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Gifting a property to family, and what the Land Department charges.

Transfer a property to your husband or wife, or between parent and child, and the Land Department charges 0.125% instead of 4%. Here's who qualifies, which papers you'll need, and the total bill.

Updated

If you move a Dubai property to your spouse, a parent or a child, the Land Department charges 0.125% of its valuation (at least AED 2,000). An ordinary transfer is 4%. So on a place valued at AED 3 million you’d pay AED 3,750 rather than AED 120,000. There can’t be a mortgage on the title, and you’ll need an NOC from the developer. To get your own figure, try the gift transfer calculator works out your figure.

In short

  • Between first-degree relatives a gift costs 0.125% of the Land Department's valuation, minimum AED 2,000. A normal transfer is 4%.

  • First-degree covers spouses, and parents with their children. Brothers and sisters don't count. Usually grandchildren don't either.

  • Because the Land Department does its own valuation, putting down a token price won't cut the fee. Any mortgage has to be paid off and released beforehand.

  • Give it one to three weeks. More if a foreign marriage or birth certificate has to be attested.

What it costs

A gift transfer against an ordinary sale, on a property valued at AED 3 million
LineGift to familyOrdinary sale
Rate charged on the valuation0.125%4%
Fee on AED 3,000,000AED 3,750AED 120,000
Minimum feeAED 2,000None
Title deed issuanceAED 250AED 250
Map feeAED 100 to 225AED 100 to 225

Land Department rates current at September 2026. The gift rate applies between spouses and between parents and children. Trustee office fees apply to both columns and vary with the value of the property.

In that example the transfer fee by itself is AED 116,250 cheaper. No wonder owners hand a home to a spouse or child this way rather than selling it to them cheap. The Land Department is well aware of the cheap-sale trick, which is partly why it does its own valuation and won’t just take the parties’ word for the price.

Who counts as family

Family is defined more tightly than people tend to assume. If the relationship doesn’t fit, the transfer counts as a sale and you pay the full 4%.

Which transfers get the gift rate
Transfer toRate
A spouse0.125%
A child, or a parent0.125%
A brother or sister4%, as a sale
A grandchild, in the ordinary case4%, as a sale
A nephew, a cousin or a friend4%, as a sale

Land Department practice at September 2026. Eligibility is confirmed case by case at the transfer.

Transferring through a child

Some owners try to get round the rule by gifting to a child, who then passes the property on. That means paying a second set of fees and going through a second valuation. If the person you want to give it to isn’t your spouse, parent or child, cost out a normal sale before you assume there’s a back door to the gift rate.

Before you start

  • The title has to be clear of mortgage.

    While the bank has a charge on the property, the transfer can't happen. Pay off the loan first and get the bank to release the mortgage. That release is its own transaction, with its own fee, and it has to be done and dusted before the gift, so having it booked isn't enough.

  • The developer has to issue an NOC.

    It's the same No Objection Certificate you'd need for a sale. Before signing, the developer checks you're clear on service charges. One unpaid quarter on Mollak will hold up a gift just as it would a sale.

  • The Land Department sets the value.

    You pay the 0.125% on their valuation, and that figure is what goes on the new title deed. Keep it in mind. It matters if whoever you're giving it to sells one day.

  • Both sides attend, or appoint someone who can.

    It's finalised at a registration trustee, with the person giving and the person receiving both there. Either of you can send someone with a power of attorney instead, which is what usually happens when the child lives overseas.

Paperwork and timing

What the trustee office asks for
DocumentProvided by
Original title deedThe owner
Developer NOCThe owner
Marriage or birth certificateWhoever proves the relationship
Emirates ID or passportBoth parties
Mortgage release, where there was a loanThe bank

The standard set for a residential gift transfer in 2026. Certificates issued outside the UAE need attestation and an Arabic translation. The trustee confirms the exact list for your case before the appointment.

Plan on one to three weeks. The developer NOC, the valuation and the next free trustee slot are what set the date. A foreign certificate takes longer to attest because it has to go through the country that issued it and then the UAE embassy there. Married abroad, or had your children abroad? Start on that and fit the rest around it.

A gift and a will do different jobs

A gift is often one piece of a bigger estate plan, with a will next to it. The gift moves the title now, while you’re alive. A will says where things go after you’re gone. Those are separate jobs, so think about both at once.

Fees and requirements as of September 2026, and a guide only. The Land Department does the valuation and decides eligibility one case at a time. This is general information and not legal advice, so check your situation with a conveyancer before relying on it.

Questions

Can I gift my Dubai property to my brother or sister?

Not at the gift rate, unfortunately. The Land Department only gives that to first-degree relatives: your spouse, your parents, your children. Pass a flat to your brother and it's treated as a normal sale, full 4% transfer fee included. Nephews, cousins and friends get the same treatment.

Can you gift a property in Dubai that still has a mortgage?

Not with the bank's charge still on the title. You'll need to pay off the loan and get the mortgage released before the gift can go through. If you're timing the gift around paying off the loan, leave room for the release to finish first. They can't both be done in one sitting.

How much does it cost to gift a property in Dubai?

You pay the Land Department 0.125% of whatever value it puts on the property, and never less than AED 2,000. Then there's about AED 250 to issue the title deed and a map fee of roughly AED 100 to 225. The trustee office charges too, and how much depends on what the property's worth.

Can I gift a Dubai property to a child who lives abroad?

You can. Your child doesn't have to live in the UAE. You do have to prove you're related, though, so if the birth certificate was issued abroad it'll need attesting and translating into Arabic. And neither of you has to turn up in person; someone holding a power of attorney can stand in at the trustee office.

Does the Land Department use my purchase price to work out the fee?

It doesn't. The property gets valued as part of the transfer, and the 0.125% is worked out on that number. What you paid, or what you write on the form, makes no difference. That same valuation is what goes on the new title deed.

How long does a gift transfer take in Dubai?

Once your papers are in order, one to three weeks is typical. What pushes the date around is the developer NOC, the valuation and how soon you can get a trustee appointment. Attesting a marriage or birth certificate from abroad isn't part of that window, and it can drag on much longer. Do that bit first.

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