How to Verify a Title Deed in Dubai Online

Title deed verification in Dubai is an official Dubai Land Department service that confirms whether a certificate of title issued by the department is valid and shows its current status.

The check reads the entry in the department's real estate register, not the paper or PDF in front of you. It covers land, villas and apartment units, and it is available on both the department's website and its app.

Why the DLD register is the final record under Dubai law

Law No. (7) of 2006 Concerning Real Property Registration in the Emirate of Dubai requires the Dubai Land Department to keep a Property Register that records all real property rights and any amendments to them. The same law says the department issues title deeds based on the data recorded in that register.

The law also gives title deeds absolute evidentiary value in proving real property rights. Because every deed is issued from the register, the register entry is the reference point, and the online check is the direct way to see that entry before relying on any document handed to you.

What the check does not prove

A Valid result confirms the deed, not the person holding it. To check property ownership in Dubai fully, compare the owner's name on the deed with the seller's passport or Emirates ID. If someone else is acting for the owner, ask to see the power of attorney and confirm that it covers a sale.

To verify a title deed on the DLD website, open the Title Deed Verification service in the eServices section of dubailand.gov.ae, fill in the deed details and send the form.

1. On a laptop or phone browser, go to dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/title-deed-verification-overview, which is the official service page.
2. Start the service, and sign in if the page asks you to.
3. Type the Certificate Number exactly as printed on the deed.
4. Type the Certificate Year printed beside it.
5. Choose the Property Type: Land, Unit or Villa. An apartment is entered as Unit.
6. Add the owner's name if the form asks for it, spelled as it appears on the deed.
7. Send the form and read the status on screen.

Take a screenshot of the result and note the date you ran it. That gives you a record of what the register showed before any money was paid.

Dubai REST is the Dubai Land Department's official mobile app for iPhone and Android, and it offers the same title deed check as the website.

Download it from the App Store or Google Play, sign in with UAE Pass, open the Services tab and tap Title Deed Verification. Enter the same deed details used on the website and send the request.

The app is the easier route at a viewing or in a seller's office. Ask to see the deed, read the number from it yourself, and run the search on your own phone instead of relying on a screenshot of someone else's result.

Dubai REST app login: UAE Pass and title deed login

Since December 2025, signing in to the Dubai REST app has been limited to 2 options: UAE Pass, and a title deed login for foreign investors. The title deed login is meant for overseas owners, so it only helps someone who already holds a Dubai deed.

A buyer abroad who has neither option cannot sign in to the app for this check. For that buyer, the department's website service is the alternative channel.

The title deed number in Dubai appears on the document as the Certificate Number, printed directly below the barcode or QR code together with the Certificate Year.

Enter both exactly as they appear in that spot. The year must be the one printed on the document itself, so do not rely on a year the seller quotes from memory.

Off plan property in Dubai is checked through the same verification service, using the details on the Oqood certificate instead of a title deed.

An off plan purchase is registered as Oqood, a contract between the developer and the buyer that sets out the sale terms and payment schedule and is registered with the Dubai Land Department. The Oqood certificate shows a Contract Number and a Contract Year in the place where a deed shows its certificate number and year. Enter those 2 values in the same form, choose the property type and run the search.

When the status comes back, compare the project, the unit number and the buyer's name on the Oqood certificate with the sale and purchase agreement. If any of these do not match, ask the developer to correct the registration before paying the next instalment.

For example, a buyer who books one of the EMAAR off plan apartments in Mina Rashid at Fior 1 by EMAAR at Rashid Yachts & Marina holds an Oqood, not a title deed, until the project is completed. Because 70 percent of the price on this Rashid Yachts & Marina off plan project is paid during construction, running the Oqood check once the developer confirms registration shows the purchase is recorded against the unit before the larger instalments begin.

Each title deed status in Dubai means something different for a buyer.

Valid. The certificate is authentic and matches the department's current record. This is the result a buyer needs before paying a deposit.

Mortgaged. A bank mortgage is registered against the property. Ask the seller which bank holds it and how it will be dealt with at transfer. Do not accept verbal confirmation in place of documents.

Restrained. A legal restriction is registered on the property, and it must be resolved before the property can be sold or transferred.

Blocked. The deed is frozen and cannot be transferred, for example under a court order. Pause the deal until a property lawyer confirms the block has been lifted.

Invalid. The details do not match a current, recognised certificate. The document may be incorrect, outdated or not genuine. Recheck every entry, and walk away if the result stays the same.

A Mortgaged result does not end a deal, because Dubai has a set process for selling a mortgaged property. The buyer should know which route the seller plans to use before signing anything.

Under Dubai Law No. 14 of 2008 concerning mortgages, an owner can sell a mortgaged property only with the lender's approval. That leaves 2 routes: the loan is cleared as part of the sale, or the buyer takes over the existing loan.

Route 1: the loan is cleared at transfer

The seller first obtains a liability letter from the bank stating the amount owed. Where the balance is owed to a developer instead, a letter from the developer stating the remaining amount takes its place. Buyer and seller then register the sale at a real estate registration trustee centre, which the department lists as a 15 to 20 minute service. The buyer brings 3 manager's cheques:

• one to the bank or developer, for the outstanding debt
• one to the seller, for the rest of the price
• one to the Dubai Land Department, for its 4 percent fee

The seller uses the bank's cheque to clear the loan and collect a mortgage release letter. Once that letter is submitted, the department completes the release and the sale, and registers any new mortgage the buyer has taken. The department fee for releasing the mortgage is AED 1,290.

Route 2: the buyer takes over the loan

The seller asks the bank to approve the buyer as the new borrower. The bank assesses the buyer's finances and may ask for fresh financing documents, and the transfer is then registered in line with the bank's approval and the department's requirements.

Under either route, run the title deed check once more after registration to confirm the status recorded against the property.

If the search returns no record, check your entries first, because a single wrong field is enough to stop a match.

Compare every digit of the certificate number with the deed, confirm the year matches the one printed beside it, and make sure the property type on the form is the same as on the deed. For an off plan unit, switch to the contract number and contract year from the Oqood certificate.

A buyer of one of the wasl off plan apartments in Al Kifaf at Avenue Park Towers 2, for example, has no title deed to search for until handover, which is estimated for Q2 2030. Any check on a unit in this Wasl 1 apartment project before then runs on its Oqood certificate details.

If the record still does not appear after these corrections, call the Dubai Land Department on 800 4488 before going any further with the deal.

The steps and status meanings here follow the Dubai Land Department's verification service as it works today. Menu names on the website and in the app change from time to time, so the path on your screen may look slightly different.

Before paying a deposit or signing a sale agreement, run the check again yourself on the official service and confirm the status on that day.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For a restrained, blocked or disputed property, speak to a property lawyer before taking any further step.