Dubai off-plan property guide
Oqood is the Dubai Land Department’s provisional registration record for an off-plan sale. It records the buyer’s transaction before a title deed is issued, giving investors a way to check that the sale has been entered in the official register.
Start here: ask the developer for the DLD-issued Oqood certificate and transaction reference, then compare the record with the signed Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA). A booking payment or signed SPA alone does not establish that registration is complete.
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What Oqood records and protects
This section is general information, not legal advice. Oqood supports an off-plan buyer by putting the sale into Dubai’s provisional register, while the SPA and project checks remain important parts of the purchase.
What is an Oqood in Dubai?
Oqood is the registration record for an off-plan property sale in Dubai’s interim, or provisional, real estate register. The Oqood certificate is evidence that the sale has been recorded with the Dubai Land Department (DLD) before the property is ready for final title registration.
What does an Oqood certificate confirm?
It confirms that the sale has been registered in the provisional register and identifies the transaction recorded by DLD. The certificate should correspond with the SPA and the buyer, project and unit details in that agreement.
What protection does Oqood provide?
Oqood gives the buyer an official record of the registered off-plan sale, which helps distinguish a registered transaction from a booking or an unregistered contract. It does not establish construction completion, delivery, the balance of a project’s escrow account or the outcome of every contractual dispute.
Is Oqood the same as a title deed?
No. Oqood records an off-plan sale provisionally, while a title deed is the final ownership document associated with the completed property and final registration. The provisional record is progressed through the required completion and registration steps before the title deed is issued.
Which transactions use the interim real estate register?
The register is used to record off-plan property sales before handover and final title registration. A buyer purchasing a completed, already registered property follows a different ownership-registration process.
Oqood registration, documents and certificate checks
Who submits the Oqood registration?
The developer generally submits the off-plan sale for registration with DLD after the buyer and developer complete the sale paperwork. The buyer supplies the requested identity and transaction documents and should ask the developer for the submission reference and certificate once registration is recorded.
How does a buyer get an Oqood certificate in Dubai?
After signing the SPA, the buyer provides the developer with the requested documents and follows the payment and registration steps set out for the transaction. Request the DLD-issued certificate and transaction reference from the developer, then use DLD’s official service channels to access or validate the record.
What documents does a buyer need for Oqood registration?
Prepare the signed SPA, passport or applicable Emirates ID, proof of the required payment and the buyer details used in the contract. If a company is buying, prepare the company and authorised signatory documents requested for that purchaser.
Can a foreign buyer register an off-plan property through Oqood?
Foreign buyers can purchase eligible off-plan property in Dubai and have the sale registered through Oqood in areas where foreign ownership is permitted. Oqood records the property transaction; it does not itself grant a residence permit.
How long does Oqood registration take?
DLD states that the sale and purchase contract must be registered in the provisional register within 90 days from signing the contract. Ask the developer for the submission reference so you can follow the transaction through the registration process.
How can I verify Oqood registration status?
Ask the developer for the DLD transaction reference and the issued certificate, then compare the certificate against the SPA. Use DLD’s official service channels to check the record rather than relying solely on an informal message that registration is complete.
What details should I check on the Oqood certificate?
Match the buyer’s name and identity details, developer, project and unit against the signed SPA. Also compare the transaction and purchase details shown on the certificate with the agreement, and ask the developer to correct any mismatch in writing before relying on the record.
Can I download an Oqood certificate?
Request a digital copy of the DLD-issued certificate and its transaction reference from the developer handling the sale. Keep the certificate with the SPA and payment records, and use the reference when accessing or validating the registration through DLD’s official service channels.
What should I do if my Oqood certificate has not been issued?
Ask the developer in writing whether the registration was submitted, when it was submitted and what reference was assigned. Request evidence of submission and a clear status update; if the record remains unresolved, raise the matter through DLD’s official service channel using the transaction evidence.
Oqood fees and charges
Separate the purchaser’s sale-registration share from project-level registration costs and any separately itemised processing fees. DLD’s service pages describe charges for different stages, so identify the transaction each charge relates to before paying.
| Charge | What DLD states | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Initial sale registration | The DLD initial-sale service lists 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% for the purchaser. | Ask for the purchaser’s amount and any additional transaction charges to be itemised. |
| Project registration | The DLD project-registration service lists AED 150,000. | This is a project-registration charge, separate from an individual buyer’s Oqood sale entry. |
| Title deed after registration fee collection | DLD lists AED 250 for an apartment, villa or land when the registration fee has already been collected. | This is a title deed fee, not the Oqood sale-registration share. |
The sale-registration figures are stated on DLD’s initial-sale registration service; the project fee is stated on DLD’s project-registration service; and the title deed fee appears on DLD’s initial-procedures service.
What are Oqood charges in Dubai?
DLD’s initial-sale registration service lists a charge of 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% for the purchaser. The buyer should request a written breakdown of the purchaser’s registration share and any separate administrative or processing charges before signing.
Is the project-registration fee the buyer’s Oqood fee?
No. The AED 150,000 figure on DLD’s project-registration service relates to registering a project, while Oqood records an individual off-plan sale. Treat them as separate charges and ask the developer to identify the basis for each amount in the transaction statement.
Are administrative fees included in the DLD registration charge?
A separate administrative or processing fee should be itemised separately from the DLD sale-registration charge. Ask the developer to state the service provided, the amount and the payment recipient in writing before paying.
Research the developer alongside the registration terms
M&M Real Estate’s Dubai Properties profile covers its communities and advises buyers to review DLD registration, escrow details, construction status and SPA terms before paying.
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Transfers, handover and project checks
Can an off-plan property be sold or transferred before handover?
An off-plan unit may be transferred through an assignment sale when the SPA and the developer’s transfer procedure allow it. Review the eligibility requirements, payment position, approvals and any transfer charges in the transaction documents before agreeing the assignment.
What happens to Oqood when construction is complete?
After completion and the required closing steps, the provisional sale record moves through final registration and the buyer receives the title deed. Keep the Oqood certificate, SPA and payment records available during handover and title registration.
Does Oqood prove that a project is progressing or on schedule?
No. Oqood confirms the registered sale, while construction progress and planned completion are separate project-status questions. The Emaar developer profile explains how DLD Project Status can show project registration, status, completion percentage, planned completion date, unit count and escrow account.
How does Oqood relate to a project escrow account?
Oqood records the buyer’s sale, while the project escrow account relates to project funds. Registration does not show the account balance or confirm that construction will finish by a particular time, so review the project’s escrow and status information as part of the purchase checks.
What foreign buyers get wrong in Dubai off-plan, what each mistake costs, and exactly what to do instead.
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Research beyond the certificate
M&M Real Estate offers Dubai property listings, including off-plan projects, alongside developer and location profiles. Its guides, market reports and investment cases support research into a project, its community and the purchase terms.
Connect project details to buyer checks
The Dubai Properties profile highlights DLD registration, escrow details, construction status and SPA terms as items buyers should review before payment. The Emaar profile explains the project information available through DLD Project Status, giving buyers a practical starting point for project research.
Use the Emaar developer profile and Dubai Properties profile to explore developer portfolios alongside your Oqood and SPA checks.
Shortlist an off-plan project with the paperwork in view
Compare the developer and project, then request the Oqood certificate, registration reference and a clear fee breakdown for the unit you are considering.
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Figures are past data; this article is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice, and returns are not guaranteed.
