Mortgages on UAE property: limits, terms and paying one off
The lending limits on UAE property are set by the Central Bank and apply to every bank in the country, so they are worth knowing before an offer rather than after a rejection. The registration steps at the end are Dubai's. Each figure below is quoted from the rule it comes from.
6 answers, each with the official source it rests on · Last checked 23 August 2026
How much a bank may lend against a property
The Central Bank sets a ceiling on what a lender may advance against a property, expressed as a share of the property's value rather than as an amount. For a UAE national buying a first home to live in, the maximum is 85% where the property is valued at AED 5 million or less, and 75% above that. For an expatriate buying a first home to live in it is 80% at AED 5 million or less, and 70% above it. That first-home category is limited by the regulation itself: each borrower can only claim one property under it. On a second or subsequent property, or one bought as an investment, the ceiling falls and stops depending on the value at all — 65% for a UAE national and 60% for an expatriate, regardless of what the property is worth. These are limits on what a lender is permitted to offer, not an entitlement to receive: a bank may lend less, or decline, on its own criteria.
“Value of Property less or equal to AED 5 million - maximum 85% of the value of the property.”
Source: Central Bank of the UAE — Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans — Article (3): Important Ratios · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: UAE-wide
The debt limit, the loan term and the age question
Two more Central Bank rules shape a mortgage alongside the value ceiling. The first is the debt burden ratio: deductions from salary or regular income for all loans together — car and private housing loans, overdrafts and credit card facilities included — must not exceed 50% of gross salary and any regular income from a defined and specific source. Lenders are additionally required to stress test the loan at two to four percentage points above the current rate, and where the property is for investment they must deduct at least two months' rental income from the calculation to allow for empty periods. The second is the term: the maximum tenor of a mortgage loan is 25 years, and total financing is capped at eight years' annual income for a UAE national and seven years' for an expatriate. On age the regulation is explicit that it sets none — the maximum age at the last repayment is determined by the lender under its own risk management and lending policies. So an age limit quoted to you is that bank's policy, not a national rule.
“The maximum tenor of the mortgage loan is 25 years.”
Source: Central Bank of the UAE — Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans — Article (3): Important Ratios · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: UAE-wide
Borrowing against an off-plan property
Buying off plan changes what a lender is allowed to advance, and the Central Bank makes no exceptions to it. Where a property is being purchased off plan the maximum loan is 50% of the value, and unlike the ordinary limits this one does not vary: it applies regardless of purpose, value, or category of purchaser, so a UAE national buying a first home off plan and an expatriate buying an investment off plan meet the same ceiling. The regulation gives its own reason — the long-term nature of the development process and the higher level of risk to completion. What it means in practice is that half the value has to come from somewhere other than a mortgage, which makes an off-plan purchase a different financial shape from a completed one. It is a rule about what a bank may lend and nothing more; it is not a statement about any project, developer or building.
“the maximum LTV for mortgages on property being purchased off plans is 50% regardless of purpose, value, or category of purchaser”
Source: Central Bank of the UAE — Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans — Article (3): Important Ratios · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: UAE-wide
What a bank may charge to pay a mortgage off early
There is a ceiling on what a bank may charge to settle a home loan early, and it is lower than most people expect. The Central Bank's schedule of maximum fees sets early settlement on a home loan at 1% of the outstanding balance or AED 10,000, whichever is less — so however large the balance, the charge stops at AED 10,000. Partial settlement carries the same cap. The same schedule caps several of the charges that surface when a mortgaged property is sold: issuing a no-objection certificate at AED 150, a liability letter at AED 85, a clearance letter at AED 95, and late payment on a home loan at AED 700. These are maximums a bank may charge rather than fees it must charge, and a figure quoted above one of them is worth asking about against the schedule it comes from.
“Early settlement fees Max 1% of outstanding balance or 10,000, whichever is less”
Source: Central Bank of the UAE — Regulation No. 29/2011 Regarding Bank Loans & Other Services Offered to Individual Customers · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: UAE-wide
Registering a mortgage at the Land Department
A mortgage over a Dubai property is registered with the Land Department, and the fee is charged on the loan rather than on the price you paid. For an ordinary mortgage the registration fee is 0.25% of the mortgage value, with AED 250 for issuing the title deed and a AED 10 knowledge fee and AED 10 innovation fee for each drawing. Service partner fees at the trustee office run from AED 4,000 to AED 5,000 plus VAT. Going through a trustee office, the Land Department asks for a letter from the mortgagee bank, three mortgage contracts certified by that bank and signed by both parties, an Emirates ID or a passport copy for non-residents, a no-objection e-certificate from the developer, and a power of attorney where one is being used. There is also a route where the bank registers electronically, which needs the developer's e-certificate through the Dubai REST app.
“0.25% of the mortgage value in case of an ordinary mortgage”
Source: Dubai Land Department — Mortgage registration application · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: Dubai
Getting a repaid mortgage off the title deed
Repaying a home loan does not by itself take the mortgage off the title — that is a separate Land Department registration, and it is inexpensive. Removing an ordinary mortgage costs AED 1,000, with AED 250 for issuing the new certificate of title and a AED 10 knowledge fee and AED 10 innovation fee for each drawing. Service partner fees are AED 300 plus VAT, far below what registering the mortgage cost in the first place. There are two routes. Through a registration office you bring a letter from the bank for the mortgage removal, and the owner's Emirates ID, which is shown for identification and not copied. There is also a route through the bank's own online mortgage system for ordinary mortgage removal, where the owner's Emirates ID is the only item listed — so this step does not necessarily need a visit to a trustee office at all.
“AED 1,000 fee for the mortgage removal in case of an ordinary mortgage”
Source: Dubai Land Department — Mortgage release application · Correct as of 23 August 2026 · Applies: Dubai
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