What does it cost to sell a property in Dubai?

Less than the buyer pays. The 4 per cent transfer fee is split 2 per cent each in law, but by convention the buyer pays it all unless the contract says otherwise (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026; Property Finder, 3 Jul 2026). The seller carries the developer's NOC, AED 500 to 5,000 plus VAT, the agency commission, 2 per cent plus VAT, and any mortgage release fees (Property Finder, 3 Jul 2026; UAE Experts Hub, Aug 2026).

Key facts

• Transfer fee: 4 per cent, split 2 per cent each in law, paid by the buyer by convention (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026; Property Finder, 3 Jul 2026).
• Developer NOC: AED 500 to 5,000 plus VAT (Property Finder, 3 Jul 2026; Binghatti, 26 Jul 2026).
• Commission: 2 per cent plus 5 per cent VAT is the norm; RERA does not fix it (UAE Experts Hub, Aug 2026).
• Mortgage release: AED 1,290 plus AED 315 (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026); early settlement capped at 1 per cent of the balance or AED 10,000 (Bayut, 7 Sep 2023).

Who pays the 4 per cent transfer fee?

In law, both parties: 2 per cent from the seller and 2 per cent from the buyer on the sale value (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026). In practice the buyer pays the full 4 per cent unless the sale and purchase agreement says otherwise (Property Finder, 3 Jul 2026). A seller who wants the convention to hold should see it written into Form F; a buyer who asks to share the fee is negotiating, not citing a rule.

What does the seller actually pay?

Two items in an ordinary sale, up to five with a mortgage.

The Land Department requires the developer's e-NOC to register a sale in a freehold area (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026). The fee varies tenfold between developers, and in our experience the developer will not issue it while service charges are outstanding.

The commission is a market convention, not a tariff; RERA does not fix it (UAE Experts Hub, Aug 2026). Every seller who lists with Davies+Harrison gets access to their private Seller Module within D+H Invest: weekly listing performance (portal impressions, enquiries, viewings, offers), documents and adviser commentary, updated every Monday.

Which buyer-side costs will you be asked about?

Buyers and their brokers raise these in negotiation. All are published by the Land Department and, by convention, fall to the buyer (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026; Property Finder, 3 Jul 2026).

What changes if the property is mortgaged?

The bank's charge is released before, or with, the transfer: AED 1,290 plus the AED 315 registrar fee, settled with three manager's cheques in an appointment of 15 to 20 minutes (Dubai Land Department, 3 Sep 2026).

The larger item is the bank's early settlement charge, capped by the Central Bank at 1 per cent of the outstanding balance or AED 10,000, whichever is lower (Bayut, 7 Sep 2023; Mortgage Finder, 17 Oct 2019). Ask for a liability letter early: its figure and expiry date set the timetable.

How do you sell from abroad?

Through a special power of attorney: notarised where you live, legalised at the UAE embassy there, attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translated into Arabic (UAE Experts Hub, Aug 2026). The Ministry's attestation takes about two hours digitally or one to three days by courier (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2026).

The rest is indicative, from a secondary source rather than a published tariff: roughly AED 1,000 to 4,000 in total, one to three weeks by the embassy route, and a power of attorney more than two years old is reported not to be accepted by the Land Department (UAE Experts Hub, Aug 2026). Confirm each point with the registration trustee.

What happens to utilities and deposits?

Nothing costly. DEWA issues the final bill within 24 working hours, charges AED 125 for a small meter or AED 300 for a large one plus AED 20 in fixed fees, offsets the bill against your deposit and shares the clearance certificate with RERA automatically (Gulf News, 19 Aug 2026). Deposits, AED 2,000 for an apartment and AED 4,000 for a villa, are refundable (Emirates 24|7, 3 Sep 2026). Empower issues its final bill within two working days, Emicool within three, with refunds within five days (Gulf News, 2 Jul 2024).

Is the sale taxed?

Not in the UAE, for an individual. There is no personal income tax (u.ae, 2026). A residential resale is exempt from VAT; only the first supply within three years of completion is zero-rated, and that is the developer's sale, not yours (Federal Tax Authority, 2026). Corporate tax reaches individuals only above AED 1 million of business turnover, and unlicensed real estate investment income is excluded regardless of amount (Ministry of Finance, Cabinet Decision 49 of 2023); the Federal Tax Authority's guide works through an AED 400,000 gain that falls outside the tax (Federal Tax Authority, Oct 2024). Your position at home is a question for your own adviser.

Our view

In our experience the seller's outlay in an unmortgaged sale is the commission and the NOC, and the NOC is the one that surprises. We advise three things before you instruct anyone: ask the developer for its current NOC fee and a service charge statement; if there is a mortgage, obtain the liability letter and check the early settlement figure against the cap; if you live abroad, start the power of attorney first, since it is the slowest item in the file.

We also advise writing the fee allocation into Form F, so that convention becomes contract. And if your title supports a Golden Visa, confirm with GDRFA and the Land Department how a sale affects it before you list; published guidance is not consistent.

Davies+Harrison is DAH Real Estate Brokerage L.L.C., RERA ORN 53447.