Dubai is one of the few markets in the Gulf where a foreign national can own real estate outright. Freehold gives full title, registered at the Dubai Land Department, with no time limit, in the areas the Ruler has designated for it. This guide sets out who may hold freehold, on what legal basis, and the areas where it applies today, against our own catalogue of what is selling in each.
Can a Foreigner Buy Freehold in Dubai?
Dubai first opened freehold property ownership to foreign nationals in 2002, one of the first markets in the Gulf to do so. Law No. 7 of 2006 on Real Property Registration, issued 13 March 2006, set the current legal framework. Under Article 4 of that law, ownership across the emirate is restricted to UAE and GCC nationals and their companies. Non-UAE nationals may hold freehold, with no time limit, or usufruct or leasehold rights of up to 99 years, "in certain areas determined by the Ruler". Article 9 of the same law makes registration in the Land Department's Property Register the test of a valid transaction: outside a designated area the Department cannot record a sale, and a signed agreement with money paid does not by itself make an owner.
The Areas the Ruler Has Designated
Regulation No. 3 of 2006 named the first 23 designated areas by their official sector name, among them Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, Jebel Ali and Al Barsha South; Nad Al Sheba (plot 224) was named for usufruct or a 99-year lease only, never freehold. Ruler's resolutions since 2006 have added more: Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, Dubai Hills Estate and many of the communities buyers search for today sit inside sectors designated after that initial list was issued. The total is over 60 designated zones. No single published document lists all of them; what follows draws on the founding regulation and the areas confirmed by the Dubai Land Department's own register, verified against our catalogue.
Among the areas where freehold title is available to non-UAE nationals: Al Barsha South (sectors 2, 3 and 4), Al Furjan, Al Jaddaf, Al Satwa, Al Sufouh 1 and 2, Al Wasl, Arabian Ranches 1, 2 and 3, Arjan, Barsha Heights (Tecom), Bluewaters, Business Bay, Bur Dubai (designated blocks), City Walk, DAMAC Hills, DAMAC Lagoons, Discovery Gardens, Downtown Dubai, Downtown Jebel Ali, Dubai Creek Harbour, Dubai Design District, Dubai Harbour, Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Marina, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai South, Dubai Sports City, Dubai Studio City and Production City, Emaar Beachfront, Emaar South, Emirates Hills 1, 2 and 3, International City, Jebel Ali, Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Village Circle, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Meydan, Mirdif, Nad Al Sheba (usufruct and leasehold only), Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Jumeirah, Ras Al Khor, The World Islands, Town Square and Tilal Al Ghaf. This is not every designated area; it reflects the zones where our catalogue currently holds projects or confirmed transactions.
Our team checks a specific address at the Dubai Land Department before a client commits to it.
Freehold Areas, and What Is Selling There Now
| Area | Projects in our catalogue | From, last twelve months |
|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 197 | AED 609,000 |
| Dubai South (Dubai World Central) | 119 | AED 426,000 |
| Dubai Islands | 117 | AED 1,790,000 |
| Business Bay | 92 | AED 1,200,000 |
| Dubai Land Residence Complex | 73 | AED 595,900 |
| Jumeirah Village Triangle | 57 | AED 770,999 |
| Al Furjan | 56 | AED 1,300,000 |
| Dubai Land | 56 | AED 499,940 |
| Majan | 46 | AED 670,000 |
| Downtown Dubai | 39 | AED 1,764,999 |
| Mohammed Bin Rashid City | 38 | AED 1,390,000 |
| Meydan | 35 | AED 1,290,000 |
Freehold, Leasehold and Usufruct
Freehold is ownership of the unit and the land beneath it, with no time limit, evidenced by a title deed. Leasehold and usufruct give a right to use a property for up to 99 years, without ownership of the land itself, and apply outside the freehold list, or, as at Nad Al Sheba, by the terms of the designating resolution itself.
Buying Freehold, Step by Step
The steps are the same as any Dubai purchase: an agreement, registration and the title deed. Our guide to how foreigners buy property in Dubai sets these out in full, from the first agreement to the title deed.
Residence Through a Freehold Purchase
A freehold property, or properties together, worth AED 2 million (about USD 544,600) or more opens the ten-year Golden Visa. Our guide to the Golden Visa through property sets out the requirement in full.
Managed From the First Call
Our team in Dubai presents the freehold options that fit your budget and your reasons for buying, across every area above, and you choose the property. From then on we manage the agreement, the registration and, once you own it, the property itself, if you wish.
Financing with a mortgage, and what a foreign owner pays in tax at home, are covered in our guides to non-resident mortgages and property tax for foreign owners.
Sources Law No. 7 of 2006 on Real Property Registration in the Emirate of Dubai, Articles 4 and 9, Dubai Legislation Portal · Regulation No. 3 of 2006 Determining Areas for Ownership by Non-UAE Nationals, Dubai Legislation Portal · freehold ownership first opened to foreigners in Dubai in 2002 (Leasehold in Dubai guide, and the leasehold page's own note: "until the introduction of freehold ownership in 2002") · Dubai Land Department and GDRFA Dubai, Golden Visa (Investor) service pages, updated 2026-09-08 · UAE Central Bank peg (read 2026-09-19) · our own catalogue, read 2026-09-30.