Dubai Land Department runs free services that let anyone confirm in a minute whether an agent is licensed, whether their RERA card is valid, and whether a listing's advertising permit is genuine. Here is what each one actually checks, and in what order, from the service pages themselves.
Figures verified against official sources on 2026-09-13. The set of services is defined by Dubai Land Department and can change — primary sources are linked in the text and at the end.
The cheapest protection in Dubai's property market is checking a person before transferring anything to them. The tools are public, free, and take a minute. The problem is that almost nobody explains them.
This article is educational. It explains how the government verification services work, and makes no claim about the licensing status of any intermediary, ourselves included.
What is actually required of a broker
Dubai Land Department states the requirement plainly: a broker must be registered in the brokers registry and hold a broker card from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA). The same source mentions a qualification requirement — completion of a real estate course.
The practical consequence: a genuine broker has something to show you, and it is verifiable in a government system rather than on a business card.
Three checks worth doing
1. Licences and permits — the Trakheesi system
In the service page's own words:
"This service allows a customer to verify the e-copy of the licenses and permits issued by the Land Department for all real estate activities practitioners in the Emirate of Dubai via Trakheesi system." — DLD, Verify License and Permits
The important word is permits. In Dubai a permit is required not only of the practitioner but of the advertisement for a specific property. If a listing carries no valid permit, the question is not about the listing's design — it is about where the listing came from.
The service page states: available to all (the residency field reads "All"), via the DLD website or the Dubai REST app, result immediate, in three steps: log in and select the service → enter the data and submit → view the information obtained.
2. The practitioner's card — RERA e-card
A separate service verifies the e-card issued by RERA to real estate practitioners in Dubai. This answers "is this particular person actually accredited".
3. Registers: brokers and brokerage companies
DLD publishes a list of licensed real estate brokers and, separately, a list of licensed brokerage companies. A company and a person are different records, and both are worth checking: an employee without their own card does not become licensed because the company is.
Practical order
- Ask for the listing's permit number — before the viewing, not after.
- Check that permit in Trakheesi and confirm it belongs to this property.
- Check the individual's card through the e-card verification service.
- Check the company in the brokerage register.
- Match the name on the card against the name on the documents being sent to you.
All four steps are free and take less time than the drive to the viewing.
What these services do NOT do
Naming the limits is more useful than manufacturing false comfort:
- They do not assess quality of service or guarantee the outcome of a deal — they answer only whether a licence or permit exists.
- They do not replace checking the property itself — title, encumbrances and registration are checked through other DLD services, including Title Deed verification.
- They do not substitute for a written contract.
What we are deliberately NOT claiming
- We do not reproduce the eligibility requirements for becoming a broker (nationality, education, experience): the source's wording is general and its scope is not clear to us from the document. Presenting a partial understanding as a rule is not acceptable — confirm with RERA.
- We make no statement about anyone's licensing status, including ECOSYSTEM's. This article explains government verification services; it does not promote intermediaries.
- We are not lawyers; this is not legal advice.
- Service names and scope change by DLD decision — open the service page before you check.
Sources
- DLD — Verify License and Permits (Trakheesi) — verification of e-copies of licences and permits; available to all; website or Dubai REST; immediate result.
- DLD — E-card verification — verification of the card issued by RERA to practitioners.
- DLD — Licensed Real Estate Brokers and Licensed brokerage companies — public registers.
- DLD — Frequently Asked Questions — requirement to be in the brokers registry and hold a RERA card.
