Transferring a property to a first-degree relative in Dubai has its own procedure and its own rate — 0.125% of the property valuation with a minimum of AED 2,000. The eligible circle is named verbatim in the schedule, and proving the relationship requires embassy attestation. Here it is from the Dubai Land Department service page.
Figures verified against official sources on 2026-09-13. Fees and conditions are set by Dubai Land Department and can change — the primary source is linked at every figure and at the end.
Moving property within a family is a common question and a common source of expensive mistakes. Dubai has a dedicated procedure for it: gift (grant) registration. It is not a sale at zero price, and not "re-registering by agreement" — the procedure has its own eligible circle, its own rate, and its own documentary demands.
Who may receive a gift
The service page puts it directly: ownership may be transferred without compensation to a person or persons who are first-degree relatives — mother, father, spouse, or children — or to companies.
And immediately the limiting condition: the property must not be restricted or granted land.
What it costs
| Item | Amount | source |
|---|---|---|
| Principal fee | 0.125% of the property valuation, minimum AED 2,000 | verify |
| Title Deed certificate issuance | AED 250 | verify |
| Unified map under Dubai Municipality | AED 225 | verify |
| Map for lands not under Dubai Municipality | AED 100 | verify |
| Villas and apartments | AED 250 | verify |
| Knowledge fee | AED 10 | verify |
| Innovation fee | AED 10 | verify |
| Service partner, value AED 2,000,000 or more | AED 4,000 + VAT | verify |
| Service partner, value under AED 2,000,000 | AED 2,000 + VAT | verify |
Two places where the arithmetic is usually got wrong:
- On lower-value property the minimum matters more than the rate. 0.125% of AED 1,000,000 is AED 1,250 — below the minimum, so AED 2,000 is payable. The point where the rate catches up with the minimum sits around AED 1,600,000. That is arithmetic on the rate, not a market estimate — put your own number in.
- The service partner threshold here is AED 2,000,000, not the AED 500,000 used in several other DLD services. Thresholds do not transfer between services.
Documents: where applications stall
Proving the relationship is the heavy part, and the part most often underestimated. The service page requires marriage or birth certificates translated and attested by the UAE embassy, plus proof of paternity or kinship from the applicant's embassy in the UAE.
Also: the Emirates ID — for identity verification only, no copies are taken — or a valid passport copy for non-resident foreigners.
Service time is 25 minutes. That refers to the registration itself; legalising documents takes incomparably longer, and the plan should be built around that.
Order of work
- Check the property's status — not restricted, not granted land.
- Check the degree of relationship against the schedule: mother, father, spouse, children.
- Start with legalising the relationship documents — that is the critical path, not a formality at the end.
- Compute the fee: 0.125% of the valuation, but not less than AED 2,000, plus the fixed items.
- Confirm the service partner threshold against the property's value — here it is AED 2,000,000.
What we are deliberately NOT claiming
- We draw no tax conclusions — neither for the UAE nor for your country of tax residence. A gift may have consequences outside Dubai, and the DLD service page says nothing about them.
- We do not cover gifting to companies — the schedule mentions them, but we did not separately verify the conditions and documents for legal entities.
- We do not state how the "property valuation" is determined — that is a separate DLD procedure, not described here.
- We are not lawyers; this is not legal advice.
- Fees and requirements change by DLD decision — open the service page before filing.
Sources
- DLD — Property Gift Registration — the first-degree circle, 0.125% of valuation with an AED 2,000 minimum, AED 250 / 225 / 100 / 250, AED 10 knowledge and innovation fees, service partner AED 4,000 / 2,000 + VAT with the AED 2,000,000 threshold, relationship-proof requirements, 25-minute service time.
- DLD — Gift registration application — adjacent registration service.
- DLD — Frequently Asked Questions — general rules on registering rights.
