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Who can borrow
Three categories of borrower exist in practice, and they are treated differently:
- UAE nationals — the most generous loan-to-value limits.
- Expatriate residents — holders of a UAE residence visa, whether salaried or self-employed. The largest group of borrowers, with the widest choice of lenders.
- Non-residents — buyers living outside the UAE. A smaller set of banks lends to them, each with its own list of accepted nationalities and countries of residence, higher minimum loan sizes, and lower loan-to-value ceilings.
Beyond category, banks apply their own tests: a minimum income, a minimum loan amount, a credit check in your country of residence, and a maximum age at the final repayment date, which is commonly set in the mid-to-late sixties for salaried borrowers and a few years higher for the self-employed. The Central Bank also caps total monthly debt repayments as a share of income — the debt burden ratio — which is why an existing mortgage at home reduces what you can borrow here.
A point that surprises people: the transaction fees cannot be borrowed. The 4% DLD transfer fee, the trustee fee and the agency commission are paid from your own funds at transfer, on top of the deposit. Budget for them using Dubai property purchase costs.
Loan-to-value caps set by the Central Bank
The UAE Central Bank's mortgage regulations cap the proportion of a property's value that a bank may lend to an individual. The limits below are the long-standing framework and are applied by every licensed lender.
| Borrower and property | Maximum loan-to-value | Minimum deposit from own funds |
|---|---|---|
| UAE national, first property, value up to AED 5m | 85% | 15% |
| UAE national, first property, value above AED 5m | 75% | 25% |
| Expatriate resident, first property, value up to AED 5m | 80% | 20% |
| Expatriate resident, first property, value above AED 5m | 70% | 30% |
| Second and subsequent property (expatriate resident) | 60% | 40% |
| Second and subsequent property (UAE national) | 65% | 35% |
| Off-plan property, any borrower | 50% | 50% |
Two qualifications matter for buyers in the segment we work in. First, prime villas sit well above the AED 5m threshold, so the relevant expatriate ceiling is 70% on a first property and 60% on a second. Second, non-residents are not a separate category in the regulation; banks apply their own policy on top of it, and in practice the ceiling offered to a non-resident buyer is lower than the expatriate cap — typically in the region of half to two-thirds of value, and sometimes less on a large villa. As of 2026, confirm the applicable limit with the bank before you rely on it.
The cap is applied to the lower of the purchase price and the bank's own valuation. If the valuation comes in below the agreed price, the shortfall is yours to fund.
What banks ask for
Requirements differ by lender, but the core file is consistent. Documents issued abroad may need to be attested, and anything not in English or Arabic will need a legal translation.
| Document | Resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Passport, and UAE residence visa and Emirates ID | Yes | Passport only |
| Proof of current address | Tenancy contract or utility bill | Utility bill or bank statement, usually recent |
| Bank statements | Usually six months, UAE accounts | Usually six months, home-country accounts |
| Proof of income | Salary certificate and recent payslips | Employment contract or salary evidence, translated |
| If self-employed or a company owner | Trade licence, audited financials, company bank statements, shareholding documents | Same, plus company registration documents from the home jurisdiction |
| Credit report | Al Etihad Credit Bureau report | Credit report from the country of residence |
| Existing liabilities | Statements for all loans and cards | Same, wherever held |
| Property documents | Signed Form F or sale and purchase agreement, title deed or Oqood, seller's details | |
Expect source-of-funds questions on the deposit. They are a compliance requirement, not suspicion, and having the answer documented in advance saves a fortnight.
Pre-approval, valuation and the offer letter
The sequence is worth following in order, because the expensive mistakes come from doing it backwards.
- Pre-approval. You submit the income and liability file and the bank issues a pre-approval stating how much it is prepared to lend in principle. It usually takes a few working days once the documents are complete, and holds good for a limited window — commonly around 60 days, longer at some banks. Get this before you negotiate: a seller in the prime market treats a pre-approved buyer very differently from a hopeful one.
- Agree the property and sign Form F. The memorandum of understanding records the price, the deposit and the deadline for completion. Make sure the timetable is realistic for a financed purchase.
- Valuation. The bank instructs a RERA-registered valuer to inspect and value the property. This is the bank's valuation, done for the bank's protection, and it takes roughly a week. A valuation below the agreed price is the single most common reason a financed deal has to be renegotiated or re-funded.
- Final offer letter. The bank issues the binding offer setting out the loan amount, term, pricing and conditions. Read the early-settlement provisions before signing, particularly if you expect to repay the loan early.
- Seller's liability letter and NOC. If the seller has a mortgage, their bank issues a liability letter and the loan is settled so the existing charge can be released. Then the developer issues the No Objection Certificate.
- Transfer at the trustee office. Your bank's manager's cheque is released to the seller, the title deed is issued in your name, and the mortgage is registered against it on the same day.
End to end, a straightforward financed purchase runs to roughly four to six weeks from pre-approval to transfer. A non-resident file with documents to attest abroad takes longer. If you will not be in Dubai on the day, a power of attorney can cover it — see buying Dubai property remotely.
The costs of financing
These sit on top of the purchase costs every buyer pays.
| Item | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage registration fee | 0.25% of the loan amount plus AED 290 | Dubai Land Department, at transfer |
| Trustee fee for the mortgage registration | A fixed office fee plus VAT, separate from the transfer trustee fee | Registration trustee office |
| Bank arrangement or processing fee | A percentage of the loan, set by the bank | Lender |
| Valuation fee | Set by the bank or valuer | Lender or valuer |
| Life and property insurance | Premium set by the insurer; normally mandatory | Insurer |
We do not publish interest rates. Pricing moves, differs between fixed and variable products and between borrower categories, and any figure written on a web page is stale by the time it is read. Ask two or three banks, or an independent mortgage broker, for live quotations on the same loan amount and term, and compare the total cost rather than the headline rate.
Buying in cash and refinancing later
Many prime purchases in Dubai are completed in cash, and for good reason: a cash buyer transfers in days rather than weeks, faces no valuation risk, and negotiates from a stronger position. Sellers of AED 15m-plus villas discount for certainty.
The financing can follow. Once the title deed is in your name, a bank can lend against the property and register a new mortgage over it — usually described as refinancing or equity release. Points to know before choosing this route:
- Loan-to-value on an equity release is lower than on a purchase mortgage, and banks assess it on their own valuation, not on what you paid.
- Banks often want the property to have been held for a period before they will refinance, and some restrict how soon after purchase an application can be made.
- You will be asked what the funds are for. Release for reinvestment is treated differently from release for general purposes.
- The registration fee applies again — 0.25% of the new loan plus AED 290 — because you are registering a mortgage that did not previously exist.
- The same income and debt-burden tests apply. Owning the asset outright does not remove the affordability assessment.
For most non-resident buyers the practical answer is to secure the property in cash when speed wins the deal, then arrange financing at leisure if the capital is better used elsewhere. If you want an introduction to lenders who are active with non-resident files, tell us the property and the structure and we will point you to the right desks. For the wider picture on how a purchase is structured, see buying property in Dubai as a foreigner and off-plan versus ready property.