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Buying from Israel without flying

You can buy an off-plan apartment in Dubai without flying: the developer performs the interim registration, and the checks that matter can be done remotely. What takes time is a power of attorney, if one is needed – and an Israeli apostille will not do, because the UAE is not party to the Apostille Convention. Instead there is a chain of attestations: in Israel, at the UAE embassy and at the UAE foreign ministry.

Written by Updated To be re-checked by

An Israeli apostille will not work

Every Israeli who has ever sent a document abroad arrives here with the same assumption: get an apostille and you are done. In the UAE that does not work, and it is worth knowing before paying for one.

The 1961 Apostille Convention lists 130 contracting parties (per the HCCH status table, checked 20 October 2026). Israel has been one since 14 August 1978. The United Arab Emirates is not on the list.

What follows: an Israeli apostille stamp is not sufficient for a document to be accepted in the UAE. A full chain of attestations is required instead.1

  1. Authentication in the issuing country

    The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that a document issued outside the UAE must first be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country.2

  2. Attestation at the UAE embassy

    The document is then attested at the UAE embassy or consulate in the issuing country.2

  3. Attestation by the UAE Ministry

    The final step is attestation through the Ministry's official channels inside the UAE. A power of attorney is among the documents that may be attested there, classified as personal or commercial – a classification that determines the fee, so it is worth asking in advance how yours will be classified.2

Which steps of the purchase need you

Here it is worth looking at what the official documents say rather than at what is customarily assumed.

On an off-plan purchase, registration in the interim register is performed by the developer through the Land Department's Oqood portal – the stated service channel is the developers' portal, and the service time is one business day. The buyer is not the one standing at a counter. The document list names a copy of the sale contract, a copy of a valid ID, and a valid passport for non-residents – and a power of attorney where applicable.

On a resale, registration takes place at a Real Estate Registration Trustees centre, and an electronic no-objection certificate from the developer is required in the freehold areas. There too the document list names a valid passport for non-resident foreigners.3,4

What can be checked remotely

The good news: the checks that genuinely matter do not require a flight, and they are available online and in the official app.

The Land Department's project status enquiry returns status and completion percentage by plot number, project number or name. The Dubai REST app shows the completion percentage, current photographs of the project, the escrow account number and payments falling due.

So what actually protects you – that the project exists, that it is progressing, and that the money is going to the right escrow account – can be verified from a living room in Israel. What is harder to do remotely is see the neighbourhood, the traffic on the road, and what is being built across it.5,6

What this page does not do

  • It is not legal advice. The drafting of a power of attorney is a matter for a lawyer, not for a template found online.
  • It does not state what your bank will require to move the funds – there is no uniform answer to that.
  • It does not claim there is no reason to fly. Some things are only visible on the ground.
  • It is accurate as at the review date at the top of the page. Document attestation procedures change.

Common questions

Is an Israeli apostille enough for a power of attorney or other document meant for Dubai?
No. The UAE is not among the 130 contracting parties to the Apostille Convention (as of 20 October 2026), although Israel has been one since 1978. Instead a chain of attestations is required: authentication in the issuing country, attestation at the UAE embassy or consulate there, and attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs inside the UAE.
Who registers an off-plan apartment in Dubai – the buyer or the developer?
The developer registers the unit in the buyer's name in the interim register, through the Land Department's Oqood portal, with a stated service time of one business day, and the document list expressly contemplates a non-resident's passport and a power of attorney where applicable.
Can you check a Dubai property project without going there?
Yes. The Land Department's project status enquiry returns status and completion percentage, and the Dubai REST app shows completion percentage, current photographs, the escrow account number and payments falling due.

In the book (Hebrew) רכישה מרחוק מישראל – ייפוי כוח וחשבון בנק · page 35

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. Status table of the Apostille Convention (Hague, 5 October 1961)

    Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)Checked 20 October 2026

  2. Attestation of documents issued outside the UAE – Ministry of Foreign Affairs FAQ

    Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAEChecked 8 August 2026

  3. Request to register the initial sale – official fee schedule

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

  4. Property Sale Registration – official fee schedule and required documents

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

  5. Real Estate Project Status Enquiry – DLD online service

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

  6. Dubai REST – the DLD's official application

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

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