AECB Credit Score in the UAE: Check It Before Your Mortgage

Your UAE credit history is held by Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which now operates as Etihad Credit Bureau. When a bank decides whether to give you a mortgage, this is the report it reads. You can read it yourself before the bank does, for AED 84, by logging in with UAE PASS. I can't think of a cheaper or more useful check to run before applying.

What AECB is and why your bank cares

AECB collects data on your credit and payments. According to the u.ae government portal ↗, the information comes from banks, finance companies, telecom and utility providers, courts and government entities. The bureau operates under Federal Law No. 6 of 2010 on credit information, as amended in 2020.

The bureau doesn't decide anything about your loan. Its FAQ ↗ says it plays no part in reviewing or approving credit applications. It supplies the data, and the bank makes its own decision under its own policy.

What's in the credit report

According to Etihad Credit Bureau ↗, the report covers the last 36 months. It includes:

• your personal details;
• your total credit exposure;
• the monthly payment history of each facility, active and closed;
• credit card limits and how much of them you use;
• balances on personal loans and other facilities;
• payments to telecom operators and water and electricity providers;
• defaults, overdue amounts and returned cheques;
• court and government data, where there is any.

The u.ae page adds that the report shows your last reported salary and an income utilisation ratio, which is the share of your income taken up by repayments.

Reading the payment history

Every facility comes with a colour-coded history for the last 24 months:

A bank will notice even one yellow month. I'd much rather you spot it yourself in advance than find out from a declined application.

Your score: Credit Score 3i

The score sums up, in one number, your ability to meet your obligations. The bureau now uses a model called Credit Score 3i, which has two scales (bureau FAQ ↗):

• Mature Score, for people with an established credit history, runs from 300 to 850;
• New-to-Credit / New-to-Country, for people with limited history, runs from 300 to 650.

The bureau points out that 650 on one scale and 650 on the other mean different things. The models differ, so the numbers can't be compared directly.

What moves the score

These are the factors the bureau lists:

• payment history;
• credit utilisation;
• returned cheque history;
• length of credit history;
• credit mix;
• outstanding balances.

The full report shows which factors weigh most on your own score, together with the bureau's suggestions for improving it.

How to get it, and what it costs

I took these prices from the bureau's Credit Score page ↗ and FAQ. Please check them again before you buy.

You can get the report through:

1. The Etihad Credit Bureau app (App Store, Google Play) or the bureau's website.
2. The DubaiNow or TAMM government apps.
3. In every case you log in with UAE PASS.

The u.ae page says the PDF report is available instantly, while the bureau's FAQ says the report and score arrive by email within 8 hours. If you've paid and nothing has come through, the bureau asks you to call 800-BUREAU (800-287328).

How to fix a mistake

Errors happen. A card you closed long ago still shows as open, a loan that isn't yours appears, or a status is wrong. The process is:

1. Submit a correction request in the app or through the form on the bureau's site (etihadbureau.ae/correction).
2. Attach supporting documents, for example the bank's letter confirming the card was closed.
3. The bureau forwards the request to the data provider.

According to the bureau ↗, Central Bank rules give the provider 10 working days to respond. You'll get an email once the data is updated.

Genuine late payments, defaults and bounced cheques can't be removed. The bureau says they stay on the report for up to 5 years, even after they're settled.

Details people often miss

Data updates quickly. According to the bureau, banks submit data daily and non-bank providers monthly. A missed card payment can appear the next day, while a closed telecom account may take longer to show.

A joint loan shows up for both borrowers. If you took a facility together with a spouse or partner, it appears on each of your reports, and the bank will count it even if the other person is the one paying.

Guarantees are visible as well. Under Central Bank rules, guarantor details are recorded against each facility, so if you've guaranteed someone else's loan, the bank will see it.

You don't need a stamp. Reports and scores are electronic, and banks accept them without stamps or signatures.

Finally, the bank checks your report with your consent, which is part of the mortgage paperwork. Commercial Bank of Dubai ↗, for example, lists a consent letter for the bureau check among its required documents. Once you sign, the bank sees your report, and I'd rather you saw it first.

If you have no UAE history

If you have no credit facilities or services in the UAE, your report will contain only your personal details. That doesn't count as a decline, though it leaves the bank with less to go on.

If you've been in the UAE for less than 3 years, the Foreign Credit Report ↗ may help. Together with its partner Nova Credit, the bureau converts your credit history from another country into a format UAE lenders can use. The lender requests it as part of your application, with your consent, and only if that lender subscribes to the product. The bureau's page lists the supported countries.

If you've just moved and are applying on the strength of a UAE job, see mortgage through UAE employment.

How your history affects a mortgage

The bank looks at your credit history together with your income and existing debt. Under Central Bank rules ↗, all your monthly loan repayments together can't exceed 50% of income. So every live loan cuts into what the bank can lend you. Credit cards count too, and how a bank treats card limits depends on its own policy.

A couple of months before you apply, I'd suggest you:

• buy the report and read all of it;
• close cards you don't use, or lower their limits;
• hold off on new loans and instalment plans;
• pay everything on time, including phone and utility bills;
• fix any errors before the bank sees the report.

I recommend checking twice. The first check is two or three months before applying, so there's time to correct errors and close spare cards. The second is just before you submit, to confirm the fixes have gone through and nothing new has appeared. Both checks together cost under AED 200, while a decline caused by a reporting error can cost you weeks.

On BNPL (buy now, pay later): according to the bureau, these contracts don't currently affect the score, but they do appear on the report and a lender may take them into account.

From my practice. I've been through this myself. I bought my own apartment with a mortgage from Commercial Bank of Dubai in December 2025, and I know how much it helps to arrive at the bank prepared. Each question you've answered in advance saves you days. Before applying, the credit report is the first thing I'd check.

In short

• The AECB report costs AED 84 and the score AED 10.50, via UAE PASS.
• The report covers 36 months, and late payments and bounced cheques stay for up to 5 years.
• There are two score scales, 300–850 and 300–650, and they aren't directly comparable.
• You can dispute an error, and the provider must respond within 10 working days.
• The bank makes the mortgage decision. The bureau only supplies data.

To see how much you could realistically borrow with your current loans, run the numbers in the mortgage calculator. If your report has tricky items, message me and we'll work out which bank to approach. Business owners may also find mortgages for business owners useful.