Oqood is how an off-plan sale gets registered with Dubai Land Department. The developer enters the signed sale into the Interim Property Register and DLD issues the buyer an electronic certificate. Once the project is complete and the buyer has met their contractual obligations, the unit moves onto the main Property Register and DLD issues the title deed.
A sale that is never registered is void. Law No. 13 of 2008 says so plainly. Registration is not just admin, it is what makes the sale legally valid.
And Oqood is not a title deed. It records the buyer's interest in an off-plan property ahead of final title registration.
The developer. Not the buyer, and not the agent.
They submit the signed SPA, the property details and the buyer's identification documents. DLD issues the certificate and the buyer gets it by email.
So the agent's job is verification, not registration.
That the sale is registered, that DLD has the buyer and the unit on record, and that the transaction is valid.
It does not give the buyer final title, prove the project will finish, or guarantee that every dirham paid comes back if it does not.
Most people hear "registered with the Land Department" and assume ownership, so it is worth spelling out to a buyer. Their claim on that unit is real and recorded. Title comes at completion.
DLD publishes the fees as 2% of the sale value from the seller, 2% from the purchaser, AED 10 knowledge fee, AED 10 innovation fee, and a AED 1,000 developer self-registration fee.
The market calls this the 4% DLD fee. The split is equal unless the parties agree otherwise, so who actually bears it is settled in the SPA, and on primary launches developers sometimes absorb part or all of it as an incentive. If a project advertises a DLD waiver, check it appears in the payment schedule and not just the brochure.
It is paid once. Not again when the title deed issues.
DLD requires registration within 90 days of the SPA being signed, and lists its own service time at one business day.
So the variable is usually how quickly the developer submits, and some register in batches rather than per sale. Certificates often arrive well inside the 90 days, but DLD does not publish a standard turnaround. A month with nothing is worth a polite question.
The buyer's Oqood number is the starting point.
Oqood certificates can be checked through Dubai REST and DLD's verification tools using the certificate or Oqood contract details, which return a status such as valid, mortgaged, restrained, blocked or invalid.
A blocked or restrained unit cannot transfer until whatever caused it is cleared. Better found early than at resale.
Yes, and it happens constantly. The useful distinction is between DLD's rules and the developer's, because buyers hear them as one thing.
DLD's rules. A Form F between the parties, a developer NOC, and registration of the new sale at a trustee office. The new transaction attracts the 4% registration fee on the sale value, split equally between seller and purchaser unless they agree otherwise. Trustee fees are AED 2,000 below AED 500,000 and AED 4,000 from AED 500,000 upwards, plus VAT. The original buyer does not get their own 4% back.
The developer's rules. The NOC, the minimum percentage paid before they will issue one, and any assignment fee. Thresholds commonly sit around 30% to 40% in the market, but they are set in the SPA and premium projects often go higher.
None of that second group is Dubai law. It is that developer's policy on that project, and it is in the SPA.
In the order they arise:
Before marketing. The project must be registered with DLD's Escrow Account Department, and the advertising needs the appropriate permit with the required QR code displayed. No permit, no listing. More on that in our guide to UAE advertising permits.
After the SPA. Has the unit been registered, and does the certificate match the contract? Unit, project, buyer and price should all agree. Mismatches surface at handover and can stop the deed issuing.
On payments. Payments towards the purchase price belong in the project's registered escrow account. If a buyer is asked to send instalments anywhere else, stop and verify the instructions before anything moves. Some charges, such as the registration fee itself, can legitimately be collected separately, which is exactly why the purchase-price rule is worth knowing precisely.
On resale. Establish the payment threshold and NOC cost with the developer before anyone is given a timeline.
DLD launched a new Initial Registration platform on 3 September, bringing project registration, sale registration and escrow management into one system, with AI reading documents and filling fields. DLD reports registration falling from around 30 minutes to under five, with more than 1,500 developers migrating in phases.
The press called it Oqood 2.0. DLD's name for it is the Initial Registration platform.
For a brokerage the role does not change. The developer still registers the sale, the agent still verifies and explains it. DLD has not announced any change to the underlying law or the published fees, and its service page still lists a provisional registration e-certificate.
One note for anyone working across emirates: Oqood is Dubai's. Abu Dhabi runs its own register through ADREC, and Al Reem and Al Maryah sit under ADGM again.
Oqood is the last step in a chain that starts long before it. An expression of interest, then allocation, then booking, then the SPA, then registration. Each stage has its own paperwork and its own way of going wrong, and the RERA forms cover the brokerage side of it.
Registration itself is not a software problem. Knowing which deals are registered and which are still waiting is, and that is the bit that gets lost in a spreadsheet at thirty concurrent off-plan sales.
Is Oqood the same as a title deed?
No. Oqood records the buyer's interest in an off-plan property ahead of final title registration. The title deed is issued once the project is complete and the buyer has met their contractual obligations.
Who registers Oqood?
The developer. Not the buyer, and not the agent.
How much is the Oqood fee?
DLD publishes 2% from the seller and 2% from the purchaser, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees and a AED 1,000 developer registration fee. Who bears the 4% commercially is settled in the SPA.
How long does registration take?
DLD requires it within 90 days of the SPA and lists its own service time at one business day. Developer submission is what varies.
How do I check whether a unit is registered?
In Dubai REST, or through DLD's verification tools using the Oqood contract details.
What if the sale is never registered?
It is void under Law No. 13 of 2008. The developer should be chased in writing, and it can then be raised with RERA.
Can you sell an off-plan property before handover?
Yes, with a developer NOC, a Form F and registration of the new sale at a trustee office. The 4% registration fee applies to the new sale value, split equally unless the parties agree otherwise. Minimum payment thresholds before an NOC is issued are the developer's policy, not a DLD rule.
Does Oqood mean the buyer's money is safe?
It means the sale is registered and valid. The money is protected separately by the project escrow account, which releases funds against construction milestones. Neither guarantees the project completes.
What does Oqood mean?
Arabic for "contracts".
General information, not legal advice, and current as at September 2026. Fees and procedures change, so confirm with DLD before relying on any figure here.
