{
    "entity_type": "article",
    "name": "Partnering with a Dubai brokerage for agents abroad: how co-operation and referral fees work",
    "url": "https://continentalclub.ae/articles/dubai-partnership-for-foreign-agencies/",
    "language": "en",
    "description": "How agents outside the UAE work with a Dubai brokerage: RERA licensing, co-broking, referral agreements, KYC and how the partner is protected.",
    "published_at": "2026-10-29T23:01:29+00:00",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-31T15:51:48+00:00",
    "publisher": {
        "name": "Continental Club Property LLC",
        "orn": "31933",
        "url": "https://continentalclub.ae/"
    },
    "faq": [
        {
            "question": "I am an agent in Moscow. My client wants to buy in Dubai. How do we work together?",
            "answer": "You introduce the client to the Dubai brokerage under a written partnership arrangement. You support the client in your market; the RERA-licensed Dubai broker handles the Dubai property transaction, registration and required documents."
        },
        {
            "question": "Do I need a RERA licence to receive a share of commission?",
            "answer": "A RERA licence is required for Dubai brokerage activity. Official sources do not directly answer whether an overseas unlicensed agent may receive a referral payment, so structure any payment through a written agreement with the Dubai brokerage and obtain legal advice if needed."
        },
        {
            "question": "Can I receive payment directly from the developer?",
            "answer": "Do not assume this is available. Developers selling through brokers must use approved and registered brokers under Law No. 13 of 2008 and Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010. The safer operational model is an agreement with the Dubai brokerage."
        },
        {
            "question": "What percentage is the referral fee?",
            "answer": "There is no official standard percentage. The split is negotiated and should be written into the agreement before the client is introduced."
        },
        {
            "question": "Is Form I mandatory for co-broking in Dubai?",
            "answer": "The 2024 RERA practice guide lists Forms A, B and F, not Form I. Some market materials describe Form I differently, so confirm the current document route with the Dubai brokerage or the Dubai Land Department."
        },
        {
            "question": "How do I protect my client from being taken over by another broker?",
            "answer": "Use a written agreement, document the introduction, and ensure the client is registered promptly where the sales process permits. No verified official “protected client” form replaces these steps."
        },
        {
            "question": "Can the buyer pay the agent or foreign partner for the property?",
            "answer": "No. Property funds must follow the applicable transaction route. For off-plan purchases, payments go to the project escrow account; the broker may not deduct commission from the buyer’s price under Article 12 of Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010. To discuss a client introduction, roles, documentation and the transaction route, join our partnership programme for overseas agents . You may also request a free consultation through the form on this page to discuss a prospective Dubai property purchase."
        }
    ],
    "markdown": "https://continentalclub.ae/articles/dubai-partnership-for-foreign-agencies.md",
    "content_md": "As of October 2026, an agent or agency outside the UAE can introduce and support a client in its home market, while a Dubai brokerage licensed by RERA conducts the Dubai property transaction. A developer selling through a broker must contract with and register an approved broker; dealing in brokerage activity without a RERA licence can lead to an AED 50,000 fine, doubled for a repeat violation within a year up to AED 1,000,000. Your remuneration should be agreed in writing with the Dubai brokerage, but the legal classification of a referral payment to an overseas partner is not directly clarified in published official guidance. Agents can begin through [our partnership programme for overseas real estate agents](/partner-program/).\n\n## Who can conduct a Dubai real estate transaction\n\nA client may live in Russia, Europe, Asia or any other jurisdiction, and the introducing agent may work outside the UAE. The Dubai-side transaction must still be handled by a locally licensed brokerage and its registered broker. In everyday practice, an office is commonly identified by its ORN and an individual broker by a BRN; before starting, the client and overseas partner should check the relevant electronic broker card through Dubai REST.\n\nThe distinction matters because introducing a buyer is different from acting as the Dubai transaction broker. The Dubai brokerage handles the property-side process: contact with the developer or seller, documents, prescribed brokerage forms where applicable, client registration, transaction steps and compliance procedures. The overseas partner remains the client-facing professional in the country where the relationship began.\n\nLaw No. 13 of 2008, Article 9 requires a developer that sells through a broker to make an agreement with a certified broker and register that agreement with the Dubai Land Department. Article 10 of Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010 also requires a project sold through a broker to be registered and the brokerage arrangement to be with an approved and licensed broker; the marketing agreement is registered with the Dubai Land Department.\n\nThe consequences of bypassing this structure are not theoretical. Under Law No. 8 of 2007, Article 16(7), a developer dealing with a broker who is not entered in the brokers register may face imprisonment and/or a fine of no less than AED 100,000. Executive Council Resolution No. 25 of 2009 lists an AED 50,000 fine for practising brokerage in the emirate without a RERA licence, for activity on an unregistered project, and for conducting real estate activity without a licence. A repeat breach within one year doubles the fine, subject to a ceiling of AED 1,000,000.\n\nThis does not mean that an overseas agent has no place in a Dubai purchase. It means the roles must be separated clearly: the foreign partner introduces and supports the client; the RERA-licensed Dubai brokerage carries out the regulated Dubai brokerage work.\n\n## How an agent in Russia or another country can work with a Dubai brokerage\n\nOne commonly described model is as follows. The overseas agent identifies the client, discusses the client’s budget and objectives in the home market, obtains consent to share contact details, and introduces the client to the Dubai brokerage. The Dubai team then confirms the client’s requirements, proposes suitable options, checks the availability and transaction route, and conducts the Dubai-side process.\n\nFor an off-plan purchase, the Dubai brokerage normally works through its developer-side marketing arrangement and registers the client in the relevant sales process. For a resale purchase, the required steps depend on the seller, property status and parties’ documentation. An overseas partner should not promise that a specific unit, payment plan or commission remains available until the Dubai brokerage confirms it.\n\nClient registration should happen before substantive discussions with the developer or before the client visits a sales office. That record is practical protection against disputes about who introduced the buyer. It should identify the client, date of introduction, property or project where known, and the Dubai brokerage responsible for the transaction.\n\nWhere a client is comparing projects, use [our developer pages with projects and transaction information](/en/developers/) as a starting point, then ask the Dubai brokerage to confirm the current sales documentation and the appropriate registration route. The overseas agent should avoid presenting themselves as the licensed Dubai broker in advertisements, proposals or correspondence.\n\nOfficial sources do not provide a direct rule expressly permitting or prohibiting a non-licensed overseas agent from receiving a referral fee connected with a Dubai property purchase, and published commentary differs in how it describes such arrangements. This article does not state that such a payment is allowed. Treat the payment as a contractual matter requiring a written agreement with the Dubai brokerage, and ask a UAE-qualified lawyer to review the arrangement if legal certainty is required.\n\n## Referral fee, co-broking and commission splits\n\nA referral fee is usually discussed where one professional introduces a client and another professional executes the regulated transaction. Official sources do not explain how such a payment to an overseas partner is classified in law. Any arrangement should be documented in writing with the Dubai brokerage, not represented as a direct brokerage commission from a developer to an unregistered foreign agent, and reviewed by a UAE-qualified lawyer.\n\nThe agreement should state what event creates entitlement to payment. Examples may include a completed sale, receipt of the brokerage’s commission, or another clearly defined milestone. It should also state which client is covered, how the introduction is evidenced, which party invoices, what documents are required, and what happens if a reservation is cancelled or the buyer purchases a different unit.\n\nDo not rely on a verbal understanding or on a percentage quoted in a message. Commission splits are normally negotiated. Published commentary gives conflicting percentage examples for both co-broking and international referrals, while no official tariff fixes a split for an overseas partner. This page therefore does not state a standard percentage.\n\nFor licensed Dubai brokerages working together, the market often describes this as co-broking. The official RERA brokerage practice guide published in 2024 identifies smart contracts A, B and F: Form A for marketing between a seller and a brokerage office, Form B for the buyer’s engagement with a brokerage office, and Form F for the sale between seller and buyer. The guide does not list Form I.\n\nSome non-official materials call Form I an inter-agent referral agreement and describe it as a historical RERA form. Its present status in the official workflow is unclear. If a party proposes “Form I,” ask the Dubai brokerage to explain whether it is using an internal agreement, another current form, or a document approved for the specific transaction. Sources differ, so confirm the point with the Dubai Land Department where necessary.\n\nCommission must also remain separate from the buyer’s property payment. Article 12 of Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010 prohibits a broker from depositing the price other than into the relevant escrow account and deducting its commission from that money. For off-plan property, buyer funds go to the project escrow account, not to the broker and not to the overseas partner.\n\n## What a written partnership agreement should cover\n\nA useful agreement is specific enough to prevent a later argument over a client introduction. It should not attempt to replace the mandatory Dubai forms or regulatory requirements.\n\n- Legal names and registration details of the overseas partner and the Dubai brokerage.\n- A definition of an introduced client and the evidence of introduction.\n- The date on which protection begins and the agreed coverage period.\n- The Dubai brokerage’s responsibility for regulated brokerage activity and transaction documentation.\n- The payment trigger, calculation method, invoicing procedure and treatment of cancellations.\n- Whether the partner may market a named project, use supplied materials, or only make client introductions.\n- Confidentiality, data-sharing consent and a procedure for resolving disputes.\n\nNo official RERA or Dubai Land Department form creating a universal “protected client” status or a statutory non-circumvention right has been identified. The protection comes from the agreement, a dated introduction record, and developer-side client registration where applicable. According to a press column, Dubai rules do not limit how many brokers may work on one property, so an overseas partner should not assume exclusivity merely because they first mentioned a buyer.\n\nKeep a clean written trail: the client’s consent to the introduction, the introduction email, confirmation from the Dubai brokerage, and confirmation of registration where the transaction requires it. This is more useful than an informal claim made after the buyer has already contacted several brokers.\n\n## Advertising, listings and the risk of presenting the wrong information\n\nDubai real estate advertising requires a Trakheesi permit. The permit number must appear in the advertisement, and a Madmoun QR code has been required on property advertising since 24 April 2023. Published sources do not clarify how these requirements apply to advertising placed entirely outside the UAE, so an overseas partner should ask the Dubai brokerage to approve the planned campaign before publishing Dubai listings.\n\nA foreign agent should not copy a developer brochure, listing or price sheet into social media and treat it as permanently current. Availability may change, and an advertisement may have conditions that are not visible in a repost. For a listing intended for the Dubai market, use [our guide to checking a Dubai property listing by its Trakheesi permit](/verify-dubai-property-listing-trakheesi/) before presenting it to a client.\n\nThe same discipline applies to the parties involved. A buyer can independently verify the developer, project information and broker credentials. Direct them to [our guide on how to verify a developer and agent in Dubai](/articles/verify-developer-and-agent-dubai/) instead of asking them to rely solely on a referral partner’s assurance.\n\nNeither the overseas agent nor the Dubai brokerage should describe a property referral arrangement as a promise of price growth, rental growth or investment return. The client’s decision should rest on the specific property, available transaction data, payment obligations and their own financial position.\n\n## KYC, source of funds and how client money is handled\n\nA referral does not remove compliance duties. Dubai real estate brokers are subject to anti-money-laundering requirements and may ask the client for identity documents, beneficial-owner information where relevant, and evidence supporting the source of funds. They may also need to carry out screening and enhanced checks for higher-risk cases.\n\nQuestions about funds are not an accusation against the buyer. They are part of the broker’s compliance process. The brokerage may need to stop or delay a transaction until documents are sufficient. It may also have reporting obligations through goAML and related systems in circumstances set by applicable UAE requirements. A client should provide accurate information and avoid sending documents or money to an unverified intermediary.\n\nFor a practical document checklist, see [our explanation of source-of-funds documents for buying property in Dubai](/source-of-funds-buying-property-dubai/). The Dubai brokerage can explain what it needs for its process, but it does not issue tax or legal opinions on the client’s funds.\n\nOur brokerage does not exchange or transfer client money, accept client funds, open bank accounts or provide lending. For off-plan purchases, property payments are made to the project escrow account; other routes are set out in the transaction documents. This separation protects the client from being asked to send purchase money to an agent or referral partner.\n\n## VAT, taxes and cross-border payment questions\n\nAccording to published tax commentary, real estate brokerage services connected with property in the UAE are subject to UAE VAT at 5%; confirm this with a tax adviser. The tax treatment of a referral invoice issued by an overseas partner to a Dubai brokerage is not directly clarified in published official guidance. Questions may include VAT treatment, invoice wording, reverse-charge treatment, corporate tax exposure and taxation in the overseas partner’s home country.\n\nThese points depend on the contract, location of the parties, services actually supplied and the partner’s own tax status. Agree the payment mechanics with a lawyer and tax adviser before the first transaction. A Dubai brokerage can explain its operational payment process, but it cannot provide tax advice or legal conclusions for a foreign agency.\n\nThe same caution applies if the buyer is represented by someone under a power of attorney. A remote purchase may be possible in suitable cases, but the form, scope, legalisation and acceptance of a power of attorney require transaction-specific confirmation. Read [our guide to buying Dubai property remotely with a power of attorney](/articles/buy-dubai-property-remotely-power-of-attorney/), then obtain legal advice where required.\n\n## How the Dubai brokerage supports the overseas partner\n\nThe Dubai brokerage can explain the purchase process, help shortlist property using Dubai Land Department transaction data, coordinate viewings or remote presentations, prepare the transaction documents within its role, and keep the partner informed of the client’s progress. The overseas partner remains free to advise the client under the rules of its own jurisdiction, provided it does not hold itself out as the Dubai licensed broker.\n\nA structured cooperation process reduces misunderstandings. Before introducing the client, agree who communicates with the buyer, who confirms availability, who requests KYC documents, who registers the client, and how the partner receives status updates. The client should know that the Dubai brokerage is responsible for the Dubai transaction and that the overseas agent is their introducing and local-support contact.\n\nDirect developer programmes for foreign agencies are not established by a single verified standard. Some developers have public channel-partner or agency-registration tools, but published eligibility and commission terms vary or are not publicly available. Do not assume that a direct programme exists for a particular developer or that it replaces the need for a licensed Dubai brokerage in the transaction chain.\n\n## Frequently asked questions\n\n### I am an agent in Moscow. My client wants to buy in Dubai. How do we work together?\n\nYou introduce the client to the Dubai brokerage under a written partnership arrangement. You support the client in your market; the RERA-licensed Dubai broker handles the Dubai property transaction, registration and required documents.\n\n### Do I need a RERA licence to receive a share of commission?\n\nA RERA licence is required for Dubai brokerage activity. Official sources do not directly answer whether an overseas unlicensed agent may receive a referral payment, so structure any payment through a written agreement with the Dubai brokerage and obtain legal advice if needed.\n\n### Can I receive payment directly from the developer?\n\nDo not assume this is available. Developers selling through brokers must use approved and registered brokers under Law No. 13 of 2008 and Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010. The safer operational model is an agreement with the Dubai brokerage.\n\n### What percentage is the referral fee?\n\nThere is no official standard percentage. The split is negotiated and should be written into the agreement before the client is introduced.\n\n### Is Form I mandatory for co-broking in Dubai?\n\nThe 2024 RERA practice guide lists Forms A, B and F, not Form I. Some market materials describe Form I differently, so confirm the current document route with the Dubai brokerage or the Dubai Land Department.\n\n### How do I protect my client from being taken over by another broker?\n\nUse a written agreement, document the introduction, and ensure the client is registered promptly where the sales process permits. No verified official “protected client” form replaces these steps.\n\n### Can the buyer pay the agent or foreign partner for the property?\n\nNo. Property funds must follow the applicable transaction route. For off-plan purchases, payments go to the project escrow account; the broker may not deduct commission from the buyer’s price under Article 12 of Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010.\n\nTo discuss a client introduction, roles, documentation and the transaction route, join [our partnership programme for overseas agents](/partner-program/). You may also request a free consultation through the form on this page to discuss a prospective Dubai property purchase.\n\n## Become a partner\n\nIf you are an agent or agency outside the UAE with clients looking at Dubai, leave your contact and we will explain how co-operation and the agreement work.",
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