Buying in Dubai
How much deposit do you need to buy property in Dubai?
20% if you live in the UAE; around half if you don’t.And about 7% in fees on top, in cash — the part people forget to budget.
The short answer
20% if you live in the UAE; around half if you don’t. The Central Bank caps a mortgage on an expatriate resident’s first home at 80% of the price up to AED 5 million (70% above it), so the minimum deposit is 20%; on a second or investment home it is 40%. A buyer with no UAE visa can still get a mortgage, from a shorter list of UAE banks, on a deposit of commonly around 50% — 40% for a strong file — which is lenders’ policy, not law. Off-plan, the cap is a 50% deposit, but almost nobody borrows before handover: the developer’s payment plan asks commonly 10% to 20% at booking. On top of any deposit come the fees, about 7% of the price, and they are cash too, because banks lend against the price only. In McCone Properties’ worked example, a resident buying a AED 2,000,000 first home needs AED 550,940 in the bank on the day, and a buyer living abroad about AED 1,143,140.
By Sam McCone, Managing Partner · Caps from the Central Bank’s mortgage regulation, read 15 Sept 2026
The cash on the day
What you need in the bank, at your price
Move the price, say where you live and what you are buying. Your cash is the deposit and the fees together.
A AED 400,000 deposit and AED 150,940 in fees, against a loan of up to AED 1,600,000.
Regulation · The Central Bank’s cap on an expatriate’s first home up to AED 5 million
- Your depositAED 400,000
20% of the price, from your own money.
- The feesAED 150,940
The 4% DLD fee, commission, the trustee and the deed, and the bank’s charges. Cash, on top of the deposit.
- The bank lendsAED 1,600,000
80% of the price, at most.
Resident and off-plan caps are the Central Bank’s, read 15 Sept 2026; a lender may ask for more and may not accept less. A buyer abroad borrows on each lender’s own terms, which change without notice. Fees are the costs of buying, itemised there; the bank’s are illustrative. What your income lets you borrow is the borrowing calculator; the monthly repayment, the mortgage calculator.
Everything else is yours to bring.
Questions
Common questions
Can non-residents get a mortgage in Dubai?
Yes. A shorter list of UAE banks lends to buyers with no UAE visa, for a freehold home, on a larger deposit — commonly around half the price, 40% at best for a strong file. The bank underwrites the income where it is earned: a passport, proof of address, six months of bank statements, proof of income and a credit report from home. You can sign the whole purchase through a power of attorney without flying out. The fees, about 7% of the price, are cash on top, as for anyone.
How much deposit for a second home or an investment property?
40% for an expatriate, at any price — the Central Bank’s cap on a second or subsequent home, or one bought to let, is 60% of the price. On a AED 2,000,000 flat, McCone Properties’ worked example comes to a AED 800,000 deposit and AED 945,740 in cash on the day with the fees. A first home above AED 5 million needs 30%.
How much deposit do I need for off-plan property in Dubai?
On the developer’s payment plan, commonly 10% to 20% at booking, plus the Land Department’s 4% — AED 280,020 to AED 480,020 at signing on a AED 2,000,000 home — then instalments to handover. A bank can lend on an off-plan home against a 50% deposit, but in practice almost nobody does: in McCone Properties’ count of the 122,865 off-plan homes sold in the year to 31 Aug 2026, the Land Department registered a mortgage against none. Buyers pay the plan from savings and borrow, if at all, at handover.
How much income do I need for a mortgage in Dubai?
Enough that every monthly repayment you have, the new mortgage included, stays under 50% of your gross income, tested at a rate at least two points above the one you are offered. The loan also may not pass 7 years of an expatriate’s annual income, and the term is 25 years at most. These are the Central Bank’s rules; the borrowing calculator applies them to your figures.
Who lends, at what rate, and what buyers in each district actually borrowed is on mortgage brokers in Dubai; the purchase itself, from who can buy where to the deed, is buying as a foreigner.
