Where a buyer and a developer have agreed amicably to deregister a unit, merge it or swap it, the Land Department has a service for exactly that. AED 3,000 plus AED 10 each, seven and a half hours, filed through the developer's portal. The agreement is accepted only in Arabic or as a certified translation, sealed and signed by all parties. We also cover refunding fees already paid.
Sources re-read on 17 September 2026: the Dubai Land Department service pages "Settlements Application" and "Fees refund request". We read the raw pages rather than a summary; a link sits by every amount, with the full list at the end.
We have covered two hard exits from a deal: cancellation by court order, where the Department merely executes a ruling, and termination of a provisional registration, filed by the developer on non-payment. Between them lies a third road that almost nobody writes about: the parties agree between themselves.
What the service actually registers
Verbatim: "This service allows a developer to approve implementation of the amicable settlement agreement between a developer and an investor, whether on real estate units or land plots, through which deregistration, merger, or transfer a real estate unit or land to another to be made."
The service puts an amicable settlement between developer and investor into the register, over units or land plots, with three possible outcomes: deregistration, merger or transfer of the property to another.
Note who files: the developer. The investor signs the agreement, but the developer submits it through their portal.
| Line | Amount | Where it is stated |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement | AED 3,000 | service page |
| Knowledge fee | AED 10 | service page |
| Innovation fee | AED 10 | service page |
| Service time | 7 hours 30 minutes | service page |
An unusual service time for this catalogue: not minutes, not business days, but seven and a half hours.
Three conditions, and the second rules out the most cases
- the project is registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency;
- the unit or plot is registered in the Land Department's records;
- for a settlement over land, there must be no registered project on it.
The second is the practical one: until the property is in the register there is nothing to settle, because the Department has nothing to record the agreement against. What "the unit is registered" means during construction, and how the provisional register differs from a title, is covered here.
The document that most often holds things up
There are seven items, and the fifth is the one that sends agreements back for rework:
"A copy of the settlement agreement in Arabic language or a certified translation, sealed and signed by all parties"
The agreement is accepted in Arabic, or as a certified translation, sealed and signed by all parties. An English text signed by the parties is not enough: a certified translation is required. We have met the Arabic requirement in this cluster before: the bank's release letter for a finance lease must also be in Arabic.
The remaining documents: the reservation form or the sale contract bearing the parties' signatures; the case form for deregistration, transfer or merger, signed by developer and investor; an undertaking from the developer as to the validity of the signatures and documents; for a land settlement, an undertaking not to grant building permits and that the plot is free of construction; a copy of an Emirates ID or valid passport; and a trade licence for companies.
The procedure runs through the Oqood portal: register or log in, pay and submit online, the application is received and reviewed by an officer, approved or rejected and sent back to the developer, and on approval an email goes to the parties.
Refunding fees already paid
Alongside sits a service that matters when money has already reached the Department but the procedure did not happen.
Exactly two documents: a payment receipt and bank account details. The time: seven business days. Channels: the Dubai REST app and the Department's website.
The steps are described: in the app choose "Fees Refund Request", create a new request, attach the bank documents, verify yourself with a one-time code by phone or email. The request then goes to the finance department for approval; on rejection a notification arrives, on approval the funds are transferred to the stated account.
The page names no figures for a refund at all — neither a service fee nor a retention. We do not import amounts from neighbouring pages: they are not there, and that is a fact about the source rather than a gap in this write-up.
What this means for a buyer
- An amicable exit exists and costs a flat AED 3,000 — cheaper and faster than the court route, but it needs the developer's agreement.
- The developer files. An investor cannot start this service alone.
- Draft the agreement in Arabic from the start, or budget time for a certified translation.
- A land settlement is impossible where a project is already registered on the plot.
What the source does not say
- What happens to money already paid for the unit on deregistration: the page registers the agreement, while the settlement between the parties is described by the agreement itself.
- Whether a developer is obliged to agree. The service records an arrangement that has been reached; it creates no duty to reach one.
- The size and timing of fee refunds. The refund page states a seven-business-day review, but names neither amounts nor retentions.
- Who certifies the translation of the agreement. The requirement is named; the body is not.
- A total for the service. The Department does not add AED 3,000 + 10 + 10 into one figure, and we print none.
Sources
- Settlements Application — Dubai Land Department service page: implementing an amicable settlement between developer and investor over units or plots, with deregistration, merger or transfer as outcomes; fees AED 3,000 plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation; service time 7 hours 30 minutes; three conditions (project registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, unit or plot registered in the Department's records, no project on the plot); seven documents including the agreement in Arabic or a certified translation signed by all parties and the developer's undertaking as to the validity of signatures; a five-step procedure through the Oqood portal; applicant status — UAE citizen, resident, tourist.
- Fees refund request — service page: refunding fees already paid; two documents (payment receipt and bank account details); seven business days; channels — the Dubai REST app and the Department's website; a procedure with one-time-code verification and transfer of funds to the stated account on approval; the page names no amounts or retentions.
