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.
- ID for non-resident buyers in Dubai
- Passport; Emirates ID not needed
- Where off-plan payments go (Dubai)
- A project escrow account
- UK tax on overseas rent
- Usually taxable if UK resident
- UK CGT rates from 6 April 2026
- 18% and 24%
- IHT long-term resident test
- UK resident 10 of previous 20 years
- UK–UAE tax treaty
- In force since 25 December 2016
United Kingdom 01
Choose a property type.
Apartments, townhouses and villas suit different plans. Start with the one that fits yours.
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01 — ApartmentsApartments
AED 1M–3M
Request options -
02 — TownhousesTownhouses
AED 3M–6M
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03 — VillasVillas
AED 5M–20M
Request options
Ranges are target total purchase prices, not guaranteed starting prices and not the cash needed at booking.
Selected opportunities 02
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.
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Architectural render Apartment
Palm Central Private Residences
1–5 bedrooms
Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed- Payment plan
- Schedule on request
- Handover
- Not yet stated
Why selectedBeachfront apartments and penthouses in three buildings at the centre of Palm Jebel Ali, between Fronds M and N, with direct beach access.
ConsiderPalm Jebel Ali is still being developed, so check which roads, schools and shops will be open when you move in.
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Architectural render Apartment
The Woods Abode
1–2 bedrooms
Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed- Payment plan
- Schedule on request
- Handover
- Not yet stated
Why selectedApartments facing parks at the front and rear, in a masterplan where about half the land is open and green space.
ConsiderSobha Sanctuary is planned for around 20,000 families, so nearby phases may still be under construction after handover.
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Apartment
Binghatti Starfall
Studio–2 bedrooms
From AED 759,999Indicative developer price- Payment plan
- Schedule on request
- Handover
- Not yet stated
Why selectedNear Al Jaddaf Metro station on the Green Line, with an observatory deck and telescopes for residents on the amenity podium.
ConsiderThe Etihad Rail stop planned for Al Jaddaf is a future project, so do not rely on it when you decide.
Last checked 16 Sep 2026 Request price list and plan -
Architectural render Apartment
Arancia Yards 2
1–3 bedrooms
Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed- Payment plan
- Schedule on request
- Handover
- Not yet stated
Why selectedFour low-rise buildings around a sunken garden, with 4-metre living-room ceilings in select ground-floor homes.
ConsiderIt sits beside the first Arancia Yards phase, so compare prices and payment plans for both before choosing.
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Architectural render Townhouse
Palm Central Townhouses
4 bedrooms
Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed- Payment plan
- Schedule on request
- Handover
- Not yet stated
Why selectedFour-bedroom townhouses on the ground floor with private garages, opening onto the landscaped deck and the beach.
ConsiderYou share facilities and service charges with a 212-home development, so ask for the estimated service charge.
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Architectural render Apartment
Arancia Yards
1–3 bedrooms
Price on requestCurrent price being re-confirmed- Payment plan
- Schedule on request
- Handover
- Not yet stated
Why selectedLow-rise homes with 3.1-metre ceilings and private terraces, in the first phase of a masterplan that keeps over 70% of its land open-air.
ConsiderThe school, clinic and mosque are part of the masterplan, so check which will be open by handover.
United Kingdom 03
How to buy off-plan from the UK, step by step
Much of this can be handled from the UK.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
United Kingdom 04
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.
Expert consultation
Find the UAE home that fits your plans.
United Kingdom 05
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.
United Kingdom 06
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.
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
What you can hold us to
Six commitments behind every consultation.
A purchase this size deserves someone who shows you the full picture, including what could go wrong, before you commit a deposit.
How the firm is paid, and why it matters to you-
Every cost before you commit
Total price, registration fees and each payment stage, set out in your own currency before you pay anything.
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Honest about fit
Up to three options, and fewer if fewer fit. If off-plan does not suit your plans, you are told plainly.
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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.
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Told how the firm is paid
Before you decide on anything, including whether a developer on your shortlist pays the firm.
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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.
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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.
How it works 07
Three steps, no obligation.
No account, no fee, no pressure to proceed. You decide whether to go further.
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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.
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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.
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Discuss next steps
Talk to an adviser about the options, what to verify independently and what reserving involves. There is no pressure to proceed.
Questions 08
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.
Expert consultation
Get the current price list and payment plan for Binghatti Starfall.
Tell us what you would consider. An adviser sends what is available now, with prices and payment plans for homes that fit.
- Every cost and payment stage set out
- Why each option was chosen, and what to weigh
- Free, with no obligation
Thank you. Here is what you shared.
An adviser will send the current price list and payment plan for homes that match what you shared.