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Can Israelis buy property in Dubai?

Yes – and the law that governs it never asks where you are from. This page sets out exactly what is permitted, where, and what has to happen for your right to exist rather than merely be written into a contract.

Written by Updated To be re-checked by

The short answer

Dubai's law does not distinguish between nationalities. It distinguishes between nationals of the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council states, and everyone else.

Article 4 of Dubai's real property registration law – Law No. 7 of 2006 – restricts the right to own real property in the Emirate to UAE nationals, GCC nationals, companies wholly owned by them, and public joint stock companies. The same article goes on to provide that, in areas determined by the Ruler, non-UAE nationals may be granted freehold ownership without time restriction, or usufruct or leasehold for a period not exceeding 99 years.

The law contains no list of countries, and no provision addressing Israelis either way. The category an Israeli buyer falls into is simply non-GCC – the same category as a British, Indian or French buyer.1

Nor does ownership depend on living in the UAE. The Dubai Land Department's official document list for registering a sale names the Emirates ID of the parties, or a valid passport for non-resident foreigners – the system is built to register property to someone who does not live there.

Visas and residency are an entirely separate subject, and are not covered on this page.8

Freehold, usufruct and leasehold – the difference

The three rights that may be granted to non-UAE nationals are set out in that same Article 4, and the difference between them is not a matter of wording. One of them has no time limit; the other two end on the date set for them.

RightDurationWhat it means
FreeholdNo time restrictionThe property is registered in your name in the Property Register, with no expiry on the right itself.
UsufructUp to 99 yearsA right to use and enjoy the property for a fixed term, without ownership passing to you.
LeaseholdUp to 99 yearsPossession of the property for a fixed term under a registered lease.

All three are set out in Article 4 of Law 7/2006 and in Regulation 3/2006. The projects shown on this site are marketed as freehold – which is exactly the kind of statement worth seeing in the contract itself rather than only in a brochure.1,2

Which areas

These rights do not apply across all of Dubai. The instrument that determines where is Regulation No. 3 of 2006, whose Article 3 names 23 areas – among them Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah and Emirates Hills – each with its plot numbers, as shown on the maps attached to the regulation.

That list is not frozen: land has been added by separate resolutions since 2006. The Land Department's own FAQ states the rule briefly – foreign ownership is permitted in the freehold areas and in Dubai's free zones, while elsewhere ownership is restricted to UAE and GCC nationals.2,5

The right is created by registration, not by the contract

This is the point easiest to miss, and the most important. Article 9 of Law 7/2006 provides that every transaction creating, transferring, amending or extinguishing a real property right is to be recorded in the Property Register – and that such a transaction is not deemed valid unless it is recorded.

Off-plan purchases have a register of their own. Law No. 13 of 2008 established the Interim Real Property Register, and its Article 3 requires every disposition of an off-plan unit to be entered in it, providing that a sale or other disposition transferring or restricting ownership is void if it is not.

The practical conclusion: a signed contract that has not been registered is not your right. That interim registration – known as Oqood – is the thing to confirm has happened, and happened in your name.1,3

The process, step by step

  1. Choosing the project and checking it

    Before any payment: who the developer is, whether the project is registered, its escrow account number, and its actual completion percentage. All of this is public – the Land Department's project status enquiry returns completion percentage and status by plot number, project number or name, and the Dubai REST app shows completion percentage, current photographs of the project, the escrow account number and payments falling due.9,10

  2. Reservation form and deposit

    The developer issues a reservation form for a specific unit, and a deposit is paid at this stage. What the form says about cancellation and refunds is contractual and varies between developers – read it before you pay, not after.

  3. The sale and purchase agreement

    The agreement itself: the payment schedule, the handover date, the specification, and who bears each fee. Do not assume the official split of fees is what your contract says – read that clause specifically.

  4. Registration in the interim register (Oqood)

    The developer registers the unit in your name in the interim register through the Land Department's Oqood portal. The service's official fee schedule lists: 2% of the sale value from the seller, 2% of the sale value from the purchaser, a knowledge fee of AED 10, an innovation fee of AED 10, and a developer self-registration fee on the portal of AED 1,000. The stated service time is one business day.6

  5. Payments under the plan

    Per the schedule in the contract. How those payments relate to construction progress, and what happens if you stop paying, is the subject of a separate guide on this site.

  6. Handover and issue of the title deed

    On completion, a purchaser who has met their contractual obligations receives a title deed. The official fee schedule for this service, where registration fees have already been collected, lists: AED 250 for the title deed, AED 250 for the map for units and villas, AED 10 knowledge fee and AED 10 innovation fee. The stated service time is six business days.7

  7. After handover

    From the moment you own a unit in a jointly owned building, the annual service charge is your obligation. Article 25 of Law No. 6 of 2019 requires an owner to pay the management entity their share of the annual service charges, calculated by the ratio of the unit's area to the total area. The Land Department states that the liability remains the owner's even where a tenant fails to pay.4,11

Ras Al Khaimah is not Dubai

Some of the projects we work with are on Al Marjan Island, which is in Ras Al Khaimah – a different emirate. Everything on this page rests on Dubai legislation, and that legislation does not apply there. Ras Al Khaimah maintains its own land register, administered by the Lands & Properties Sector of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality.

We are not setting out Ras Al Khaimah'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. Before buying there, ask the developer and a local lawyer to confirm in writing the status of the plot and the nature of the right you are acquiring.12

What this page does not do

  • It is not legal advice and not tax advice. It describes what the sources cited below say, and nothing more.
  • It does not cover visas or residency. Thresholds and conditions there change, and the subject stands on its own.
  • It does not cover Israeli tax or reporting. That is a question for your accountant, and one worth asking before the purchase rather than after.
  • It does not cover inheritance or estate planning for a UAE asset. That is a separate field requiring a lawyer.
  • It is accurate as at the review date shown at the top of the page. Legislation and fees change.

Common questions

Do you need a visa or residency to buy property in Dubai?
The registration law conditions ownership on the area and on the citizenship category, not on residency. The Land Department's official document list for registering a sale names a valid passport for non-resident foreigners, alongside the Emirates ID for residents. Residency visas are an entirely separate process and are not covered in this guide.
Does Israeli citizenship change anything in the registration?
The law does not enumerate nationalities. Article 4 of Law 7/2006 distinguishes UAE and GCC nationals from everyone else, and an Israeli buyer falls into the second category – as does any other non-GCC citizenship.
What is the difference between freehold and leasehold?
Freehold is granted without time restriction; usufruct and leasehold are granted for a period not exceeding 99 years. All three are set out in Article 4 of Law 7/2006, and are available to non-UAE nationals only in the designated areas.
I bought off-plan. Do I already own it?
You have a right recorded in the interim register – if, and only if, the transaction was entered there. Article 3 of Law 13/2008 provides that a disposition of an off-plan unit that is not entered in the interim register is void. The title deed itself is issued on completion, to a purchaser who has met their contractual obligations.

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.

  5. Frequently Asked Questions – Dubai Land Department

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

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

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

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

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

  9. Real Estate Project Status Enquiry – DLD online service

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

  10. Dubai REST – the DLD's official application

    Dubai Land Department (DLD)Checked 8 August 2026

  12. Lands & Properties Sector – Ras Al Khaimah Municipality

    Ras Al Khaimah MunicipalityChecked 8 August 2026

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