Dubai · Guide · Property ownership

Guide: who can own property where in Dubai. Law No. 7 of 2006 gives Kuwaiti and other GCC citizens the right to own anywhere in the emirate; other foreigners buy in freehold areas

Dubai's Law No. 7 of 2006 on real property registration limits the right to own property in the emirate to UAE nationals, nationals of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, companies wholly owned by them, and public joint stock companies. Other foreigners may own freehold, or hold usufruct or a lease of up to 99 years, only in areas set by the Ruler, first listed plot by plot in Regulation No. 3 of 2006 and widened by later resolutions.

Al Mithaq news desk · Published 2 November 2026 · Updated 2 November 2026 · Source: Dubai Legislation Portal (Supreme Legislation Committee): Law No. (7) of 2006 Concerning Real Property Registration in the Emirate of Dubai

Residential towers around the yacht basin of Dubai Marina, one of the areas first opened to foreign freehold ownership, in morning light under a blue sky, with boats moored in the foreground. Picture: Francisco Anzola, Wikimedia Commons (Flickr), CC BY 2.0

GCCcitizens, including Kuwaitis, may own property anywhere in Dubai (Law No. 7 of 2006, Article 4)

2006the year Regulation No. 3 first listed the areas open to other foreigners; later resolutions of the Ruler have added more plots

99 yearsthe longest usufruct or lease other foreigners may hold in those areas

Who may own anywhere

Article 4 of Law No. 7 of 2006 Concerning Real Property Registration in the Emirate of Dubai, issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on 13 March 2006, restricts the right to own real property in the emirate to UAE nationals, nationals of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states, companies fully owned by them, and public joint stock companies. The article sets no area limit for these groups. A citizen of Kuwait, a GCC member state, is therefore in the same group as a UAE national, and so is a company wholly owned by Kuwaiti citizens. Any conditions or restrictions that apply to a particular property are written in its record in the Property Register (Article 24), so the plot's own record still needs checking.

Where other foreigners may own

The same article allows non-UAE nationals, with the Ruler's approval and in areas he determines, to hold freehold ownership without time limit, or usufruct or a lease for up to 99 years. Regulation No. 3 of 2006, issued on 7 June 2006, first named those areas plot by plot as shown on the Land Department's maps. Its original list of 23 areas includes Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Emirates Hills, The World Islands, Al Barsha South, Jebel Ali, Al Jaddaf, Ras Al Khor, Mirdif, Nad Al Sheba and Warsan 1. The list has grown since: Regulation No. 1 of 2010 upgraded Nad Al Sheba plot 224, which the 2006 regulation had opened only to usufruct or a lease of up to 99 years, to freehold ownership, and later resolutions of the Ruler, such as Resolution No. 8 of 2016 (Madinat Al Mataar) and Resolution No. 6 of 2022 (Zabeel First), added more plots. The Land Department confirms what is allowed on any given plot.

Why the register matters

Law No. 7 of 2006 makes the Land Department the only body that registers property rights in Dubai. Every transaction that creates, transfers, changes or ends a property right must be recorded in the Property Register, and it does not take effect until it is (Article 9, as replaced by Law No. 7 of 2019). The register has absolute evidentiary value against everyone, and can only be challenged for fraud or forgery (Article 7), and the title deeds the department issues have the same absolute value (Article 24). An apartment building is one unit in the register, with the owners of each flat, floor and the common areas recorded under it (Article 23). When an owner dies, a certificate of inheritance is registered in the Property Register, and any heir's sale of the property counts against others only once it too is registered (Article 11). Any agreement made to get around the law is void (Article 26).

Why it mattersOur view for a Kuwaiti buyer: this is one of the quiet advantages of a Kuwaiti passport in Dubai. Most foreign buyers are limited to the freehold areas, while the law puts a Kuwaiti citizen alongside UAE nationals in the right to own across the emirate, and a company wholly owned by Kuwaitis has the same right. The practical gain is choice: older neighbourhoods and plots outside the areas opened to other foreigners are also open to you, subject to any conditions written in the plot's own record. The second lesson matters as much as the first. In Dubai the register is the proof: a sale does not take effect until it is recorded at the Land Department, and the title deed it issues is conclusive. So whatever you buy, and wherever it is, do not treat a reservation form or a receipt as ownership; ask for the transfer at the Land Department and the title deed in your name.

What Al Mithaq adds

In Dubai we represent Emaar's communities, including Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai Hills Estate; our Emaar Dubai page lists them. Also read our guides to Dubai and Abu Dhabi registration fees, to who can own where in Abu Dhabi, and to Dubai's escrow law for off-plan homes. Tell our team in Kuwait whether you are buying in your own name or through a company, and we will check the plot's status with the developer and the Land Department before you reserve.

Sources

Key facts

Law: Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006 Concerning Real Property Registration, issued 13 March 2006
Own anywhere: UAE and GCC nationals, companies fully owned by them, public joint stock companies (Article 4)
Other foreigners: Freehold, or usufruct or lease up to 99 years, in areas set by the Ruler (Article 4)
Freehold areas: Regulation No. 3 of 2006 (7 June 2006) first listed 23 areas plot by plot; later resolutions added more plots
Effect: A transaction takes effect only once recorded in the Property Register (Article 9, as amended in 2019)
Proof: Register and title deed have absolute evidentiary value (Articles 7 and 24)
Registering body: Dubai Land Department, the only authority (Article 6)