Yes. Under Dubai's Law No. 13 of 2008, an off-plan unit entered in the Interim Property Register "may be disposed of by way of sale, mortgage, or any other legal disposition", so you can sell it before handover. In practice you need a no objection certificate (NOC) from the developer, the sale has to be registered with the Dubai Land Department (DLD), and your own contract may add conditions, most often a minimum share of the price paid first. The developer may charge only the administrative costs the DLD approves, not a cut of your sale.
This is a summary to help you plan, not legal, tax or financial advice. Nothing here promises that a unit will sell, or sell for more than you paid.
Which law allows it?
Off-plan property in Dubai is governed by Law No. 13 of 2008, which created the Interim Property Register (the DLD runs it through its Oqood system). Four of its articles decide how a resale works:
- Article 3: every sale or other disposition of an off-plan unit must be entered in the Interim Property Register, or it is void.
- Article 6: a unit sold off-plan and entered in that register may be sold, mortgaged or otherwise disposed of.
- Article 7: a developer may not charge fees on a sale or resale, except administrative costs the DLD approves.
- Article 8: when the project is complete, units move to the full Property Register in the names of buyers who have met their obligations.
Article 3 matters most to a seller and a buyer alike: a private "assignment" signed between the two of you, and never registered, does not transfer anything. Until the DLD records the new buyer, the unit stays in your name, and so do the remaining installments.
Do you need the developer's permission?
Yes, in the form of a no objection certificate. The DLD's own frequently asked questions answer the question directly: assigning an off-plan unit or contract to a third party before it reaches the land register "is possible after obtaining a No Objection Certificate from the developer". The same page says that when a property sold off-plan is sold on, the DLD must be given the developer's NOC.
The NOC is where the developer checks your account: whether your installments are up to date, and whether your contract's resale conditions are met. Those conditions come from your sale and purchase agreement, not from the law, so they differ by developer and even by project. Common ones include:
- A minimum share of the price paid before the developer will allow a resale.
- No overdue installments on the day of the transfer.
- The developer's own transfer form and fee, which Article 7 limits to administrative costs approved by the DLD.
Read the resale (or "assignment") clause in your contract, and ask the developer in writing what it requires and what it charges, before you list the unit.
What does a resale cost?
Here the published figures do not line up, so treat this as a list of costs to confirm, not a quote:
- DLD registration. The DLD's page for registering an initial (off-plan) sale lists 2% of the sale value from the seller and 2% from the purchaser, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. Many agents say the buyer of a resale pays the whole 4% on the new price. Confirm with a DLD trustee office.
- Developer NOC and transfer. Set by the developer, within the limit of Article 7. Ask for it in writing.
- Trustee office. A service fee for handling the transfer. Ask the office for its schedule.
- Agent. Negotiated, if you use one.
- Mortgage. If your purchase is mortgaged, the bank must clear or transfer the loan first, which adds its own fees.
Who pays which fee is a matter for the sale agreement between seller and buyer, so write it down rather than assuming.
How does a resale work, step by step?
- Check your standing. Make sure your Oqood registration is in place and your installments are paid to date. The DLD's project status page shows how far construction has reached, which buyers will ask about.
- Read your contract for the resale clause and any minimum payment.
- Agree the price and terms with the buyer, including who pays which fee, and how the buyer will refund what you have already paid to the developer.
- Apply for the developer's NOC. Expect the developer to check that your account is clear before it issues one.
- Transfer at the DLD, usually through a trustee office, where the sale is entered in the Interim Property Register in the buyer's name, as Article 3 requires.
- The buyer takes over the remaining installments, which keep going into the project's escrow account under Law No. 8 of 2007, not to you or an agent.
If you cannot be in Dubai, someone can sign for you under a power of attorney. The DLD's FAQ says a power of attorney for a sale, mortgage or grant is valid for two years, and one made abroad must be ratified by a notary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that country, then by the UAE embassy there, and finally by the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What should a buyer of a resale check?
Buying an off-plan unit from another buyer is common, and the same rules protect you. Before you pay anything:
- See the Oqood registration in the seller's name, and make sure the transfer will be registered in yours.
- Get the developer's statement of what has been paid and what is still due, so you know exactly which installments you inherit.
- Pay the developer's share through the developer or escrow, and only the seller's premium and refund to the seller, against the registered transfer.
- Read the original contract, because its handover date, specifications and default terms now apply to you. What happens if installments are missed is in What if you miss off-plan payments in Dubai?
Do you pay tax on the profit?
Usually not, for an individual. There is no personal income tax in the UAE, and the Federal Tax Authority treats an individual's property sales outside a licensed business as outside Corporate Tax. Our post Do you pay tax on property in the UAE? explains when that changes, and your home country may tax the gain, so ask a tax adviser.
In short
You can sell an off-plan home in Dubai before handover. The law allows it, the developer's NOC unlocks it, the DLD's register makes it real, and your contract sets the conditions. Confirm the fees with a trustee office and the developer before you agree a price.
Most of Dubai's off-plan market is still being built: 682 of the 999 Dubai projects in our catalog, as imported on Nov 1, 2026, have a handover date in 2027 or later. You can browse every Dubai project, look at a community such as Dubai Hills Estate, where this post's image comes from, or see Emaar Properties' projects. Our tools work out the DLD fee and a payment plan's schedule, and the advisor can answer questions about a project. For the purchase itself, read Can foreigners buy off-plan property in Dubai? and What happens at handover in Dubai?