How to Buy Dubai Property Remotely: Step by Step

Yes, you can buy property in Dubai without getting on a plane, and I handle deals like this regularly. Clients view apartments over live video, sign documents remotely and complete the transfer through a power of attorney or through routes set up by the Dubai Land Department. With a remote purchase I care far more about keeping control of the money and the paperwork than about speed. Below is how I run the process step by step, and where people tend to slip up.

Off-plan and resale work differently from abroad

From abroad, buying off-plan from a developer is the simplest option. You sign a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with the developer, and the developer registers it in the provisional register (Oqood) through the DLD portal. DLD rules say it has to be registered within 90 days of signing. An individual buyer provides the contract and an Emirates ID, or a valid passport if they're a non-resident.

Resale involves more people. There's the seller, the seller's bank if the unit is mortgaged, the developer with its NOC, and finally the transfer at a Trustee office. You can get through every stage without being in the room, but each one takes some preparation.

If you're still deciding between the two, read Off-plan or ready in 2026.

Step 1. Check the broker and the listing

When you can't be there in person, your broker is your eyes on the ground. Check them before the first video call.

• In the Dubai REST app, RERA → Validate E-Card shows a broker's card and BRN.
• A legitimate listing has a permit and a Madmoun QR code, which confirms it's registered.

My BRN is 78108, and you can look me up the same way. There's more in How to verify a broker and a listing.

Step 2. Viewing from a distance

I don't count a listing video as a viewing. I take clients round apartments on a live video call and show them the things that usually stay off-camera:

• the view at different times of day and what's across the street;
• the kitchen, bathrooms and AC units, and any signs of leaks;
• noise from the road and from nearby construction;
• the lobby, pool and parking, and the walk from the entrance to the front door.

For off-plan, we go through the layout, floor, orientation and construction progress. Dubai REST shows the completion percentage and the date of the last inspection under Project Status (Mashrooi). I explain how in Checking construction progress.

Step 3. Contracts and reservation

On resale, the broker signs agreements with the buyer and with the seller in the DLD system, then prepares the unified sale contract, Contract F. As DLD describes it, the broker creates Contract F in the app from the approved Contracts A and B, adds the parties, the price and the payment terms, and sends it for approval. All of this happens electronically, so there's no need to fly in. I walk through each document in Forms A, B and F.

Before Contract F is signed, I check:

1. The seller's Title Deed, and that it matches the listing.
2. Whether there's a mortgage, and which bank holds it.
3. Any service charge arrears.
4. How long the developer NOC will take.

Step 4. Power of attorney

If you won't be at the transfer, you'll need a power of attorney for the person who signs on your behalf. The DLD FAQ ↗ gives these rules:

• a power of attorney for purchase is valid for five years from notarisation;
• one for sale, mortgage or gifting lasts two years;
• a power of attorney issued outside the UAE has to be legalised: notary → foreign ministry of the issuing country → UAE embassy in that country → UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I wouldn't use a generic template from the internet. The wording should cover exactly what your representative will do, such as buying a specific property, signing at the Trustee office and, if needed, collecting the Title Deed. Ask the notary and the Trustee office about wording and translation requirements before you sign anything.

Step 5. Money only moves by a safe route

This is where a mistake costs the most. On resale, payment at transfer is normally made with manager's cheques. If the seller has a mortgage, DLD's process calls for separate cheques: one to the seller's bank for the outstanding debt, one to the seller for the balance, and one to DLD for the 4% fee. I go into this in Safe payment: manager's cheques and conveyancing.

If you don't have a UAE bank account, issuing manager's cheques yourself is hard. A conveyancing company solves this. You send the funds to the company, and it issues cheques to the right recipients.

From my practice. A non-resident family with no UAE bank account was buying a 2BR at Address Residences, Dubai Creek Harbour. They wanted to send the money straight to the seller before the transfer, and I talked them out of it. The funds went through a conveyancing company, which issued manager's cheques in the seller's name, and we went into the transfer with a protected payment route. Before that, we'd shown the family more than 20 apartments and found one with a two-year post-handover payment plan.

DLD has also described a remote transaction system. The parties are identified over video, the sale amount goes into a guarantee account managed by DLD, and the seller is paid once the title has been transferred. DLD announced it on 20 May 2020 ↗. According to the DLD FAQ, when a call comes in from abroad, the Trustee office emails the property details, the sale amount and the seller's information and gets approval to register by email, and the video call is recorded. We always check with the Trustee office in advance whether this route applies to your deal today.

Then there's Dubai Now ↗, which handles the whole sale online with payment into a DLD-approved escrow account. Only UAE ID holders with UAE PASS can use it, and only for freehold units with no mortgage or restrictions. Without an Emirates ID, it's not available to you.

With off-plan, your payments go into the project's escrow account. I always check the account details against Dubai REST. Payments to a sales manager's personal account or to "another company in the developer's group" are out of the question.

Step 6. Transfer

The sale is registered at a DLD Trustee office. DLD says that when all the documents are in order, registration itself takes about 30 minutes. At the transfer:

• the documents and the parties' Emirates IDs are checked, or a passport for non-residents;
• freehold units need the developer's e-NOC, which is issued through Dubai REST;
• the fees are paid and the receipt arrives by email;
• the new Title Deed is issued electronically.

If you're not there, your attorney signs for you. I'm always at the transfer in person.

Buying with a mortgage from abroad

You can take a mortgage while living outside the UAE too, though non-residents get stricter terms. Mashreq's non-resident page, for example, states financing of up to 50% of fair market value and asks for a passport and the latest three months of bank statements. Other banks have their own terms. More in Dubai mortgage for non-residents and on the non-resident mortgage page.

If you plan to work in the UAE, there's a different path: a mortgage through UAE employment.

After handover, you still don't need to fly in

Once the Title Deed is issued, the apartment still has to be inspected, connected and let. I handle this for my clients at no extra cost: monthly payments, snagging, utility connections, key collection and finding a tenant. For ongoing rental management, I recommend trusted partners.

From my practice. A client bought a 1BR in Seslia Tower through me. I helped with the payments, ran the snagging, connected DEWA, cooling and gas, and bought appliances and soft furnishings. The client flew into an apartment that was ready to live in, and after that we found a tenant.

Where remote buyers go wrong

• They decide on the strength of one video. That video was probably shot at the best hour of the day, with no noise and the building next door kept out of frame.
• They pay a "reservation" into someone's personal account. Before transfer, money should only go out under a contract and to a recipient you can verify.
• They leave the power of attorney to the last minute. Legalisation passes through several authorities and takes time, so start as soon as you've chosen the property.
• Nobody takes charge of the apartment after the deal. Someone has to deal with the keys, the snagging and the utility connections.

Remote purchase checklist

• The broker is checked in Dubai REST and the listing via its Madmoun QR code.
• You've seen the apartment on a live video call.
• The Title Deed, the seller's mortgage and any service charge arrears are checked before signing.
• The power of attorney covers exactly what's needed and has been legalised.
• Money goes through conveyancing or a DLD mechanism and never straight to the seller.
• For off-plan, the escrow details have been checked in Dubai REST.
• You know who will inspect the unit, connect the utilities and find a tenant.

My fees

If you'd like to buy in Dubai without flying in, message me on WhatsApp with your budget, what you're looking for and how you plan to pay. I'll suggest the route that suits you and show you the first options on video.