دبي.

Yes. Any nationality can own freehold outright in Dubai's designated freehold zones, with title registered in your own name at the Dubai Land Department. There are no nationality quotas, no cap on how many properties you hold, and no prior government approval to buy. Dubai has 60 plus freehold zones, and in January 2025 the DLD opened freehold conversion for 457 previously leasehold plots along Sheikh Zayed Road and in Al Jaddaf. Outside the freehold zones, foreign buyers are limited to long leasehold of up to 99 years.

The 10-year renewable Golden Visa applies at a DLD-certified property value of AED 2m or more. A 2025 reform removed the former AED 1m down-payment requirement, so mortgaged and off-plan properties now qualify provided the DLD valuation reaches AED 2m, with the payment schedule immaterial. For off-plan you submit a registered Oqood certificate. The visa carries no employer sponsor, and the holder can sponsor spouse, children and parents. Confirm the current threshold before relying on it.

There is no personal income tax, no annual recurring property tax and no capital gains tax for individuals on residential property. On purchase you pay a DLD transfer fee of 4% of the price, for example AED 80,000 on a AED 2m home, plus admin and title-deed fees, a trustee office fee, and for off-plan a 4% Oqood registration fee. Agent commission is customarily around 2% plus 5% VAT on that commission. Budget roughly 7 to 8% of the price in total transaction costs for a cash purchase.

No. There is no recurring property tax. The only annual public charge is the Dubai municipality housing fee, set at 5% of the property's annual rental value and billed through the DEWA utility account, so it is a municipal fee on the bill rather than a property tax. Separately, owners pay building service charges that run roughly AED 10 to 32 per square foot per year for apartments, higher for prime and branded stock.

Figures are indicative and dated to early 2026. Entry studios in budget districts such as International City and Dubai Silicon Oasis realistically run from about AED 450,000, with a thin tail of listings from AED 350,000, against a citywide average apartment price near AED 1,950 per square foot. By district, Downtown averages around AED 3,011 per square foot, Business Bay around AED 2,547, and Dubai Marina around AED 2,058. Palm Jumeirah and branded residences sit well above, commonly AED 3m and into the tens of millions for trophy stock.

It is moderating from a 2025 peak rather than breaking. ValuStrat's Q1 2026 review recorded the first quarterly decline in residential values since the pandemic, down 3.8% quarter on quarter, while values stayed up 8.9% year on year. The defining dynamic is supply: of roughly 71,613 units forecast for 2026, analysts at Morgan's Realty expect only about 34,740 to complete, before a sharp 2027 surge near 70,537 units concentrated in apartment districts such as Jumeirah Village Circle and Business Bay. Fitch has flagged a possible correction of up to 15% as a risk scenario tied to that pipeline.

Yes, but it is licensed and enforced. Any property let for stays under six months must hold a holiday-home permit from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, costing around AED 1,520 per unit per year, covering Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and direct bookings. Units must be let whole, with guest check-in reporting and a monthly Tourism Dirham of AED 10 to 15 per occupied bedroom per night. Since 2025 the major platforms auto-delist listings without a valid permit, and penalties escalate from AED 5,000 up to AED 100,000 with a permanent ban.

Gross apartment yields broadly run 6 to 8%, with studios and one-beds at the higher end and larger units lower. Net yields are commonly around 4.5 to 6% once service charges and voids are accounted for, so the gross figure is not a guaranteed return. The strongest yields tend to sit in districts such as Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Silicon Oasis, International City and Arjan. Long lets fall under RERA and Ejari registration and the DLD Smart Rental Index, in force for 2026, which caps rent increases at renewal by building benchmark.