Abu Dhabi · Guide · Ownership law

Abu Dhabi ownership law: nationals and their equivalents can own outside the investment areas too, other foreigners get full rights inside investment areas, and ADREC counted 50 such areas in the first half of 2026

Law No. 13 of 2019, published in Abu Dhabi's Official Gazette, rewrote Article 3 of the Real Estate Ownership Law No. 19 of 2005: ownership is reserved to nationals and their equivalents, to public joint stock companies in which non-nationals hold no more than 49%, and to anyone named in a resolution of the Crown Prince or the Chairman of the Executive Council, while non-national persons and companies may own and acquire all principal and accessory real rights over property inside investment areas and dispose of them in any manner. The UAE government portal names nine investment areas, among them Yas Island, Saadiyat, Reem and Al Raha Beach. ADREC's half-year release says eight new investment zones were approved in the first half of 2026, taking the total to 50, and that these zones attracted AED 75 billion of transactions in those six months.

Al Mithaq news desk · Published 24 October 2026 · Source: Government of Abu Dhabi

Residential towers on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi at sunset, with mangroves and a water channel in the foreground. Picture: Sa7er90, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

50investment zones in Abu Dhabi after eight new approvals in the first half of 2026 (ADREC)

AED 75Bof real estate transactions inside the investment zones in H1 2026, up 181% from AED 26.7 billion (ADREC)

49%the most that non-nationals may hold in a public joint stock company that owns property outside the zones (Article 3)

What the law says: Article 3 as rewritten in 2019

Abu Dhabi's Real Estate Ownership Law is Law No. 19 of 2005. Law No. 13 of 2019, issued by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 16 April 2019 and printed in the fourth edition of the Official Gazette for that year, replaced its Articles 3 and 4. The new Article 3 has two parts. First, the right to own real estate is limited to three categories: nationals and their equivalents, whether natural or legal persons; public joint stock companies in which the contribution of non-nationals does not exceed 49%; and any person in respect of whom a resolution of the Crown Prince or the Chairman of the Executive Council is issued. Second, non-national natural or legal persons may own and acquire all the principal or collateral real rights of properties located within investment areas, and may dispose of them in any manner whatsoever. Article 1 of the law, in the consolidated text on ADREC's rules page, defines investment areas simply as areas designated by a decision of the Executive Council. The new Article 4 says that whoever holds a right of usufruct or musataha for more than ten years may dispose of it, including by mortgaging it, without the owner's permission, and that the owner may mortgage the property only with the consent of the usufruct or musataha holder; in both cases the parties may agree otherwise.

The four forms of title on the UAE government portal

The UAE government portal u.ae, in its page on expatriates buying property, updated on 28 September 2026, describes four systems in Abu Dhabi. Ownership: deeds for residential units for 99 years that give the holder the full right to dispose of the unit, with the portal noting that land is not included in that description. Musataha: 50 years, renewable by agreement for a similar period, during which the holder can use, build on or alter the property. Usufruct: 99 years, during which the holder can use the property and its facilities but cannot change it. Long-term lease: an initial term of at least 25 years. The same page says that under the 2005 law expatriates could own floors and apartments only, not land, and that the April 2019 amendment allows non-UAE nationals to own and acquire all original and in-kind rights in property within the investment areas. On ADREC's rules page, the Standard Musataha Contract sets the duration of a musataha at a total not exceeding fifty years.

Where the investment areas are, and what sold there

The portal names nine designated investment areas: Yas Island, Saadiyat, Reem, Maryah, Lulu, Al Raha Beach, Sayh Al Sedairah, Al Reef and Masdar City. ADREC's release of 17 July 2026 on the first half of the year says eight new investment zones were approved in those six months, bringing the emirate's total to 50, without naming them, and that the zones attracted AED 75 billion of transactions, up 181% from AED 26.7 billion a year earlier. The whole market recorded AED 117 billion of transactions in the half, of which sales were AED 86.1 billion across 16,838 transactions and mortgages AED 26.7 billion across 8,876. Foreign direct investment reached AED 13.8 billion, up 309%, from 116 non-resident investor nationalities, up from 82, with the United Kingdom, China, Russia, the United States, Germany and France the leading sources. ADREC's market report for the same half, released on 18 August 2026, says the investment zones hold over 22% of the emirate's residential stock, about 72,000 units, with Al Reem Island alone at 27,500 units. By sales value the report ranks Hudayriyat Island first at AED 19 billion, 27% of residential sales, then Saadiyat Island at AED 13.3 billion, Al Reem and Al Maryah islands together at AED 10.5 billion and Yas Island at AED 7.3 billion. Off-plan homes made up 89% of residential sales value and 82% of deals, Emirati buyers spent AED 21.0 billion against AED 8.9 billion a year earlier, and resident expatriates and non-resident foreign buyers accounted for 70% of residential sales value.

Where a GCC citizen stands

The ownership law's Article 3 does not use the words Gulf or GCC; it speaks of nationals and their equivalents. The executive regulations of the registration law, Chairman's Decision No. 52/1 of 2008 issued under Law No. 3 of 2005, in the consolidated text on ADREC's page, are more specific. Their Article 29 limits the registration of apartments for natural or legal persons who are not UAE nationals or GCC nationals to apartments and floors, other than the ground floor, located within the investment areas, and adds that in all cases the apartment's owner may dispose of it in any way. Those regulations date from 2008, before the 2019 amendment gave non-nationals all principal and collateral real rights inside the investment areas, so the 2019 law is the text that governs today. Law No. 3 of 2005 itself, in its Article 10, lets nationals sell or purchase residential, commercial, investment or agricultural land and buildings, except industrial land and land leased out by the relevant department. Neither text spells out the position of a Kuwaiti or other GCC buyer in so many words; what the regulation does is leave GCC nationals outside the limit that applies to other foreigners.

Why it mattersOur view for a Kuwaiti buyer: start with your own status, because Abu Dhabi's law treats a GCC citizen differently from other foreigners. The ownership law reserves ownership to nationals and their equivalents, and Article 29 of the 2008 executive regulations of the registration law limits non-nationals who are not GCC nationals to apartments and floors inside the investment areas; by its wording, a Kuwaiti is outside that limit, and the 2019 amendment has since widened what other foreigners may own inside the zones. Even so, the law leaves the detail to decisions of the Executive Council, so before you pay a reservation fee ask the developer or ADREC's DARI platform, in writing, what title you will be registered with and whether your Kuwaiti passport changes anything for that specific plot. Second, read the deed type, not the brochure: the UAE portal lists four systems, ownership, usufruct for 99 years, musataha for 50 years renewable and a long lease of at least 25 years, and the price of a 99-year usufruct should not be the price of outright ownership. Third, if you want the widest resale market, the investment areas are where it is: ADREC says resident expatriates and non-resident foreign buyers made up 70% of residential sales value in the first half of 2026, and nearly all of that demand can only buy inside the zones. A villa on Yas Island or Saadiyat can be sold on to a buyer of any nationality; a house outside the zones can only be sold to the narrower group that Article 3 allows.

What Al Mithaq adds

The two Aldar communities we represent in Abu Dhabi, Yas Riva Reserve on Yas Island and Sei on Saadiyat Island, both sit in investment areas named on the UAE government portal, so a buyer of any nationality can be registered with full rights there. Before you reserve, we send you the title type the developer registers, the registration fee on DARI and the payment plan in one message, and if you are a Kuwaiti citizen we ask the developer in writing whether your status changes anything for the plot you choose. Tell us the island, the size and the budget you have in mind, and we will call or WhatsApp you back on the same working day.

Sources

Key facts

The law: Law No. 19 of 2005 concerning Real Estate Ownership, Articles 3 and 4 replaced by Law No. 13 of 2019, issued 16 April 2019
Who may own (Article 3, part 1): Nationals and their equivalents; public joint stock companies with non-national contribution of 49% or less; any person named in a Crown Prince or Executive Council Chairman resolution
Non-nationals (Article 3, part 2): May own and acquire all principal and collateral real rights over property within investment areas and dispose of them in any manner
Investment areas: Areas designated by a decision of the Executive Council (Article 1); nine named on u.ae; 50 counted by ADREC after eight approvals in H1 2026
The nine on the portal: Yas Island, Saadiyat, Reem, Maryah, Lulu, Al Raha Beach, Sayh Al Sedairah, Al Reef, Masdar City
Forms of title (u.ae): Ownership deeds for residential units for 99 years; usufruct 99 years; musataha 50 years renewable; long lease of at least 25 years
Investment zones, H1 2026 (ADREC): AED 75 billion of transactions, up 181%; over 22% of residential stock, about 72,000 units; Al Reem Island 27,500 units
Whole market, H1 2026 (ADREC): AED 117 billion of transactions; sales AED 86.1 billion in 16,838 deals; FDI AED 13.8 billion from 116 nationalities; foreign buyers 70% of residential sales value
GCC citizens (Executive Regulations of Law 3 of 2005, Decision 52/1 of 2008, Article 29): The apartments-and-floors limit inside investment areas applies to persons who are not UAE or GCC nationals