An EOI, or expression of interest, is a payment you make to a developer before an off-plan project goes on public sale, to be offered a unit early. It is not a purchase: if you go ahead, you then sign a booking form and a sale contract, and the EOI usually counts toward your first payment. If you do not, it is normally refunded, but only on the terms the developer gives you, so get them in writing before you pay.
Developers take EOIs to measure demand and to decide who chooses first. Binghatti, a Dubai developer, describes an EOI in its own guide as a non-binding, refundable payment that gives priority to choose a unit before the public launch, refunded in full if no suitable unit is available or you decide not to go ahead before signing the sale contract. It puts typical amounts at AED 5,000 to AED 100,000 or more, most often AED 20,000 to 50,000. Those are one developer's terms, not a law. This is a summary to help you ask the right questions, not legal advice.
How an EOI works
- You pay the EOI and give your details, often with the unit types you want.
- The developer offers you a unit at or before the launch, by its own priority rules. Ask what they are.
- You accept or decline. If you accept, you sign a booking form and then the sale contract, and the EOI is usually credited toward the booking amount (Binghatti).
- The sale is registered once you sign. In Dubai that is your Oqood; before then, nothing has been registered in your name.
The rules in each emirate
| Emirate | What the rules say about EOIs |
|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi | Since February 2026, developers of new projects must register every off-plan EOI on ADREC's Madhmoun platform, and the money goes into a government-managed preparatory escrow account (Zawya, Aletihad) |
| Dubai | We found no rule written for EOIs. A developer must open the project's escrow account before selling off-plan (Law No. 8 of 2007), and a sale is void until registered (Law No. 13 of 2008, Article 3), but an EOI comes before both |
| Ras Al Khaimah | A developer may sell off-plan only with a sale permit, and a reservation amount must go into the project's escrow account; the developer then has 30 days to give you the sale contract (Law No. 12 of 2023, Articles 26, 29 and 30) |
In Ras Al Khaimah the deadlines run both ways: once you receive the contract you have 15 days to sign it, and if you refuse or are late the reservation is canceled and the reservation amount is not refunded (Article 30). Know which of the two you are paying, an EOI or a reservation, and what each one's terms say.
What to get in writing before you pay
- Is it refundable, in full, and when? Before allocation, after you decline a unit, and after you sign a booking form are three different moments.
- How fast is the refund, and to which account?
- Where is the money held? In Abu Dhabi, ADREC's escrow; elsewhere, ask whether it goes into the project's escrow account or to the developer.
- Who are you paying? Pay the developer or its escrow account, never a person, and check the broker's registration.
- Does it count toward the price if you go ahead?
EOIs on Homes.me
The EOI for Lyra at Ghaf Woods by Majid Al Futtaim is open now, and Meraas has opened its EOI for Nad Al Sheba Gardens Phase 12. Launches counts down to the next sales launches and EOI openings, with the source of each date.
See off-plan for how the whole purchase works.