How do I send money from a UK bank to pay a Dubai developer’s payment plan? Send each instalment by international wire to the verified account in the developer’s payment instructions, after checking the amount, currency, deadline and reference against your Sales and Purchase Agreement.
- Use the agreement and the developer’s payment demand to record the amount, currency, due date and reference for each instalment.
- For an off-plan payment, match the beneficiary and account details to the project’s verified escrow instructions.
- Ask your bank what the developer is expected to receive in AED after conversion and all transfer charges.
- Prepare identity, purchase and bank records for possible payment and anti-money laundering checks.
- Keep the bank confirmation and ask the developer to confirm that the money has been assigned to the correct instalment.
- Review the developer’s background using M&M’s Dubai developer profiles as part of your project due diligence.
The agreement sets each instalment’s amount and deadline
Start with the Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and the developer’s formal payment demand. Record the amount, currency, due date and instalment reference in a separate payment record so you can check the transfer before submitting it and track it afterwards.
Pay according to the agreed schedule. Each instalment is tied to a payment date or project milestone, and sending the full purchase amount at once can make it harder to match the money to the correct stage.
Check which currency the developer requires. If the demand states AED, compare ways to provide that amount in AED; if it names another currency, ask the developer how it will be received and credited.
For how payment plans work and how project payments are made, see M&M’s guide to buying off-plan property in Dubai. Keep the agreement and latest demand together for each scheduled payment.
The project account must match verified escrow instructions
A developer escrow account is the project-specific account named for off-plan payments. Match the beneficiary and bank details to the escrow instructions in the SPA or the developer’s formal payment demand, and do not send the instalment to a personal or unrelated account.
Check the account name, IBAN, bank and project reference through a contact route you obtained independently. If payment instructions arrive by email or have changed, use a known developer contact or a number from the developer’s official website, not contact details included only in the new message.
If a name, number or project detail differs, pause the transfer. Ask the developer’s finance team to verify the instructions through an independently sourced channel before paying.
For an off-plan purchase, the payment demand should identify the project and the account for its payments. Keep the confirmed instructions with the SPA so you can compare them again before later instalments.
For an additional check, use the Dubai Land Department’s official Dubai REST app and its project-status service. Search by the project’s official name or project number, then compare the project and registered developer with the SPA and payment demand. Check any escrow-bank details shown for the project against the payment instructions. If the app does not show the account information you need, confirm it through an official DLD channel and a developer contact you sourced independently; do not treat a project-name match alone as proof that an account is correct.
A SWIFT transfer needs exact recipient and payment-reference details
For a SWIFT transfer, use the beneficiary’s exact account name, UAE IBAN, bank name and BIC/SWIFT code from the verified instructions. Enter every field as supplied, because a mismatch can delay the payment or make it harder for the developer to identify.
Where possible, send from an account held in the buyer’s name. In the payment reference, include the buyer’s name, project, unit and instalment number so the developer’s finance team can assign the incoming funds correctly.
A UK account can send an international wire directly if the developer accepts that route. Use a UAE bank account only when it forms part of the payment arrangement agreed with the developer.
M&M’s UK capital-transfer guidance covers international wires from the UK to the UAE, including bank options such as Barclays, HSBC International and setting up a UAE bank account. Ask your bank which transfer and charge options it supports, then keep the payment confirmation and transaction reference.
Compare the routes your bank offers: a SWIFT transfer sent in GBP for conversion on arrival, or one converted to AED before it leaves the UK. If you are comparing your bank, such as Barclays or HSBC International, with a currency-transfer provider, check that each can pay the verified project account and that the developer accepts the route. Request quotes using the same GBP amount and recipient details. Compare the net AED expected in the project account, the exchange rate, all stated fees, who bears any intermediary charges, and the estimated arrival date. A lower advertised fee may still leave fewer dirhams to credit.
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Download free→Compare the AED received after conversion and charges
Compare the AED amount expected to reach the developer after the exchange-rate spread, the sending fee and any correspondent-bank or receiving-bank deductions. A low advertised fee does not show the full cost if the exchange rate is less favourable or another bank deducts a charge.
Ask whether the transfer will leave the UK in GBP or be converted to AED before it reaches the project account. Request the expected AED amount for each route, along with the fees and any deductions that could reduce the amount credited.
The Central Bank of the UAE provides daily exchange rates for more than 70 global currencies. Use its AED rate as a market benchmark, not as the rate your bank or transfer provider will quote: it does not show the fees or the net AED that will reach the project account.
The Central Bank of the UAE provides exchange rates for more than 70 global currencies, updated daily.
Source: Central Bank of the UAE
Instalments due at different times will be converted at the rate available for each transfer unless you have arranged another option with your bank. Set a currency plan for future payments and keep a GBP buffer for rate movements and charges, rather than budgeting each instalment using today’s rate.
Prepare documents for identity and source-of-funds checks
Keep identification, the signed SPA or payment demand, and relevant account statements ready. A bank may ask for these to understand the purpose of the payment and how the money is moving to the developer.
Source of funds explains where the money for this transfer came from, such as salary savings or proceeds from a sale. Source of wealth explains how you built your wider wealth, such as through employment or business income.
Keep the buyer details and account-holder details consistent. If a bank asks for more information, answer accurately and promptly, because compliance reviews can delay a transfer.
Keep the SPA, payment demands, bank confirmations and supporting financial records together, so the paperwork for each later instalment is easy to retrieve.
Make the source-of-funds trail easy to follow from origin to transfer. For salary savings, keep relevant payslips and account statements showing the funds accumulating in the account you will pay from. For sale proceeds, retain the completion statement and a statement showing the proceeds arriving. If money passed between your own accounts, keep the statements that connect those transfers. If buyer and account-holder names differ, have the relevant account record and an explanation ready for the bank or developer.
Allow time, then reconcile the instalment
Start the transfer early enough to allow for UK bank cut-off times, weekends, compliance reviews and possible intermediary-bank deductions. A bank’s estimated delivery time does not guarantee that the developer will receive the funds by the due date.
Ask the sending bank for the expected arrival date and clarify whether its estimate ends when the payment leaves the UK, reaches the UAE bank, or is credited to the project account. Those are different stages. Also ask the developer what it treats as receipt by the deadline, since a transfer marked as sent may still need to arrive and be matched to your instalment. Use the estimate to set your sending date, allowing for cut-offs and any review the bank flags.
Save the bank confirmation and transaction reference after sending. Ask the developer’s finance team to confirm receipt and allocation to the correct buyer, property and instalment.
If the payment arrives late, is short or cannot be matched, contact both the sending bank and the developer’s finance team. Give them the amount, date, reference and confirmation, ask the bank to trace the transfer, and ask the developer what balance or reference detail remains outstanding.
Do not send a replacement payment until the first transfer’s status and any shortfall are clear. This helps prevent a duplicate payment while the original transfer is still being traced.
See also: Dubai Golden Visa, Best Areas Invest Dubai 2026, Dubai Property Rentals And Yields, Dubai Real Estate Investment Guide 2026, Off Plan Properties in Dubai, Locations, Resources, Bay Estate by Nakheel, Dubai Islands: Investment Case, The Yards Plaza by BEYOND, City of Arabia Offices, Al Jaddaf Waterfront, 30/70 Payment Plan: What Beyond’s Offer Changes, Jvc, Dubai Hills, Dubai Population Growth, Real Estate Crowdfunding In Dubai, The Yards Plaza.
A transfer of your own funds is separate from rental income or a property-sale gain; ask a UK tax adviser how your residence and the property’s earnings affect your position, and read M&M’s guide to Dubai property tax.
What to do before your next instalment
- Compare the latest payment demand with the amount, currency and due date in your SPA.
- Verify the project account independently, then ask your bank for the expected AED received and a delivery estimate.
- Prepare the payment reference and supporting documents, then save the transfer confirmation and request allocation from the developer.
An M&M advisor will go through your payment schedule, transfer route and document checklist with you. Contact M&M about your next payment.
How much money can I legally send overseas from the UK?
M&M’s guidance for British investors says UK capital controls do not restrict sterling transfers to the UAE. Your bank can still apply its own transfer limits and compliance checks, so ask what applies to your account before arranging a large payment.
Can I split one Dubai property instalment across several transfers?
Ask the developer to approve the split in writing and explain how it will credit each incoming payment. The developer may need to see that all transfers belong to one instalment before it records the amount as paid.
Can a joint UK bank account be used to pay a Dubai developer?
Ask the developer to approve the account arrangement and specify which buyer names and payment references it needs. Keep the joint account statement available, since it can show the account holders and the funds used for the purchase.
