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International buyers · United Kingdom

Buying UAE property from the UK: steps, paperwork and UK tax

UK residents can buy freehold in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah without living there. Rent is usually taxable in the UK, CGT can apply to a gain, and a UAE property or visa does not change your UK residence.

Get an Expert ConsultationPlan Your Purchase from the UK

Choose a property type.

Apartments, townhouses and villas suit different plans. Start with the one that fits yours.

A white apartment tower with deep balconies rising above palm trees against a clear blue sky

Apartments

AED 1M–3M

A row of contemporary townhouses with timber screens, olive trees and a landscaped front path

Townhouses

AED 3M–6M

A modern villa with an infinity pool and a lawn overlooking the sea

Villas

AED 5M–20M

Ranges are target total purchase prices, not guaranteed starting prices and not the cash needed at booking.

Off-plan projects available now

Compare them like for like: the price where the developer has confirmed it, the payment plan, the handover date and what to weigh.

Eden House The Park by H&H in Al Safa, Dubai Water Canal, Dubai, architectural renderApartmentArchitectural render

H&H in Al Safa, Dubai Water Canal, Dubai

Eden House The Park

2–4 bedrooms

Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed

Payment plan
Schedule on request
Handover
Developer-stated September 2027 · Under construction

Seven low-rise buildings set in their own park on the Dubai Water Canal, beside Al Safa Park, run in-house under H&H’s Eden House brand rather than by a hotel operator.

Request price list and planLast checked 5 Oct 2026
Palm Central Private Residences by Nakheel in Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai, architectural renderApartmentArchitectural render

Nakheel in Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai

Palm Central Private Residences

1–5 bedrooms

Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed

Payment plan
Schedule on request
Handover
Not yet stated

Beachfront apartments and penthouses in three buildings at the centre of Palm Jebel Ali, between Fronds M and N, with direct beach access.

Request price list and plan
The Woods Abode by Sobha in Sobha Sanctuary, Dubai, architectural renderApartmentArchitectural render

Sobha in Sobha Sanctuary, Dubai

The Woods Abode

1–2 bedrooms

Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed

Payment plan
Schedule on request
Handover
Not yet stated

Apartments facing parks at the front and rear, in a masterplan where about half the land is open and green space.

Request price list and plan
Binghatti Starfall by Binghatti in Al Jaddaf, DubaiApartment

Binghatti in Al Jaddaf, Dubai

Binghatti Starfall

Studio–2 bedrooms

Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed

Payment plan
Schedule on request
Handover
Not yet stated

Near Al Jaddaf Metro station on the Green Line, with an observatory deck and telescopes for residents on the amenity podium.

Request price list and planLast checked 16 Sep 2026
Arancia Yards 2 by BEYOND in The Yards, City of Arabia, Dubai, architectural renderApartmentArchitectural render

BEYOND in The Yards, City of Arabia, Dubai

Arancia Yards 2

1–3 bedrooms

Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed

Payment plan
Schedule on request
Handover
Not yet stated

Four low-rise buildings around a sunken garden, with 4-metre living-room ceilings in select ground-floor homes.

Request price list and plan
Palm Central Townhouses by Nakheel in Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai, architectural renderTownhouseArchitectural render

Nakheel in Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai

Palm Central Townhouses

4 bedrooms

Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed

Payment plan
Schedule on request
Handover
Not yet stated

Four-bedroom townhouses on the ground floor with private garages, opening onto the landscaped deck and the beach.

Request price list and plan

How to buy off-plan from the UK, step by step

Much of this can be handled from the UK.

  1. 1

    Check your UK tax position

    Ask a UK-qualified tax adviser how rent, a future sale and your estate would be treated, and whether you will be UK resident in each year you own the property.

  2. 2

    Shortlist with an adviser

    In a video or phone consultation, compare up to three projects in your budget with every cost and payment stage set out.

  3. 3

    Check the project

    Before paying anything, confirm the project is registered with the emirate’s regulator, pays into a project escrow account and holds an advertising permit.

  4. 4

    Sign and complete checks

    Sign the sale and purchase agreement yourself or through a legalised power of attorney, and provide the identity and source-of-funds evidence that brokers and developers must check.

  5. 5

    Register the sale

    Make sure the sale is recorded on the off-plan register: Oqood in Dubai within 90 days of signing, DARI in Abu Dhabi, RAK Municipality in Ras Al Khaimah.

  6. 6

    Pay in stages into escrow

    Pay each instalment to the project escrow account named in your contract as construction progresses, and keep every transfer record.

  7. 7

    Take handover and report

    Handover follows the developer-stated timetable. Any rent starts only after handover, and it belongs on your Self Assessment return if you are UK resident.

Apartment terraces planted with greenery above a turquoise lagoon, with the city skyline in the distance

Documents to prepare for buying from the UK

  • Keep your passport valid

    Dubai Land Department accepts a valid passport from non-resident foreign buyers to register a sale, and asks for a passport copy for Oqood off-plan registration, so an Emirates ID is not needed in Dubai.

  • Legalise a power of attorney if you will not sign in person

    Sign the original before a UK notary and have it legalised by the FCDO (£45 per paper apostille). The UAE Embassy in London then attests it, which takes about five working days by post. Check the wording with the registration trustee first.

  • Gather source-of-funds evidence

    Dubai Land Department lists Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 as the current anti-money-laundering law. Have statements showing where the money came from ready before you sign.

  • Confirm ID rules outside Dubai

    RAK Municipality’s sale-contract service card lists an Emirates ID for both parties. If you are buying in Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah, confirm identity requirements before you sign.

  • Pay only into the escrow account

    In Dubai each off-plan project has its own escrow account, used only to build that project, and the developer’s creditors cannot attach it. Send instalments only to the account named in your contract.

Find the UAE home that fits your plans.

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Moving money from the UK: what to prepare

Payments normally move in stages from a UK account to the project escrow account in the UAE. Be ready to tell your bank what each payment is for and to show the UAE side where the money came from, and plan to pay by bank transfer: a UAE Ministry of Economy circular requires brokers to report freehold sales paid in cash of AED 55,000 or more, or paid wholly or partly in virtual assets.

For every transfer, record the date, the amount in AED, the rate you received and the fees charged. The same records answer source-of-funds questions now and support a UK capital gains calculation later, because CGT can apply to overseas property that is not your main home.

UK tax on a UAE home: what GOV.UK says, and what to ask

Official positions as at 16 September 2026. Your residence in each tax year decides how they apply.

  1. Residence

    Decided by the statutory residence test for each tax year (6 April to 5 April). Non-residents do not pay UK tax on foreign income.

    Ask your adviserWill I be UK resident in each tax year I own the property?

  2. Rental income

    UK residents normally pay Income Tax on foreign income, including overseas rent, reported in the foreign section of Self Assessment.

    Ask your adviserAfter handover, how do I report the rent and what can I deduct?

  3. Capital gains

    CGT can apply to overseas property that is not your main home. GOV.UK gives rates of 18% and 24% for gains from 6 April 2026, and a £3,000 annual exempt amount.

    Ask your adviserHow would a sale be calculated, including costs and currency movements?

  4. Inheritance Tax

    Since 6 April 2025 the test is long-term UK residence: 10 of the previous 20 years. A long-term resident’s overseas assets may be within IHT, and the status can last up to 10 years after leaving.

    Ask your adviserIs my UAE property within my UK estate, now and if I leave the UK?

  5. Double taxation

    The UK–UAE convention has applied since 25 December 2016. The UAE may tax UAE property income and gains, and UAE tax paid is credited against UK tax.

    Ask your adviserIs any UAE tax actually charged, and what credit could I claim?

  6. FIG regime

    Since 6 April 2025 the remittance basis is replaced by a 4-year regime for people new to the UK after at least 10 years abroad. Claiming costs that year’s allowances.

    Ask your adviserDo I qualify, and would a claim actually help?

  7. UAE side

    Under Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023, an individual’s income from selling or letting UAE property without needing a licence is not a business activity for UAE Corporate Tax.

    Ask your adviserIs any UAE tax due on my rent or a sale, and how does that affect my UK return?

A UAE property or golden visa does not change your UK residence

Owning UAE property, or holding a UAE residence permit, does not by itself make you non-UK resident or remove your UK reporting. Your UK status is decided each year by the statutory residence test. Take your plans to a UK-qualified adviser before assuming any change.

Six commitments behind every consultation.

How the firm is paid, and why it matters to you

A purchase this size deserves someone who shows you the full picture, including what could go wrong, before you commit a deposit.

Every cost before you commit

Total price, registration fees and each payment stage, set out in your own currency before you pay anything.

Honest about fit

Up to three options, and fewer if fewer fit. If off-plan does not suit your plans, you are told plainly.

A second opinion on any offer

Bring an offer from a developer or another agent and have its cost, payment plan and contract points checked before you commit.

Told how the firm is paid

Before you decide on anything, including whether a developer on your shortlist pays the firm.

Checks before you see a home

Registration, the project escrow account, the developer’s record and a current price, checked before a home reaches you.

Your time, your privacy

Video, phone, WhatsApp or email in your time zone. Your details are used only to reply, and launch emails only if you ask.

Three steps, no obligation.

No account, no fee, no pressure to proceed. You decide whether to go further.

  1. 1

    Share your requirements

    Your contact details, then property type, price range, emirate, objective and timeframe. It takes about two minutes, and no financial documents are needed.

  2. 2

    Review suitable options

    Up to three opportunities, each with its costs, payment timings, the reasons it was selected and what to consider. If fewer fit, you get fewer.

  3. 3

    Discuss next steps

    Talk to an adviser about the options, what to verify independently and what reserving involves. There is no pressure to proceed.

Answers before you share any details.

If your question is not answered here, an adviser can go through it with you during a consultation.

Yes. Foreign buyers can own freehold in areas designated for them without living in the UAE. Dubai Land Department accepts a passport from non-resident foreign buyers, and someone can sign for you under a power of attorney legalised by the FCDO and attested by the UAE Embassy in London.

By staged bank transfer to the project escrow account named in your contract. In Dubai each off-plan project has its own escrow account, used only to build that project, and the developer’s creditors cannot attach it. Keep a record of every transfer.

Usually, if you are UK resident. GOV.UK says UK residents normally pay Income Tax on foreign income, and it names overseas rent as an example. An off-plan home produces no rent until after handover. Ask a UK-qualified adviser how the income, and any UAE tax, would be treated.

It can. GOV.UK says CGT can apply to overseas property that is not your main home, at 18% or 24% for gains from 6 April 2026, after a £3,000 annual exempt amount. Ask a UK-qualified adviser how costs and currency movements would be treated.

It can be. Since 6 April 2025 the test is long-term UK residence, 10 of the previous 20 years. A long-term resident’s overseas assets may be within Inheritance Tax, and the status can last up to 10 years after leaving the UK.

No. UK residence is decided each year by the statutory residence test, not by a visa. Dubai Land Department describes a 10-year investor permit for property costing AED 2 million or more, but eligibility is decided by the authorities and is not guaranteed.

Apartment terraces planted with greenery above a turquoise lagoon, with the city skyline in the distance

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Read before you decide

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