depending on the developer, and most major developers now issue it quickly through their own portals. Any outstanding service charge must be cleared first — this is the item that most often delays a Dubai closing, and it is entirely within the seller's control to prepare in advance.

Registration trustee office charges apply at the transfer appointment, and if the property carries a mortgage the bank's discharge process and any early-settlement charge sit on top. A mortgaged sale takes meaningfully longer than an unencumbered one and should be started earlier.

The 4% DLD fee — whose is it really?

Every Dubai transfer attracts a Dubai Land Department fee of 4% of the price. The customary allocation is that the buyer pays it, and that is what happens in the large majority of transactions. It is not, however, a rule of law about who bears it: it is an allocation the parties agree, and in a slower market a seller may offer to absorb part or all of it as a commercial concession rather than reduce the headline price.

That distinction is worth understanding before you negotiate, because it is a lever. Conceding on the transfer fee and conceding on the price are not equivalent from a seller's perspective, even when the cash amount is similar — one leaves your achieved price intact in the record of comparables, the other does not.

No capital gains tax — and what that does not mean

The UAE levies no capital gains tax on individuals selling property and no annual property tax, which is one of the genuine structural advantages of the market. Your gain is not taxed locally.

It may still be taxed where you are resident. A French, British or other tax resident selling a Dubai property is generally taxable on the gain in their country of residence, subject to the applicable double-tax treaty — the absence of tax in the UAE does not by itself make the gain tax-free. This is the point on which we most often see sellers surprised, and it is a question for a tax adviser in your country of residence before you sign, not after.