What is Oqood in Dubai Real Estate?

Oqood Explained: Off-Plan Property Registration in Dubai

If you're buying an off-plan property in Dubai, you'll hear the word "oqood" within five minutes of signing anything. It's the interim registration that protects your purchase before the building actually exists. Here's what it does, what it costs, and where people get burned.

Quick answer

Oqood (Arabic for "contracts") is the Dubai Land Department's (DLD) interim off-plan property registration system, managed through the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA). When you buy an off-plan unit from a developer, the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) is registered on the Oqood platform, and you get an Oqood certificate. It's not a title deed — it's a placeholder that records your beneficial interest until the project is complete and the unit is transferred to a final title deed (Form B). The registration fee is 4% of the purchase price plus admin charges, and the developer must register it within 60 days of the SPA.

What an Oqood certificate actually proves

The Oqood certificate proves you have a registered contractual right to a specific off-plan unit. It is not ownership. You don't have a title deed yet — the building hasn't been handed over, and in many cases the slab hasn't been poured.

What it does give you:

• A record on DLD's system tied to your Emirates ID and passport
• Legal standing if the developer tries to resell or double-sell the unit
• The basis for any future resale (assignment) before handover
• Protection under Law No. 13 of 2008 on the Interim Real Estate Register, which makes any unregistered off-plan sale void ^[1]

Honestly, most buyers don't read Article 3 of that law, but it's the one that matters: no off-plan sale, mortgage, or transfer is valid unless registered on the Interim Register. If your developer "forgot" to register your Oqood, your contract is legally exposed.

Costs and timing in 2024–2025

The numbers you should expect:

• DLD registration fee: 4% of the purchase price (split 2%/2% between buyer and seller in theory, but developers almost always push the full 4% onto the buyer — read your SPA carefully)
• Oqood admin fee: AED 3,000 for units valued above AED 500,000; AED 40 knowledge and innovation fees on top
• Trustee office fee: typically AED 4,000 + 5% VAT if you're using one

The developer is required to register the Oqood within 60 days of signing the SPA under DLD practice. In reality, registration often happens at the first major payment milestone. If you've paid 20% and still have no Oqood certificate, push hard. That's a red flag.

Watch out: Some developers bundle the 4% DLD fee into the headline price and some don't. Always ask: "Is the 4% DLD fee included or on top?" before signing. I've seen buyers get a surprise AED 80,000 invoice on a AED 2M unit because nobody clarified.

How to verify your Oqood

You can check your Oqood status yourself. Two options:

1. Dubai REST app (DLD's official app) — log in with UAE Pass, go to "Services" → "My Properties," and your Oqood-registered unit should appear.
2. DLD website — the Oqood verification page lets you enter the contract number printed on your certificate.

If nothing appears after the developer claims to have registered it, request the Oqood number in writing and verify it directly. Don't rely on a PDF the sales agent emailed you — those get forged more often than the industry admits.

For broader context on buying off-plan, see our real estate guides.

Oqood vs. Title Deed — don't confuse them

This trips up first-time buyers constantly. Oqood is interim. Title deed (Form B, issued by DLD on handover) is final ownership. You cannot mortgage an Oqood-registered unit the same way you'd mortgage a completed property — most banks will only finance off-plan with developer-approved payment plans, not standard home loans. The full title deed is only issued after the developer obtains the Building Completion Certificate from Dubai Municipality and pays the project's infrastructure fees.

The transition from Oqood to title deed happens at handover, and you'll pay another small DLD fee (around AED 540 for the title deed issuance) at that point. The 4% transfer fee is not paid again — you already paid it at Oqood stage.

So if anyone tells you you'll pay "another 4%" on handover, they're wrong or they're trying to sell you something.

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Citations

^[1] Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008 on the Interim Real Estate Register in the Emirate of Dubai, as amended by Law No. 9 of 2009. Available via Dubai Land Department: dld.gov.ae

^[2] Dubai Land Department — Fees and Services schedule, dubailand.gov.ae

^[3] RERA — Off-Plan Property Registration guidelines, Dubai Land Department