Gifting a property, at a thirty-second of the fee.
Moving a Dubai property to a spouse, a parent or a child is charged at 0.125% instead of 4%. On a mid-market apartment that difference runs to six figures.
A gift transfer between first-degree relatives costs 0.125% of the value the Land Department assesses, with a minimum of AED 2,000, against the 4% a sale attracts. Spouses, parents and children qualify. Siblings do not. The property must be free of any mortgage, and the developer issues an NOC as they would for a sale.
AED 8,425 to gift the property, against AED 187,780 to sell it to the same person.
The 0.125% rate applies between spouses, and between parents and their children. Siblings do not qualify and pay the full 4%. The property has to be free of any mortgage before the transfer can be registered, and the developer still issues an NOC as they would for a sale.
What the two routes cost
| Charge | Gift | Sale |
|---|---|---|
| Land Department transfer | 3,750 | 120,000 |
| Agent commission | None | 63,000 |
| Title deed and map | 475 | 580 |
| Registration trustee | 4,200 | 4,200 |
| Total | 8,425 | 187,780 |
Rates current at June 2026. The Land Department sets the valuation and confirms eligibility case by case. Trustee fees shown with VAT.
Before you book the appointment
Clear the mortgage first.
A charge on the title stops the transfer. Settling a loan early carries its own fee, capped at 1% of the outstanding balance or AED 10,000, whichever is less, so work out that cost before you commit to the plan.
Get the relationship documents attested.
A marriage or birth certificate issued outside the UAE needs attestation and a legal translation before the Land Department will accept it. That chain can take longer than the transfer itself, so start it early.
Settle the service charge account.
The developer will not issue the NOC while anything is outstanding on Mollak. Check the balance now rather than on the day the trustee appointment is booked.
Think about what it does to your estate.
A lifetime transfer moves the asset out of your estate, which changes what happens to it later. It is worth deciding that deliberately rather than as a side effect of saving the transfer fee.
Fees current at June 2026 and indicative. The Land Department assesses the value and confirms eligibility case by case. General information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your position with the Land Department or a conveyancer before relying on it.
Questions
- How much does it cost to gift a property in Dubai?
- The Land Department charges 0.125% of the value it assesses, with a floor of AED 2,000, rather than the 4% a sale attracts. On a property valued at AED 3 million that is AED 3,750 instead of AED 120,000. Add the title deed, the map fee and the registration trustee, and the whole transfer usually settles under AED 10,000.
- Who counts as a first-degree relative?
- Spouses, and parents and their children. Brothers and sisters do not qualify, and nor in the ordinary case do grandchildren. A transfer to anyone outside that circle is treated as a normal sale and charged the full 4%.
- Can I gift a property that still has a mortgage on it?
- Not while the charge is on the title. The loan has to be settled and the mortgage discharged at the Land Department before a gift transfer can be registered. Owners sometimes refinance elsewhere to clear the charge first, which carries its own cost.
- Does the Land Department use my valuation or its own?
- Its own. Every gift transfer goes through a mandatory DLD valuation, so understating the value to reduce the fee is not possible. The figure in this calculator should be the DLD assessment rather than what you think the property is worth.
- Do I still need a developer NOC to gift a property?
- Yes, on the same terms as a sale. The developer confirms there is nothing outstanding on service charges before the transfer is registered, so a Mollak account in arrears will hold the whole thing up.
- Is there any tax on gifting property in Dubai?
- The UAE charges no gift tax and no capital gains tax on the transfer. If you are tax resident elsewhere, your home country may take a different view of a lifetime transfer, and that is worth checking before you register anything.
- Gifting property to family in DubaiWho qualifies, the documents required, and how the transfer runs.
- What happens to your property if you dieThe other half of the question, and why joint ownership is not the answer.
- Selling cost calculatorWhat a sale to someone outside the family would leave you with.
Mulki keeps the record for every unit, whoever ends up holding it.
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