Where foreigners can buy · Dubai
Freehold areas in Dubai
Yes, a foreign national can buy property in Dubai — outright, with no residency needed — in the areas designated freehold. This is every one of them, read not from a list but from the Land Department’s own mark on every home let in the city over the last year: which communities are freehold throughout, which districts are freehold only in parts, and where a foreign buyer cannot own at all.
Read this first
The Land Department already drew this map
Every list of Dubai's freehold areas is a list copied from another list. This one is counted.
Every tenancy in Dubai is registered through Ejari, and the Land Department marks each one with whether the home it lets is freehold. Count those marks over a year and the freehold map draws itself. Of the 557,774 homes let in the twelve months to 10 Sept 2026, 336,483 were freehold — 60% of the city’s rented homes, and the whole of what a foreign buyer can own.
Freehold means you own the home outright — in an apartment building, with a share of the common parts — registered in your name at the Land Department, yours to sell, let or leave to your heirs. Law No. 7 of 2006 opened it to non-UAE nationals in the areas designated for it, and the designations have grown since. What the list-makers leave out is that a designation does not follow a community’s name. Business Bay is 91% freehold, not all of it. Al Barsha is two places to the register: Al Barsha First reads 2% freehold, Al Barsha South Second 91%.
So the community is where to start, and the title deed is the answer for a particular home. Ask for it, and check it with the Land Department, before any deposit changes hands.
Freehold throughout
Every freehold community, busiest first
Communities where the Land Department marked at least 95 in every 100 homes let as freehold, ordered by how many homes were resold in the last year — where people are actually buying. Each name opens its area guide.
| Community | Land Department area | Freehold share | Resales, 12 months | Resale AED/sqft, 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village Circle | Al Barsha South Fourth | 100% | 4,306 | 1,311 |
| Dubai Marina | Marsa Dubai | 100% | 1,841 | 1,893 |
| Mohammed Bin Rashid City | Al Merkadh · Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid · Wadi Al Safa 3 | 100% | 1,594 | 2,038 |
| Downtown Dubai | Burj Khalifa | 98% | 1,422 | 2,538 |
| International City | Al Warsan First | 99% | 1,376 | 661 |
| Dubai Creek Harbour (The Lagoons) | Al Khairan First | 100% | 1,242 | 2,330 |
| Dubai Sports City | Al Hebiah Fourth | 100% | 1,217 | 937 |
| Dubai Hills Estate | Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid | 100% | 1,186 | 2,304 |
| Dubai South (Dubai World Central) | Madinat Al Mataar | 99% | 1,160 | 1,125 |
| Damac Hills 2 | Madinat Hind 4 | 99% | 1,141 | 1,062 |
| Damac Lagoons | Al Hebiah Fifth | 100% | 1,122 | 1,645 |
| Meydan | Al Merkadh · Nad Al Shiba First | 99% | 1,119 | 1,954 |
| Town Square | Al Yelayiss 2 | 100% | 991 | 1,352 |
| Discovery Gardens | Jabal Ali First | 99% | 955 | 967 |
| Majan | Wadi Al Safa 3 | 100% | 936 | 889 |
| Jumeirah Lake Towers | Al Thanyah Fifth | 100% | 935 | 1,458 |
| Dubai Silicon Oasis | Nadd Hessa | 99% | 899 | 956 |
| Motor City | Al Hebiah First | 100% | 894 | 1,000 |
| Damac Hills | Al Hebiah Third | 100% | 858 | 1,432 |
| Dubai Production City (IMPZ) | Me'Aisem First | 100% | 798 | 973 |
| Al Furjan | Jabal Ali First | 99% | 717 | 1,306 |
| Palm Jumeirah | Palm Jumeirah | 100% | 669 | 2,701 |
| Dubai Land Residence Complex | Wadi Al Safa 5 | 99% | 613 | 817 |
| The Valley | Al Yufrah 1 | 100% | 544 | 1,338 |
| Dubai Studio City | Al Hebiah Second | 100% | 493 | 1,392 |
| Jumeirah Village Triangle | Al Barsha South Fifth | 100% | 482 | 1,313 |
| Jumeirah Beach Residence | Marsa Dubai | 100% | 479 | 1,659 |
| Dubai Land | Wadi Al Safa 5 · Wadi Al Safa 7 · Al Yelayiss 1 | 99% | 457 | 1,366 |
| Liwan | Wadi Al Safa 2 | 99% | 427 | 884 |
| Mudon | Al Hebiah Third · Al Hebiah Sixth | 100% | 392 | 1,676 |
| The Springs | Al Thanayah Fourth | 100% | 378 | 1,666 |
| Greens | Al Thanyah Third | 99% | 331 | 1,735 |
| Al Warsan | Warsan Fourth | 98% | 298 | 880 |
| Dubai Harbour | Marsa Dubai | 100% | 296 | 3,440 |
| Rukan | Wadi Al Safa 7 | 100% | 281 | 1,330 |
| Remraam | Al Hebiah Fifth | 100% | 272 | 942 |
| Villanova | Wadi Al Safa 5 | 99% | 246 | 1,515 |
| Arabian Ranches 3 | Wadi Al Safa 5 | 99% | 233 | 1,870 |
| Dubai Investment Park (DIP) | Dubai Investment Park First · Dubai Investment Park Second | 100% | 220 | 874 |
| Nad Al Sheba | Nad Al Shiba First | 99% | 211 | 2,170 |
| Jumeirah Golf Estates | Me'Aisem First | 100% | 195 | 1,663 |
| Tilal Al Ghaf | Al Hebiah Fourth | 100% | 193 | 2,482 |
| The Views | Al Thanyah Third | 99% | 192 | 1,967 |
| Reem | Al Yelayiss 1 | 100% | 190 | 1,225 |
| Al Barari | Wadi Al Safa 3 | 100% | 168 | 1,738 |
| Zabeel | Zaabeel Second · Zaabeel First | 100% | 150 | 2,813 |
| Downtown Jebel Ali | Jabal Ali Industrial Second | 100% | 114 | 1,401 |
| Bur Dubai | Al Kifaf | 100% | 101 | 1,947 |
| Dubai Industrial City | Saih Shuaib 2 | 95% | 101 | 958 |
| Bluewaters | Marsa Dubai | 100% | 93 | 5,787 |
| Arabian Ranches 2 | Wadi Al Safa 7 | 100% | 79 | 1,422 |
| Wasl Gate | Jabal Ali First | 99% | 65 | 1,473 |
| Serena | Wadi Al Safa 7 | 100% | 57 | 1,277 |
| Jebel Ali | Jabal Ali First · Jabal Ali Industrial Second | 99% | 56 | 898 |
| Living Legends | Wadi Al Safa 3 | 100% | 51 | 909 |
| Wadi Al Safa 2 | Wadi Al Safa 2 | 99% | 31 | 1,775 |
| The Lakes | Al Thanyah Third | 99% | 24 | 2,208 |
| Arabian Ranches | Al Hebiah Second · Wadi Al Safa 6 | 100% | 21 | 1,514 |
| Athlon by Aldar | Wadi Al Safa 5 | 99% | — | — |
| Bukadra | Bukadra | 100% | — | — |
| Damac Islands 2 | Al Yelayiss 1 | 100% | — | — |
| Dubai Design District | Zaabeel Second | 100% | — | — |
| Dubai Waterfront | Hessyan First | 100% | — | — |
| Emirates Golf Club | Palm Jumeirah | 100% | — | — |
| Expo City | Madinat Al Mataar | 99% | — | — |
| Falcon City of Wonders | Wadi Al Safa 2 | 99% | — | — |
| Jumeirah Bay Island | Island 2 | 100% | — | — |
| Jumeirah Islands | Al Thanyah Fifth | 100% | — | — |
| Jumeirah Park | Al Thanyah Fifth | 100% | — | — |
| Reportage Village | Wadi Al Safa 7 | 100% | — | — |
Freehold as marked by the Dubai Land Department on the Ejari tenancies it registered in the twelve months to 10 Sept 2026 — a reading of the register on that date, not a legal opinion on any one home. The Land Department files a home under an area, and an area can serve several communities at once (Marsa Dubai is Dubai Marina, JBR, Dubai Harbour and Bluewaters), so each community carries the reading of the areas it sits in; that is safe here because every one of them reads freehold. Where an area is mixed, the page lists the area below rather than pinning its share on any one community. Resales are completed homes registered over the last twelve months, and the price their median per square foot, for communities with twenty or more; a dash means the community is quieter than that in a year, and its guide carries a longer window. Not read: 13 communities the register cannot yet tie to a Land Department area, and Wadi Al Safa 4 and Palm Deira, with fewer than 50 homes let in the year — too few to grade.
Freehold in parts
The districts that are both
Land Department areas where freehold and non-freehold homes stand side by side. The share is the area's, so read it as the odds for a home you have not yet checked — the title deed settles it.
| Land Department area | Freehold share | Homes let, 12 months | Communities in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Bay | 91% | 17,591 | Business Bay |
| Al Barshaa South Third | 87% | 13,269 | Arjan |
| Mirdif | 60% | 10,197 | Mirdif |
| Al Jadaf | 42% | 8,612 | Al Jaddaf, Culture Village |
| Al Qusais Industrial Fifth | 10% | 7,284 | — |
| Al Thanyah First | 94% | 5,553 | Barsha Heights (Tecom) |
| Al Satwa | 63% | 5,496 | Al Satwa |
| Trade Center First | 6% | 3,916 | — |
| Jumeirah First | 27% | 2,464 | Jumeirah, Pearl Jumeirah |
| Al Goze Fourth | 56% | 2,279 | Al Quoz |
| Al Wasl | 62% | 2,016 | Al Safa, Al Wasl, City Walk |
| Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah | 11% | 1,675 | Maritime City, Mina Rashid |
| Al Barshaa South Second | 91% | 1,494 | Al Barsha, Dubai Science Park |
| Um Suqaim Third | 65% | 952 | Umm Suqeim |
| Al Qusais Industrial Fourth | 55% | 871 | — |
| Rega Al Buteen | 11% | 821 | — |
| Al Kheeran | 76% | 743 | Dubai Festival City |
| Jabal Ali Industrial First | 22% | 733 | — |
| Al Safouh First | 64% | 711 | Al Sufouh |
| Um Hurair Second | 19% | 643 | — |
| Al Safouh Second | 57% | 508 | Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City |
| Al Goze Third | 83% | 460 | — |
| Al Qusais Industrial Third | 42% | 403 | — |
| Muhaisanah First | 90% | 366 | Al Muhaisnah |
| Al Rowaiyah First | 81% | 190 | Academic City |
| Al Barsha Third | 7% | 165 | — |
| Ras Al Khor Industrial Second | 80% | 161 | — |
| Al Khawaneej First | 10% | 123 | — |
Areas with between five and ninety-five in every hundred homes let marked freehold, busiest first. An area with no community named in it has no area guide on this site; it is listed because a buyer will meet the name on a title deed.
Not freehold
Where a foreign buyer cannot own
The 12 busiest Land Department areas where fewer than five in every hundred homes let are freehold. A foreign national can rent in any of them; owning is for UAE nationals, and in places other GCC nationals.
| Land Department area | Freehold share | Homes let, 12 months | Communities in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Nahda Second | 0% | 12,972 | — |
| Al Barsha First | 2% | 12,644 | Al Barsha |
| Al Karama | 0% | 11,535 | — |
| Muhaisanah Fourth | 0% | 11,088 | — |
| Al Nahda First | 0% | 10,761 | — |
| Al Murqabat | 0% | 9,921 | — |
| Mankhool | 0% | 9,674 | — |
| Al Warqa First | 0% | 9,320 | — |
| Al Qusais | 0% | 9,268 | — |
| Al Raffa | 0% | 6,244 | — |
| Naif | 0% | 5,518 | — |
| Al Mararr | 0% | 5,178 | — |
63 areas read under five per cent freehold in the year, and between them held 186,873 lettings; these are the 12 with the most. A share above nought is a handful of freehold homes in the year, not a sign the area is open — check the deed of any one of them.
Questions people ask
Buying freehold in Dubai, answered
Can foreigners buy property in Dubai?
Yes. A foreign national can own property outright in Dubai's designated freehold areas, with no residency requirement, on the same terms as anyone else — the Dubai Land Department's 4% transfer fee included. Those areas are most of the modern city: of the 557,774 homes let in Dubai in the twelve months to 10 Sept 2026, 60% were marked freehold by the Land Department.
What are the freehold areas in Dubai?
By the Land Department's own mark, 70 communities on the register are freehold throughout. The busiest by homes resold in the last twelve months are Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Marina, Mohammed Bin Rashid City, Downtown Dubai, International City, Dubai Creek Harbour (The Lagoons), Dubai Sports City and Dubai Hills Estate; the full list, with what each sells for, is on this page. 28 further districts are freehold in parts.
What are the non-freehold areas in Dubai?
The busiest, by the Land Department's own mark, are Al Nahda Second, Al Barsha First, Al Karama, Muhaisanah Fourth, Al Nahda First and Al Murqabat — in each, fewer than five in every hundred homes let over the last twelve months were freehold. Between them the non-freehold areas held 186,873 of the city's lettings in that year. A foreign national can rent in any of them; buying there is a different matter.
Can a foreigner buy outside the freehold areas?
Not as an owner. Dubai’s property law (Law No. 7 of 2006) opens ownership to non-UAE nationals in the areas designated for it; elsewhere, ownership is reserved to UAE nationals and, in some places, other GCC nationals. The other form a foreign buyer may meet is a registered long lease, commonly up to 99 years. The title deed states which one you would be buying.
Is Business Bay freehold?
Mostly, not entirely. Of the 17,591 homes let in Business Bay over the twelve months to 10 Sept 2026, 91% were marked freehold by the Land Department; the rest sit on plots it does not mark freehold. For a particular flat, the community name is where to start and the title deed is the answer.
Is Jumeirah freehold?
Mostly not. Across the three Land Department areas named Jumeirah First, Second and Third, 18% of the 3,752 homes let in the year were freehold, nearly all of them in Jumeirah First. Jumeirah Bay Island, offshore, is a separate area and reads fully freehold.
Do I need a residence visa to buy property in Dubai?
No. Buying does not require residence — and buying can lead to it. Property worth AED 750,000 or more currently supports a two-year investor visa, and AED 2,000,000 or more the ten-year Golden Visa, both through the Land Department, on conditions that have moved before and should be checked on the day you apply.
Every freehold community above has an area guide with its full register behind it. What the 4% transfer fee and the rest of the bill come to is in the cost of buying; what a purchase can do for residence is in the Golden Visa through property. Deciding by the gate as well? Every one of the gated communities the register can read is freehold throughout. Working to a budget? The cheapest areas are ranked by what homes resold for. Still choosing where? The best areas to live are shortlisted by situation. To go straight to what is on the market, start with property for sale.