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Al Marjan Island

Al Marjan Island is the most talked-about address outside Dubai, and very little of what is written about it separates what is documented from what is hoped for. Start with the thing easiest to miss: this is not Dubai.

Written by Updated To be re-checked by

A different emirate, a different register

Al Marjan Island is in Ras Al Khaimah. All the legislation cited in the other guides on this site – Dubai's real property registration law, the escrow accounts law, the interim register, Article 11 – is Dubai legislation, and it does not apply there.

Ras Al Khaimah maintains its own land register, administered by the Lands & Properties Sector of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, and its own rules.

We are not setting out the emirate's ownership rules here, for the straightforward reason that we could not verify them against an official published text. A guide that guesses at this question does more harm than good.1,4

What is actually there

The island's master developer is Marjan, which describes itself as the master developer leading Ras Al Khaimah's development in line with the emirate's 2030 vision. Al Marjan Island is one of its three masterplans, alongside RAK Central and Marjan Beach.

By its own account, more than 8,000 hotel keys have been delivered on the island, including hospitality brands such as Pullman, Mövenpick and Rove, alongside residential projects. Wynn Al Marjan Island is described there as a project under development.2

The regulation behind the story

Most writing about this island rests on one subject: commercial gaming. What can be verified about it is the regulatory framework. The UAE has a dedicated federal authority – the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) – established by federal decree-law, seated in Abu Dhabi, with exclusive jurisdiction to regulate, licence and supervise commercial gaming activity and facilities in the country.

The licensing particulars of any specific project are a matter between the regulator and the operating company, and are published by them. We will not quote licensing figures or dates here that we have not verified against a primary source.3

What this page is not saying

  • It does not describe Ras Al Khaimah's property law, because we could not verify it against an official text.
  • It asserts nothing about any specific project's gaming licences.
  • It contains no forecast of prices, yield or occupancy.
  • The protections described in the off-plan guide are Dubai's, and do not apply here under that law.
  • The information is accurate as at the review date at the top of the page.

Common questions

Is Al Marjan Island in Dubai?
No. It is in Ras Al Khaimah, a separate emirate with its own land register administered by the Lands & Properties Sector of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality. The Dubai property legislation cited in the other guides on this site does not apply there.
Is my money protected there as it is in Dubai?
The escrow arrangements described in the off-plan guide were enacted in Dubai legislation, which does not apply in Ras Al Khaimah. What does apply there – which account the money enters, who supervises it, and what happens if the project is not completed – is exactly what to obtain in writing from the developer and a local lawyer before the first payment.

Sources

Every link here is to a publication of the issuing body itself. If something on this page looks wrong to you, the source governs – not us.

  1. Lands & Properties Sector – Ras Al Khaimah Municipality

    Ras Al Khaimah MunicipalityChecked 8 August 2026

  2. Marjan – the master developer of Al Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah

    Marjan, Ras Al KhaimahChecked 8 August 2026

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