Can foreigners buy property in Ras Al Khaimah?

An artist's rendering at sunset of residential towers along a calm waterway in Mina Al Arab, with a footbridge, palm-lined promenades, boats on the water and more towers on the far shore
Image: Mirasol Mina by Baraka Real Estate Development

Yes. Foreigners can own freehold property in Ras Al Khaimah, inside the emirate's freehold areas. RAK Municipality's own service card says that UAE nationals and non-Emirati customers alike are entitled to own property in freehold areas, and it names them: Al Hamra Village, Mina Al Arab, Al Marjan Island, RAK Central, Julphar Towers, Al Maareedh (plots) and the upcoming Beach District. To register a sale, the buyer pays 2% of the property's market value and the seller pays another 2%, which is why some guides quote 2% and others 4%.

This is a summary to help you ask the right questions, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm the details for your purchase with RAK Municipality's Lands and Properties Sector, or with a lawyer.

Which rules let foreigners own property?

Foreign ownership rests on Emiri Decree No. 19 of 2016, on granting special authorization for freehold ownership. You can see it cited in the preamble of Ras Al Khaimah's Law No. 12 of 2023 on regulating real estate development, published by RAK Municipality. We could not find the decree's own text published online, so we rely on the municipality's description of what it allows.

That description is on the service card for registering a real estate sale (ZL13), part of Sanad, RAK Municipality's guide to its services. Its terms say that Emirati and non-Emirati customers are entitled to own property in freehold areas. The Arabic version of the same card says the same thing. Both were last updated on Jul 9, 2026.

Outside the freehold areas, the card gives no such right. Before you pay anything, ask the developer or the municipality to confirm that your exact plot sits in a freehold area.

Which areas are freehold?

The ZL13 card lists these, in its answer to "What are the freehold areas in Ras Al Khaimah?":

Area On Homes.me
Al Hamra Village Al Hamra Village
Mina Al Arab Mina Al Arab
Al Marjan Island Al Marjan Island
RAK Central RAK Central
Julphar Towers None listed yet
Al Maareedh (plots) None listed yet
Beach District (described as upcoming) None listed yet

Broker guides and older news reports give different lists. Go by the municipality's current one, and confirm any plot that is not clearly inside one of these areas.

What does registering a purchase cost?

These are the fees on the ZL13 card for registering a completed sale and issuing the title deed:

Fee Amount
Paid by the buyer 2% of the property's market value
Paid by the seller 2% of the property's market value
Plan (site plan) issuance AED 200
Title deed issuance AED 200

So on a home with a market value of AED 1,000,000, the buyer's share is AED 20,000, plus AED 400 if both the plan and the title deed fees apply to your transaction. Note that the card charges on market value, which may not be the price on your contract. Ask what value the municipality will use before you budget.

This is the figure published guides have disagreed on: some quote 2%, some 4%. The card explains both. The total charged on a sale is 4%, split evenly between buyer and seller. Read your sale terms to see who pays each half, and confirm the split before you sign. Our purchase cost calculator assumes 4% for Ras Al Khaimah, which is what you would pay if you covered both halves.

Registration itself takes 3 working days, and you receive the title deed, according to the same card. The service is offered only at the municipality's Customer Happiness Center, and fees can be paid there or through the mRAK app.

What if you buy with a mortgage?

The mortgage is registered separately. RAK Municipality's service card for a property mortgage contract (ZL26) sets the fee at 0.001 of the mortgage's value (0.1%), so AED 750 on an AED 750,000 loan. Changing a registered mortgage costs AED 200 plus 0.1% of any increase, and releasing it once the loan is repaid costs AED 200. The owner and the bank's representative both attend, and the card says the process takes about 15 minutes.

Which documents does a sale need?

The ZL13 card lists:

  1. Emirates ID for the seller and the buyer.
  2. A power of attorney, if someone signs for either side.
  3. The original title deed (the seller's).
  4. A no objection letter from the developer, for sales in freehold areas.
  5. The memorandum of association and a statement of who may sign, if either side is a company.
  6. A copy of the trade license, if either side is a company.

The card asks for an Emirates ID from both parties and says nothing about buyers who do not live in the UAE. If you have no Emirates ID, ask the Customer Happiness Center what it accepts in its place before you travel.

The developer's no objection letter is needed on resales in freehold areas, so ask the seller for it early.

How is buying off-plan different?

An off-plan purchase is not registered as a finished sale. Under Law No. 12 of 2023, a developer needs a sale permit before selling off-plan, your payments go into the project's escrow account, and the developer must record your unit in the initial land register within five working days of you signing (Article 31). The fee for that first registration is not set out in the ZL13 card, so ask the developer and confirm with the municipality what you will pay and when. Our post on how off-plan buyers are protected in Ras Al Khaimah walks through the law article by article.

One simple check: the municipality's Real Estate Regulatory Administration publishes an updated list of off-plan projects with each project's developer. It held 81 projects when last updated on Sep 7, 2026. If the project you are offered is not on it, ask the developer why before you pay a deposit.

Does buying in Ras Al Khaimah count toward a Golden Visa?

The Golden Visa is federal, so property anywhere in the UAE can count toward it, subject to its conditions. The usual threshold is property worth AED 2 million. Our guide to how you get a UAE Golden Visa sets out the conditions and every other route, and the Golden Visa check in our tools gives a quick first answer. No purchase is guaranteed to qualify, so confirm with ICP before you rely on it.

What is on sale in Ras Al Khaimah today?

Our catalog held 58 Ras Al Khaimah projects at its import on Nov 1, 2026, and 56 of them state freehold ownership (2 had not published it yet). That counts what developers publish, not a legal check. By area, they are:

You can browse every Ras Al Khaimah project, or ask the advisor for one that fits your budget. We list what developers publish and do not recommend any purchase.

What should you do before signing?

  1. Confirm that the plot is in one of the freehold areas above.
  2. For off-plan, find the project on the municipality's off-plan list and ask for its escrow account number.
  3. Budget the buyer's 2% of market value, plus AED 400 for the plan and title deed, and read who pays the seller's 2%.
  4. For a resale, ask the seller for the developer's no objection letter early.
  5. If you are not a UAE resident, ask the Customer Happiness Center which ID it accepts.
  6. Have a lawyer read anything you do not fully understand.

Comparing emirates? Read how Dubai and Abu Dhabi answer the same question.

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