Documents
Passport; for residents the visa and Emirates ID. A non-resident proves income with translated home-country documents. Only recent certificates are accepted.
Service
Home mortgage in Dubai
No. 1 for home mortgages in Dubai for English-speaking buyers: we match a bank to your income and the property and see the application through from pre-approval to Dubai Land Department (DLD) registration. A UAE resident can borrow up to 80% of a first home over as long as 25 years; a non-resident puts down 35–40% or more.
Get a mortgage estimate
Name and number — the mortgage broker will come back the same day with questions about income, status and the property.
Practically the whole mortgage market is open to residents. Non-residents face fewer banks, a larger down payment and closer income checks. What decides it is legal, provable income, the debt burden and a property the bank accepts.
The application is run by an invited expert — an independent, practising mortgage broker who is not on our staff. We choose the broker for your case, introduce you and stay in touch until registration. The decision is the bank’s, and nobody can promise approval.
A mortgage in Dubai as a foreigner: what banks actually lend on
Non-residents can borrow in the UAE, on tighter terms than residents: a larger deposit, a shorter list of banks and a harder look at income. What the deposit really is, how the rate is built, and the order in which the process has to happen.
Read the full article →Who can get a home mortgage in Dubai?
UAE residents and buyers living abroad both can. The term runs up to 25 years and the loan must be repaid by age 65, or 70 with a separate letter from the bank. So age is asked first: at 55 the term is 15 years, not 25.
Non-resident programmes do not accept every passport: Gulf and UK nationals pass comfortably, European passports take longer. Otherwise the route is UAE employment and an application after six months of official salary, as a resident.
What down payment do residents and non-residents need?
Residents need 20% or more: under UAE Central Bank rules a bank lends up to 80% on a first home priced below AED 5 million. For a non-resident the bank leaves at least 35% unfinanced, and in practice the down payment starts at 40% and can reach half the price.
What are mortgage rates in Dubai in 2026?
In 2026 UAE banks were quoting expats roughly 3.75–4.99% a year. The best offer the broker named in our interview was 3.99% fixed for three years.
The rate is fixed for the first 1–5 years, then the loan moves to a variable rate: three-month EIBOR plus the bank’s margin, usually 1.5–2.5 percentage points. The UAE Central Bank base rate has stood at 3.90% since 17 September 2026.
A ‘from 3.75%’ advert can be a hook: from month two the central bank rate plus a mark-up applies, and the cost drifts to 5.5–5.7%.
What the bank wants to see
The bank asks two questions: can the borrower keep paying, and what happens to the security if not. Four checks follow.
Income
A salary certificate or contract and several months of statements; for business owners the trade licence, accounts and a company that has normally traded for two years or more. Bonuses and rent count only in part.
Commitments
The regulator caps the share of income that repayments on all borrowing can take (DBR). Credit-card limits count too, and late payments or returned cheques in the credit bureau report hurt both the decision and the rate.
The property
A ready, titled home in a freehold area from a known developer is the easiest to finance. Some banks will not finance serviced hotel apartments at all.
The mortgage, step by step
The route is always pre-approval, property, valuation, transfer. On a ready home with a full document pack it takes roughly a month to a month and a half, and several weeks longer if the seller has a mortgage.
- 1
Pre-approval
The bank assesses income and commitments and issues a letter with the maximum loan. It is a guide, not a guarantee: the final check can change the decision.
- 2
Property and contract
The sale contract (Form F) is signed with a finance condition: if the bank declines the loan or the valuation comes in well below the price, the buyer can walk away with the deposit returned.
- 3
Valuation
The bank’s independent valuer confirms market value. The loan is based on the lower of the contract price and the valuation; the buyer covers any gap.
- 4
Registration
After final approval the funds move through the trustee office. The transfer and the mortgage are registered at the Land Department: the buyer receives the title, charged to the bank.
How much cash do you need on top of the down payment?
Allow about 6% of the price in cash on top of the down payment. Since 1 February 2025, on UAE Central Bank instructions, banks finance neither the 4% Land Department fee nor the 2% agent’s commission.
Take a Dubai Hills apartment at AED 1,400,000. The 20% down payment is AED 280,000, but with the DLD fee, trustee centre, agent’s commission and a bank fee of about 1% you need roughly AED 379,200 before the keys.
A loan of AED 1,120,000 at 4.5% over 25 years means about AED 6,226 a month. Add the building’s service charge and annual life and property insurance.
Can you get a mortgage on off-plan property or the handover payment?
Yes, selectively: banks keep lists of approved developers and lend on projects at a late stage. Seventeen UAE banks run programmes for the final handover payment, lending up to 80% of the valuation.
What you have already paid the developer counts as your contribution. Start a year before completion, six months at the latest.
Income is proved by a salary from a UAE company, rental income of AED 180,000 a year or more, or official dividends; the floor is AED 15,000 a month.
Who does the work?
The mortgage is handled by an invited mortgage broker — an independent practitioner who knows each bank’s credit policy. We select the expert for the task, and the property broker checks that the home is financeable before the deposit.
Request
Get a mortgage estimate
Name and number — the mortgage broker will come back the same day with questions about income, status and the property.
Get a mortgage estimate
Frequently asked questions
Will a non-resident get a mortgage in the UAE?
Yes, though the terms are stricter: a down payment of 35–40% or more, fewer banks, mostly ready homes in freehold areas. Signing and opening the account normally take one visit.
Can the bank refuse after pre-approval?
It can, if the final check turns up new commitments, a change of job or a problem with the property. That is why the deposit is paid only while the pre-approval is valid, and the contract carries a finance condition.
Can I lower the rate on an existing mortgage?
Yes — by refinancing with another bank or repricing with your own. The move pays when the early-settlement fee, new arrangement costs and re-registration are recovered from the saving within one to two years.
Does a mortgaged home qualify for the Golden Visa?
In Dubai, yes. Since January 2024 a property valued at AED 2 million or more by the Land Department is enough, regardless of the loan; the bank’s no-objection letter (NOC) is required.
See also
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