The Land Department issues an electronic valuation certificate, and the tariff is tiered — from AED 2,000 for vacant land to AED 15,000 for a hotel. But the decisive line is not about money: for residential units and attached villas the valuation is issued INSTANTLY, for every other type it takes seven working days.
Checked against the official source on 17 September 2026: the Dubai Land Department service card "Property Valuation". The page was read in its raw form; every figure carries its source link, and the source is listed at the end.
A valuation is most often needed for a bank — for a mortgage or its review. The mortgage bill itself we covered separately; this piece is about what the certificate costs and how long it takes.
What is issued
The service lets customers apply for the valuation of various property types; the output is an electronic valuation certificate (Real Estate Evaluation e-Certificate). Channels: Real Estate Services Trustees centres, the Dubai REST app and the Dubai Now app.
Timing depends on the type, and the difference is decisive
| Type | Time | Where it is named |
|---|---|---|
| Residential units and attached villas | instant | DLD card |
| Other types | 7 working days | DLD card |
If the certificate is needed by a transaction date, that is the card's key line: an apartment or an attached villa closes immediately, everything else takes a working week that has to sit in the schedule.
The tariff is tiered: from 2,000 to 15,000
| Case | Department fee | Partner fee when filed at a centre | Where it is named |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacant land for the purpose of grant ownership (commercial / industrial) | AED 2,000 | AED 180 + VAT | DLD card |
| Vacant land for a major project or a phase thereof | AED 10,000 | AED 430 + VAT | DLD card |
| Building: residential villa with its land · residential apartment | AED 4,000 | AED 230 + VAT | DLD card |
| Hotel building with its land | AED 15,000 | AED 530 + VAT | DLD card |
| Agricultural land and the building on it (commercial, industrial, villa compound) | AED 6,000 | no line | DLD card |
Each case adds AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation; for a hotel the card specifies these are charged per drawing.
The spread between the lowest and highest row is seven and a half times, and it is set by the property type, not by its price.
What the card leaves unresolved. The last case — agricultural land with a building — has no partner-fee line. That may mean none is charged, or it may be an incomplete list. The card says neither, and we draw no conclusion.
The partner fee appears only when filing through a centre. In the rows it is tied precisely to that condition; for app filings it is not listed.
What follows
For an apartment the valuation costs no time. Instant issuance means the certificate is not the bottleneck for a residential unit. It becomes one for everything else.
Count by type, not by price. Vacant land for a major project costs more to value than a residential villa with its land, though intuition usually suggests the opposite.
Filing at a centre adds the partner fee — from AED 180 to AED 530 plus VAT, depending on the case.
What we do not claim here
- That this certificate is the same as a bank's valuation. The card describes a Department service; it does not govern a particular bank's requirements for a report.
- Who performs the valuation itself. The card names valuation companies among the parties, but the Department's register of accredited companies is behind a login — we checked that separately and do not reproduce its composition.
- Whether a partner fee applies to agricultural land. The line is absent; no reason is given.
- How long the certificate remains valid. Not stated.
Sources
- Property Valuation — Land Department service card: the description, the electronic certificate issued, five tariff cases (AED 2,000 · 10,000 · 4,000 · 15,000 · 6,000), AED 10 knowledge and innovation fees, partner fees of AED 180 / 430 / 230 / 530 + VAT when filed at centres, the "instant" time for residential units and attached villas versus 7 working days for other types, and the trustee-centre, Dubai REST and Dubai Now channels.
