Paying for UAE property from Russia: the Bank of Russia lifts its $1m monthly transfer cap

On 5 December 2025 the Bank of Russia announced that from 8 December it would lift its limits on foreign-currency transfers abroad for Russian citizens and for non-resident individuals from countries it classes as friendly. Two caps had applied: no more than $1 million a month (or the equivalent) to one's own or relatives' accounts at foreign banks, and no more than $10,000 a month through money-transfer services. The regulator had planned to keep them until at least 31 March 2026 but removed them early, citing a stable currency market.

The limits were introduced in March 2022, starting at just $5,000 a month, and loosened step by step. As of September 2026 there are no caps for Russian citizens; restrictions remain only for non-residents from "unfriendly" countries, extended to 7 December 2026.

Why it matters for UAE property

Russian-passport buyers have long been among the most active nationalities in Dubai's upper segment, and the cap shaped how their deals were structured. With $1 million a month, a buyer of a $2–3 million villa had to move money in two or three monthly tranches. That caused real friction:

• on the secondary market sellers usually expect full funds by transfer day, so a stretched schedule put deals at risk;
• exchange rates moved between tranches — the dirham is pegged to the dollar, but the rouble is not (see what the dollar peg means);
• each separate transfer triggered a separate check at both the sending and the receiving bank.

Now the full amount can go in one payment. For sellers and developers in the prime segment — villas, penthouses, branded residences — that shortens completion timelines with this buyer group.

What is still hard

Removing the cap did not remove sanctions or compliance. Moving money out of Russia remains harder than from most countries: the set of banks that will process the payment is narrow, dollar transfers are difficult, and the receiving UAE bank looks closely at the origin of funds. The cap was one obstacle, and not the toughest.

What a bank means by documented source of wealth is explained in our residency guide, and the mechanics of cross-border moves in moving money across borders. Remember also that Dubai's two largest master developers have accepted no more than AED 55,000 in cash since 2024 — see the cash limit.

How to plan the payment now

Three practical steps. Agree the payment route before signing, not after: which bank sends, in what currency, to which account — developer escrow or the seller. Assemble the source-of-funds file in advance. And build slack into the schedule: even without a cap, a compliance review can take several working days.

The cap is gone, but the payment route still decides whether a deal closes on time. Before you pay, read what “documented” source of wealth means in practice.