Dubai Off-Plan Fees Explained: the 4% DLD Fee, Oqood, and What You Pay at Handover
Oct 12, 2026
Short answer: To register an off-plan sale in Dubai, Dubai Land Department (DLD) charges 2% of the sale value from the seller and 2% from the purchaser — 4% in total — plus AED 10 Knowledge fees and AED 10 Innovation fees. Oqood is the portal used for provisional registration, not a separate 4% fee on top. At handover, once that registration fee has already been collected, the title-deed path is typically AED 250 for the title deed plus map fees. Figures below are from official DLD service pages as of 12 October 2026; always re-check DLD, because fees can change.
Fees and SKID board counts as of 12 October 2026. Not legal advice.
What is the DLD 4% fee?
The 4% people talk about is DLD's registration fee for the initial (provisional) sale of an off-plan unit. On DLD's own Request to register the initial sale page, the split is:
| Party / item | Official DLD fee |
|---|---|
| Seller | 2% of sale value |
| Purchaser | 2% of sale value |
| Knowledge fees | AED 10 |
| Innovation fees | AED 10 |
| Developer self-registration (Oqood portal) | AED 1,000 |
Source: DLD — Request to register the initial sale, fees as listed on 12 October 2026.
That 2% + 2% is what buyers mean when they say "the 4% DLD fee." It is paid when the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) is registered in the provisional register. Payment is via Noqodi wallet or deduction from the escrow account. The output is a provisional registration e-certificate.
Is Oqood a separate fee?
No. Oqood is DLD's portal / process for provisional (off-plan) registration — the Real Estate Developers Portal path described on the same DLD page. The registration fee itself is the 2% + 2%. The AED 1,000 line is a developer self-registration fee on that portal for provisional sale, not a second buyer 4%.
In plain English: you are not paying "4% DLD + another 4% Oqood." You are paying the DLD registration percentages (and the small Knowledge / Innovation amounts), processed through Oqood.
Who pays the 2% + 2%?
Officially, DLD lists 2% on the seller and 2% on the purchaser. Who actually writes the cheque is a different question. In Dubai off-plan practice, buyers often fund the full 4% at registration, even though the service page splits it 2% / 2%. That is market practice, not a different DLD rate. Your SPA decides who pays what — read that clause before you reserve, and do not assume the brochure matches the contract.
The same 2% + 2% structure appears on DLD's ready / secondary Property Sale Registration service (plus title deed, map, Knowledge and Innovation fees, and separate trustee / partner fees). Off-plan uses the provisional-register path first; ready sales go straight to sale registration. The percentage rates are the same idea either way.
When is the registration fee due?
DLD's terms on the initial-sale page say the SPA must be registered in the provisional register within 90 days of signing. Registration produces the provisional e-certificate. Missing that window is a compliance risk between the parties and DLD — treat the 90-day clock as hard, and confirm with the developer how and when the fee will be collected (Noqodi vs escrow deduction).
What do you pay at handover?
Once the unit is finished and the registration fee has already been collected, completing initial procedures (issuing the title deed) is a separate DLD service with fixed AED amounts, not another 4%. From DLD's Request to complete the initial procedures page, when the registration fee was previously collected:
| Item | Official DLD fee |
|---|---|
| Title deed | AED 250 |
| Map (apartment / villa / unit) | AED 250 |
| Land plot map (outside Dubai Municipality) | AED 100 |
| Unified Dubai Municipality land map | AED 225 |
| Knowledge fees | AED 10 |
| Innovation fees | AED 10 |
Source: DLD — Complete the initial procedures, as of 12 October 2026. Service time listed as 6 business days; payment via Noqodi wallet.
So for a typical apartment or villa unit at handover on this path, you are looking at AED 250 + AED 250 + AED 10 + AED 10 for title deed and map, unless a different map line applies. DLD also lists a separate Issue Title Deed service; for the off-plan handover path after provisional registration, prefer the complete initial procedures page above.
How much is 4% in dirhams? (illustrative)
These amounts are simple arithmetic on the official 4% total (2% + 2%). They do not include Knowledge / Innovation fees, the developer AED 1,000 portal fee, trustee fees on a later resale, or any developer admin charges outside DLD.
| Sale value (illustrative) | 2% (one side) | 4% total |
|---|---|---|
| AED 800,000 | AED 16,000 | AED 32,000 |
| AED 1,500,000 | AED 30,000 | AED 60,000 |
| AED 3,000,000 | AED 60,000 | AED 120,000 |
Illustrative only. Rate basis: DLD 2% seller + 2% purchaser on sale value. As of 12 October 2026.
On the SKID board as of 12 October 2026 there are 204 Dubai launches with budget_max at or below AED 1,000,000 — so the AED 800k row is in the range many first-time buyers actually quote. For context across the whole city:
| SKID board (12 Oct 2026) | Count |
|---|---|
| Dubai off-plan launches on SKID | 904 |
| Dubai launches with budget_max ≤ AED 1,000,000 | 204 |
Source: SKID off-plan board, 12 October 2026. Launch counts, not unit counts.
Examples of live project pages: Nexara Tower, Celia Homes. Browse the full board at skid.homes/off-plan.
Are developer admin fees official DLD fees?
Not unless they appear on a DLD service page. DLD publishes the registration percentages, Knowledge / Innovation amounts, title-deed and map fees, and the developer Oqood self-registration line. Anything labelled "admin," "booking," "NOC," or "transfer" on a developer's invoice is outside that schedule unless it maps to a named DLD service. Ask for a line-by-line breakdown and which items are paid to DLD vs the developer.
What about refunds if you cancel?
This is not legal advice. DLD's service pages list what it costs to register and to complete title procedures. They do not, on the pages cited here, set a universal "buyer gets X% back if you cancel" rule.
Whether money comes back on cancellation depends on:
- what your SPA says about deposits, milestones and termination;
- escrow rules for that project;
- the facts of the cancellation (who terminated, why, and when).
Do not assume the 4% registration fee — or any SPA deposit — is automatically refundable. Read the SPA, ask how escrow will treat a termination, and get professional advice for your case. SKID does not invent refund percentages.
FAQ
Is the DLD fee 4% or 2%? DLD lists 2% seller + 2% purchaser. Together that is 4% of sale value, plus AED 10 Knowledge and AED 10 Innovation on the initial-sale service.
Is Oqood an extra 4%? No. Oqood is the provisional registration portal. The fee is the DLD 2% + 2%. Developers also see an AED 1,000 self-registration line on that portal.
Who usually pays the full 4%? DLD's schedule splits it. In market practice, buyers often fund all 4%. The SPA is what binds you.
When must the SPA be registered? Within 90 days of signing, per DLD's initial-sale service terms.
What do I pay at handover for the title deed? If the registration fee was already collected: typically AED 250 title deed + AED 250 unit map + AED 10 + AED 10, per the complete-initial-procedures page (other map lines apply for some plots).
Do fees change? Yes. Treat every figure in this post as as of 12 October 2026 and re-check the linked DLD pages before you pay.
Where can I compare off-plan prices after fees? Start with SKID's off-plan board, the October 2026 market index, off-plan vs ready prices, and the JVC benchmark.
Methodology & sources
- DLD official fees (checked 12 Oct 2026): Request to register the initial sale (2% + 2%, Knowledge AED 10, Innovation AED 10, developer Oqood self-registration AED 1,000; 90-day provisional registration; Noqodi or escrow); Complete the initial procedures (title deed AED 250, maps, Knowledge / Innovation when registration fee previously collected); Issue Title Deed (cited for contrast; prefer complete-initial-procedures for the off-plan handover path); Property Sale Registration (ready / secondary 2% + 2% context).
- Illustrative 4% table: sale value × 0.04; not a quote and not inclusive of fixed AED fees or non-DLD charges.
- SKID board (12 Oct 2026): 904 Dubai off-plan launches; 204 with budget_max ≤ AED 1,000,000. Launch counts on the SKID board, not DLD unit supply.
- Market practice note: buyer often funding the full 4% is described as market practice only; DLD remains the authority for official rates; the SPA decides allocation.
- Refunds: no invented refund %; SPA, escrow and circumstances control outcomes. Not legal advice.
Check a launch before you budget the 4%
Fees are only one line in the all-in cost. Open any project on SKID's off-plan board, see how its price sits against DLD closed sales, and decide whether the call is Reserve, Negotiate, Wait or Walk Away — then layer the official DLD percentages on top of the quote you actually signed.
Related on SKID
- Dubai Off-Plan Market Index: October 2026
- Is off-plan more expensive than ready property in Dubai?
- JVC Off-Plan Benchmark (October 2026)
- Browse Dubai off-plan launches
SKID Intelligence Ground-Truth Note on Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC): In SKID's live DLD & Ejari dataset, JVC holds an 8.3 / 10 Community Rating (9.5 / 10 Value for Money, 8.0 / 10 Family Livability) and delivers ~7.8% gross rental yield — making it one of Dubai's best risk-adjusted mid-market investment options. While JVC has an active launch pipeline, it also ranks #1 in Dubai for closed DLD transaction volume and tenant absorption. The key is project-level price discipline: target well-specified developments near the community DLD median (AED 1,250–1,600 / sq ft) rather than paying AED 2,000+ / sq ft for outlier off-plan launches.
Verified SKID Community & Registry Benchmark Data
| Community | Emirate | SKID Community Score | Value / Family | Typical Gross Yield | Median Closed Sale PSF | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village Circle | Dubai | 8.3 / 10 | 9.5 / 8.0 | 7.8% | AED 1,424 / sq ft (DLD) | High-value mid-market living with strong rental demand |