Oqood is the interim registration of an off-plan purchase in Dubai: your purchase's entry in the Dubai Land Department's (DLD) Interim Property Register. You receive it after you sign the sale contract, and it is your registered record of ownership while the building rises. When the project is complete and you have paid what your contract asks, the DLD replaces it with a title deed.
Meraas, one of Dubai's developers, calls Oqood the "interim registration system for off-plan sales" in its guide to title deeds and Oqood. The rules behind it are in Dubai's Law No. 13 of 2008, which created the Interim Property Register. This is a summary to help you prepare, not legal advice.
Why it matters
Because an unregistered off-plan sale can fail. Article 3 of Law No. 13 of 2008 says any sale of a unit sold off-plan is void unless it is entered in the Interim Property Register. The DLD says its registration service sends the result to the buyer by email (DLD), so ask for that confirmation after you sign and keep it with your contract.
What it costs
The DLD's service page for registering an off-plan sale lists:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Seller | 2% of the sale value |
| Purchaser | 2% of the sale value |
| Knowledge and innovation fees | AED 10 each |
| Developer's self-registration through the Oqood portal | AED 1,000 |
So the registration fee totals 4%. Your sale agreement decides who actually pays it and can put all of it on the buyer, so read that clause. Our purchase cost calculator budgets the whole 4% for the buyer. The same page asks individuals for the sale contract, a valid UAE ID and, for non-residents, a valid passport, so you do not need to live in the UAE.
What you can do with it
- Sell or mortgage the unit before handover. Article 6 of Law No. 13 of 2008 lets a unit sold off-plan and entered in the Interim Property Register be sold or mortgaged.
- Resell without paying the developer a profit. Article 7 bars the developer from charging fees on a resale beyond the administrative costs the DLD approves. Your contract may still set conditions for a resale, such as a minimum share of the price paid, so ask the developer what applies.
- Know where you stand if you fall behind. If you stop paying, Article 11 sets what the developer may do and how much it may keep, which we explain in what if you miss off-plan payments in Dubai.
How it becomes a title deed
Once the building has its completion certificate, Article 8 of the same law has the developer enter the finished project in the DLD's Property Register and register sold units in the names of buyers "who fulfilled their contractual obligations". The DLD's frequently asked questions put it the same way: units paid for in full move from the initial register to the Real Estate Registry, and the title deed is issued to the buyer. The same FAQ lists a first registration fee of AED 540 per unit for the title deed and map, not a second 4%. The steps are in what happens at handover in Dubai.
On a post-handover payment plan, you get the keys before you have paid in full, so ask the developer in writing when your title deed will be issued.
Outside Dubai
"Oqood" is Dubai's word. The other two emirates we cover keep their own interim registers:
| Emirate | What you receive | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Oqood, in the Interim Property Register | Law No. 13 of 2008 |
| Abu Dhabi | An interim registration certificate, registered through DARI | Modon's guide |
| Ras Al Khaimah | An entry in the initial land register within five working days of signing | Law No. 12 of 2023, Article 31 |
In Ras Al Khaimah too, a sale not recorded in that register is void (Article 31), and if the developer is late you can ask the regulator to register it. More in how are off-plan buyers protected in Ras Al Khaimah? and can foreigners buy property in Abu Dhabi?
Before you pay
- Ask the developer when the sale will be registered and who pays the 4%.
- Keep the DLD's confirmation once it arrives.
- Pay only into the project's escrow account named in your contract.
See off-plan for how the whole purchase works, or browse Dubai's off-plan projects.