What the purchase costs
Note: Educational estimate for planning. Confirm final amounts on official channels.
What this calculator does
It adds up the cash you need on transfer day, and it keeps two kinds of money apart. The first kind is a published government tariff: the 4% transfer fee, the AED 250 title deed, the map fee, the AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees, and the trustee office fee. Those are on the Dubai Land Department’s own service page and you will pay them whoever you buy from.
The second kind is market practice: agency commission, bank valuation, arrangement fee, developer NOC. Those are negotiable, vary between providers, and are not a tariff anybody has published. The result splits them so you can see which line you can argue about and which you cannot.
Why "4% plus a bit" undercounts
On a AED 1.5 million apartment bought with a mortgage, the 4% is AED 60,000. The title deed, map, knowledge and innovation fees add AED 520. The trustee office takes AED 4,000 plus VAT. Agency commission at 2% plus VAT is AED 31,500. Mortgage registration at 0.25% of a AED 1.2 million loan plus AED 290 is AED 3,290, and an arrangement fee at 1% is AED 12,000 more. The "4%" has become roughly 7.5% before the down payment.
That gap is what catches buyers who have budgeted the deposit and the 4% and nothing else.
The 2% / 2% split nobody uses
The DLD service page lists the transfer fee as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer. In practice Dubai sellers almost always expect the buyer to pay the full 4%, and most published guides quote it that way without mentioning that the official position is a split.
It is negotiable, and on a large purchase it is worth negotiating: 2% of AED 3 million is AED 60,000. Set the toggle to "split" to see what the official position would cost you.
Off-plan is different, and sources disagree on when you pay
Off-plan purchases register through the Oqood interim system. Guides disagree on the timing: some say the 4% falls due at the sale and purchase agreement, others say at handover when the title deed is issued. We have not found an official statement settling it, so this page does not pick one — ask the developer and the trustee office which applies to your specific purchase before you budget the month.
Worked examples
Transfer 36,000 + title deed 250 + map 250 + knowledge and innovation 20 + trustee 4,000 plus 200 VAT = AED 40,720, about 4.5% of price.
Roughly AED 111,500 in fees on top of a AED 300,000 down payment — close to 7.4% of the price in fees alone.
The trustee fee drops to AED 2,000 plus VAT because the sale value is under AED 500,000. It is the one fee on this page that gets cheaper rather than scaling.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the purchase price as it will appear on the sale contract.
- Pick the property type — it changes only the map fee.
- Choose whether you are paying the whole 4% or splitting it 2% / 2%.
- Set the agency commission, or zero if you are buying direct from the developer.
- Switch the mortgage question to yes and enter the loan amount if you are financing.
- Read the government total and the market total separately — only the second one is negotiable.
- Confirm the final figures at the trustee office before transfer day.
Frequently asked questions
Is the DLD transfer fee really 4%?
Yes, 4% of the sale value in total. The Dubai Land Department states it as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer, but Dubai market practice is for the buyer to pay the whole 4%, and it is negotiable between the parties.
What is the trustee office fee?
A fee for the registration trustee that completes the transfer. The DLD service page gives it as AED 4,000 plus VAT where the sale value is AED 500,000 or more, and AED 2,000 plus VAT below that threshold.
How much is the title deed fee in Dubai?
AED 250 for the title deed certificate, per the DLD service page, plus a map fee — AED 250 for villas and apartments, AED 225 for a unified map under Dubai Municipality, or AED 100 for land outside it — and AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees.
Do I pay the 4% on an off-plan purchase?
Off-plan sales register through the Oqood system and the 4% applies, but published guides disagree on whether it falls due at the sale and purchase agreement or at handover. We have not found an official statement settling that, so ask your developer and the trustee office which applies.
Is the mortgage registration fee official?
A fee of 0.25% of the loan amount plus about AED 290 is quoted consistently across property-industry sources, but it does not appear on the DLD sale registration page we were able to read. Treat it as reliable market knowledge rather than a transcribed tariff, and confirm it with your lender.
Why is agency commission shown separately?
Because it is not a government fee. Two per cent plus VAT is the Dubai norm, not a published rate, and it is the largest genuinely negotiable line in the whole calculation.
Does this include service charges?
No. Service charges are an annual running cost, not a purchase cost. Use the rental yield calculator, which nets them off, if you are buying to let.
Do you store my numbers?
No. Calculations run in your browser and nothing is sent to a server. See our Privacy Policy for analytics and AdSense cookie details.
Where these figures come from
The government fees are transcribed from the Dubai Land Department’s Property Sale Registration service page: 2% of the sale value from the seller and 2% from the buyer, a AED 250 title deed certificate fee, map fees of AED 250 for villas and apartments, AED 225 for a unified map under Dubai Municipality or AED 100 for land outside it, a AED 10 knowledge fee, a AED 10 innovation fee, and a service partner (trustee office) fee of AED 4,000 + VAT where the sale value is AED 500,000 or more, or AED 2,000 + VAT below that. Dubai Calculators is independent and is not affiliated with the DLD.
The law splits the 4% evenly; the market usually does not. Market practice in Dubai is for the buyer to absorb the whole 4%, and it is negotiable. This calculator lets you set which, because the difference on a AED 2 million purchase is AED 40,000.
Last checked against the source: 30 October 2026. Figures marked market practice on this page are not a published government tariff — they are what brokers, banks and valuers commonly charge, and they vary. Confirm your own numbers at the trustee office and with your lender.
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Disclaimer
Disclaimer: Educational estimate. Government fees are transcribed from the Dubai Land Department’s published service page; lines marked market practice are not an official tariff and vary by provider. Confirm every figure with the DLD, the trustee office and your lender before you transfer funds. Not legal, tax or financial advice. Not affiliated with the Dubai Land Department.