Gifting Property in Dubai
How the 0.125% Transfer Works
Moving a property to a spouse, parent or child does not go through the 4% sale route. The Land Department registers it as a gift at 0.125% of valuation — but only for a strictly defined list of recipients.
The Hiba: Moving Property Without Selling It
There is a routine moment in most property-owning families when the name on the title deed needs to change and no money is passing hands. A parent wants a child on the deed. A spouse wants the family home held jointly. An owner wants the asset moved into a company they control.
In Dubai this is not a sale, and it is not handled as one. The Dubai Land Department runs a distinct service for it — Property Gift Registration — which the DLD describes as allowing individuals to register gifted properties, in full or in part, by transferring ownership to first-degree relatives or companies “without compensation, provided that the property is not restricted or granted land.” The Arabic term you will see used for it is hiba.
The reason people care about the distinction is cost. A normal sale is registered through the DLD’s Property Sale Registration service at 2% of sale value from the seller and 2% from the buyer — the 4% figure everyone quotes. A gift registration is charged at 0.125% of the property valuation, with a minimum fee of AED 2,000.
That is a thirty-two-fold difference in the headline rate, which is why the eligibility rules are narrow and the evidence requirements are strict. The DLD is not offering a cheaper way to sell property. It is recognising that a transfer within an immediate family, or into your own company, is a different kind of transaction.
One structural point underpins all of it. Article 9 of Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006 provides that transactions which create, transfer, amend or extinguish real property rights “will not be deemed valid unless recorded in the Property Register.” A private family agreement to hand over a property has no legal effect in Dubai. Until the DLD registers it, nothing has moved.
Gift Registration at a Glance
Dubai Land Department published service
Who You Can Gift To — and Who You Cannot
The Dubai Land Department names the eligible recipients explicitly. The list is short, and it is exhaustive.
The Dubai Land Department’s Property Gift Registration page names eligible recipients as “first-degree relatives; mother, father, spouse, or children or to companies.” Anyone not on that list — siblings, grandparents, stepparents, cousins — sits outside the gift route. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
Every Fee the Land Department Lists for a Gift Transfer
The 0.125% is the headline. These are the line items that sit underneath it, exactly as the DLD publishes them.
| Fee item | Published amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Gift registration fee | 0.125% of valuation | Minimum AED 2,000 |
| Title deed certificate | ٢٥٠ درهم إماراتي | Issuing the new deed |
| Villas and apartments map | ٢٥٠ درهم إماراتي | As applicable to unit type |
| Unified map (Dubai Municipality) | AED 225 | Land under Dubai Municipality |
| Map — land outside Dubai Municipality | AED 100 | Where applicable |
| Knowledge fee | AED 10 | Per drawing |
| Innovation fee | AED 10 | Per drawing |
| Service partner fee | AED 4,000 + VAT | Value AED 2,000,000 or more |
| Service partner fee | AED 2,000 + VAT | Value below AED 2,000,000 |
| Service delivery time | 25 دقيقة | At Trustees Centres |
Source: Dubai Land Department, Property Gift Registration e-service (dubailand.gov.ae), retrieved 22 August 2026. Fees change — confirm current figures with the DLD before budgeting.
Planning a transfer within the family?
We will tell you whether your transfer qualifies for the gift route before you spend anything on paperwork.
What the Land Department Asks You to Produce
The evidence requirements are where gift transfers actually slow down, and they are stricter than most families expect — because the whole basis of the reduced fee is proving the relationship.
For individuals, the DLD lists proof of relationship: a marriage certificate or birth certificate, translated and attested by the UAE embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also lists proof of paternity or kinship from the client’s embassy in the UAE, and an Emirates ID or valid passport copy. UAE citizens are asked for a marriage contract or the family book.
For companies, the entity must be registered — the DLD notes that unregistered entities need to complete company registration first. Where corporate documents were issued outside the UAE they will need legalisation and Arabic translation.
Two practical blockers are worth knowing before you start. If the property carries a mortgage, Property Finder reported on 30 April 2026 that a No Objection Certificate from the bank is mandatory, with some lenders requiring settlement of the loan and others permitting refinancing or transfer to the recipient. And the same source states that a property under construction cannot be gifted until the title deed has been issued — which is consistent with the registration-based structure of Dubai property law.
The DLD delivers the service through Real Estate Registration Trustees Centres and publishes a service time of 25 minutes. That figure describes the transaction at the counter once everything is in order; the attestation and translation work beforehand is what takes the real time. A DLD property valuation is part of the process, since the fee is a percentage of assessed value rather than of any price you name.
Documents Checklist
As published by the DLD
Gift, Sale or Inheritance — Three Different Doors
Families often ask which is “best.” They are not competing options; each answers a different question about when ownership moves.
Gift, during your lifetime
Ownership moves now, to a first-degree relative or your own company, at 0.125% of valuation with a minimum of AED 2,000. Requires attested proof of the relationship. Best where you want certainty settled while everyone can sign.
Sale, to anyone
The DLD’s Property Sale Registration route: 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer. This is the door for siblings, cousins, friends and arm’s-length buyers. Our guide to selling property in Dubai covers it in full.
Inheritance, after death
The DLD’s separate Inheritance Title Transfer service is listed at AED 1,000 per property collected from the heirs, and requires a legal inheritance notification plus an official court letter. Published service time is 8 working hours.
الأسئلة المتداولة
The questions owners ask most often about gifting property in Dubai.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Dubai Land Department fees, eligibility rules and document requirements change, and how they apply depends on your property, your family circumstances and your lender. Confirm current requirements directly with the DLD and take qualified legal advice before transferring anything.
Get the Transfer Right First Time
Gift transfers fail on paperwork far more often than on eligibility. Tell us who is transferring to whom and we will map the documents, the valuation and the fees before you start.
انضم إلى المناقشة