Gifting Property in Dubai to Family: Fees, Eligibility and Process

The Dubai Land Department's property gift service transfers ownership without payment to first degree relatives, meaning a mother, father, spouse or child, or to a company. The property can be gifted in full or in part, and it must not be restricted or granted land.

Property Gifts in Dubai in 2026: The Numbers

Dubai registered 4,501 property gifts worth AED 31.4 billion in the first half of 2026. Gifts made up about 4% of the 112,850 property transactions in that period but about 7.5% of their AED 419.94 billion total value. The average gift was worth close to AED 7 million, against about AED 3.7 million for the average transaction, which makes the average gift nearly twice the size of the average deal.

Relatives Who Do Not Qualify for the Gift Rate

Siblings, grandchildren, nephews, nieces and in-laws fall outside the first degree list. A transfer to any of them does not use the gift service and is charged at the standard transfer rate used for sales. Passing a home to a grandchild through your own child means 2 separate registrations, each with its own fees.

Gifting to Children Under the 2026 Age Rules

The new UAE Civil Transactions Law lowered the age of majority from 21 lunar years to 18 Gregorian years. A child aged 18 or over is therefore an adult party to the gift. For a younger child, ask the trustee centre in advance which guardian documents it needs, as a minor cannot sign for themselves.

Gifting to a Company

A gift to a company is allowed, but the company must already be registered with the Dubai Land Department. An unregistered company has to complete company registration before the gift can be processed.

Property gift fees in Dubai have 4 parts: the gift registration fee, fixed title deed and map charges, the trustee centre partner fee and the official valuation. The table shows each charge for an apartment or villa.

Worked Example: Gift vs Sale of an AED 2,000,000 Apartment

The gift fee is AED 2,500, the title deed and map add AED 500, the 2 small fees add AED 20, and the trustee partner fee with VAT is AED 4,200. The valuation costs AED 4,261.50 with its fees and VAT. The total is AED 11,481.50. A sale between the same 2 people would carry a 4% transfer fee of AED 80,000 before any other charges.

The minimum fee matters for smaller homes. Below a valuation of AED 1,600,000, the gift rate works out to less than AED 2,000, so the minimum applies instead.

Who Pays the Gift Fee

Under Article 3(5) of Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013 on land department fees, the person receiving the gift pays the fee unless the parties agree otherwise. Settle this between family members before the appointment, so the trustee centre knows whose payment to take.

A DLD property valuation for a gift must be requested before the gift application, because the 0.125% fee is calculated on the official value, not on a figure the family chooses. The request can be made at a trustee centre, on the Dubai REST app or on Dubai Now.

For a residential apartment or attached villa, the valuation is issued instantly once the request is approved. Other property types take 7 working days. The request needs a valuation form, the owner's letter with a passport or Emirates ID copy, a municipality map or planning map, and recent photos of the property.

Because the fee follows the valuation, a higher official value raises the gift fee in direct proportion. On an AED 4,000,000 villa, the gift fee alone is AED 5,000 before the fixed charges, partner fee and valuation cost.

You transfer property to family in Dubai at a Real Estate Registration Trustee Centre, and the appointment takes about 20 minutes once the papers are complete. Bring the official valuation, an Emirates ID for verification or a passport copy for a non-resident, and proof of relationship: a marriage certificate for a spouse or a birth certificate for a child, translated and attested by the UAE embassy and the issuing country's foreign ministry, with proof of kinship from your embassy in the UAE.

UAE nationals use the marriage contract or Family Book instead, and a power of attorney covers any party who cannot attend. Staff review and approve the transfer in the system, the fees are paid by ePay, Dubai Pay, Noqodi wallet or manager's cheque, and the new owner receives an electronic title deed by email. Attestation of foreign certificates can be the slowest step, so start it before booking the valuation.

Gifting a mortgaged property in Dubai needs the lender on board first, because the bank's mortgage is registered against the title. The owner needs a clearance or release letter from the bank, either confirming the loan is repaid or consenting to the transfer. The family member can then register a new mortgage with their own bank after the gift.

An off plan unit can only be gifted with the developer's approval, and that approval depends on the resale conditions in your SPA, such as a minimum share of the price already paid. Check that clause before planning an off plan gift.

If the property is rented, the gift does not end the lease. Under Article 28 of Law No. 26 of 2007, a new owner takes the property subject to an existing lease with a fixed end date, so the tenant can stay until it expires.

A registered property gift to a spouse or close relative in the UAE is very difficult to revoke once the recipient has taken possession. Under the Civil Transactions Law, a gift is a transfer of ownership without payment during the owner's lifetime, and it is complete once the recipient takes possession.

Reported March 2026: Apartment Gifted to a Wife

The Dubai Court of First Instance dismissed a man's claim to cancel the gift of an apartment he had registered in his wife's name during their marriage. He argued the gift assumed the marriage would last. The court held that a gift between spouses is a legal barrier to revocation, that the marriage at the time of the gift was enough to block it, and ordered him to pay costs.

Reported March 2026: Villa Gifted to a Wife and Daughters

A Dubai civil court also refused to cancel a 2006 gift of a villa to a second wife and 2 daughters, which the father challenged after a 2021 divorce and a 2025 sale. The court found that gifts between spouses or to close relatives cannot be revoked once the recipient has taken possession, and that the later sale to a third party was an added barrier.

The lesson for owners is simple: register a gift only when you are content for the transfer to be final, and take legal advice first if you want any conditions attached.

A gift moves ownership now and is hard to reverse, while a will keeps ownership with you until death. The right route depends on whether you want the family member to own the home today or later.

For non-Muslims, Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on civil personal status gives a surviving spouse half of the estate and divides the other half equally between the children when there is no will. A registered will is upheld for UAE assets. Under the new Civil Transactions Law announced in January 2026, assets in the UAE of a foreign resident who dies with no will and no heirs coming forward are designated as a charitable endowment, which makes planning ahead more important.

DIFC Property Will vs a Lifetime Gift

For non-Muslims who have never been Muslim and are 18 or over, the DIFC Courts Wills Service offers a Property Will that covers up to 5 UAE properties or shares in them, including off plan units with an Oqood certificate. A Full Will has no limit on the number of assets and covers property bought later. Non-residents can register remotely, and registration fees are paid separately from lawyers' fees with no VAT.

The practical difference is flexibility. A will can be changed or withdrawn while you are alive, so the owner keeps the final say, while a registered gift to a spouse or child is treated by Dubai courts as complete once possession is taken.

Eligibility, documents and fees come from the Dubai Land Department's property gift registration and property valuation service rules, and the payer rule from Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013. Legal points come from the UAE Civil Transactions Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 and Law No. 26 of 2007, will rules from the DIFC Courts Wills Service, court cases from March 2026 rulings and gift volumes from first half 2026 transaction data.

Fees, service rules and attestation requirements can change. Book the valuation and check the current trustee centre requirements before arranging travel or signing documents.

The worked example is calculated from published fees, with VAT at 5% on partner fees. Each figure is shown in full in the text.