A study guide for the DLD broker exam. Not official DLD material; DLD does not publish the exam format — details are based on our brokers' experience. Updated: 13 Oct 2026. All guides · Glossary
In brief: The basis is Executive Council Resolution 30/2013 (ECR 30/2013, DLD fee schedule) and DLD e-services pages, checked on 13.10.2026: sale 4% (under ECR 30/2013 the parties share it equally, 2% + 2%, unless agreed otherwise), gifting to a first-degree relative 0.125% (min. 2,000 AED), registration of heirs 1,000 AED per property, mortgage 0.25% of the loan amount, warehouse — 10 AED per m² of land (min. 10,000), lease or usufruct exceeding 10 years — 4% according to exam experience. Trustee amounts, Ejari, developer NOC and many administrative fees are confirmed only by secondary sources — they are marked “to be confirmed”. Penalties: brokerage without a licence — 50,000 AED (ECR 25/2009), assistance in evading fees — double the fee (ECR 30/2013, Art. 6(b)).
How to read the table
- Confirmed — there is an official law text or DLD page, reviewed on 13.10.2026.
- Confirmed by key — confirmed by an exam answer, and the law text has not been found or does not contradict it.
- To be confirmed — only secondary sources (blogs, portals), which differ from one another, or no official page. Before calculating for the client, check the current amount with DLD or the Trustee Office.
- Dubai Land pages (except for the mortgage page) returned 404/403 at the time of checking, so there is no direct verification from them.
Transaction registration fees (ECR 30/2013, DLD e-services)
| Transaction | Amount | Who pays | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ready property sale (item 1 of the schedule) | 4% of the value | By law: equally, unless otherwise agreed (Art. 3(1)) | ECR 30/2013, item 1 and Art. 3(1) | Confirmed. Who pays is an agreement, not the law |
| Calculation of 4% in the exam | 1,750,000 → 70,000 AED by manager’s cheque to DLD | — | Confirmed by key | |
| Registration of an initial sale (Oqood) | 2% seller + 2% buyer + 10 AED knowledge + 10 AED innovation (from each party) | Parties | DLD “initial sale” page; | Confirmed |
| Developer’s self-registration of a provisional sale in Oqood Portal | 1,000 AED | Developer | DLD “initial sale” page | Confirmed |
| Warehouse (item 2) | 10 AED per m² of land under the warehouse, but not less than 10,000 AED (1,500 m² → 15,000) | Transaction parties (the law does not separately specify, see item 1) | ECR 30/2013, item 2; | Confirmed |
| Land (ordinary sale) | 4%, as item 1 (no special rate) | Under item 1 | ECR 30/2013 | Confirmed. The rate for land under a warehouse is only item 2 |
| Gift to a first-degree relative and company (item 5) | 0.125% of valuation, min. 2,000 AED (800,000 → 2,000; 3,000,000 → 3,750) | Gift recipient (Art. 3(5)) | ECR 30/2013, item 5; DLD “gift” page; | Confirmed |
| Gift of land (item 26) | 500 AED | Recipient | ECR 30/2013, item 26 | Confirmed |
| Gift to a person who is not a first-degree relative | No official rate found; conservatively calculate as a sale, 4% | — | ECR and DLD texts do not contain a separate line | To be confirmed |
| Registration of heirs (item 27) | 1,000 AED for each property + Title Deed 250 + cards + partner fee 130 | Heirs (Art. 3(5)) | ECR 30/2013, item 27; DLD “inheritance” page | Confirmed |
| Takharuj (item 29) — transfer of one heir’s share to another | 1% | Recipient of the share | ECR 30/2013, item 29 | Confirmed |
| Will (item 33) | 0.125% | Recipient | ECR 30/2013, item 33 | Confirmed |
| Family waqf (item 28) | 2,000 AED per property | — | ECR 30/2013, item 28 | Confirmed |
| Mortgage registration (item 10) | 0.25% of the debt amount (not of the property price) + Title Deed 250 + knowledge 10 + innovation 10 + partner 4,000 AED + VAT (for provisional/Oqood — 5,000 + VAT) | Law: the person in whose favour rights are transferred (Art. 3(5)); in the market the borrower pays the cost | ECR 30/2013, item 10; DLD “mortgage registration” page; | The 0.25% amount is confirmed; who pays — to be confirmed |
| Amendment, transfer, discharge of mortgage (items 11–13) | amendment 1,000; transfer 0.25% of debt; discharge 1,000 | — | ECR 30/2013, items 11–13 | Confirmed |
| Long-term lease (item 14) | 4% of the total contract value; absent another agreement 2% Landlord + 2% Tenant (Art. 3(2)) | Parties | ECR 30/2013, item 14; (lease/usufruct more than 10 years) | The rate is confirmed. The “10 years” threshold is only in exam experience and was not found in the text |
| Registration of usufruct (item 16) | 2% of the property value | Parties | ECR 30/2013, item 16 | Confirmed. Do not confuse with item 14 |
| Musataha (items 17, 19) | 1% of the consideration | Recipient | ECR 30/2013 | Confirmed |
| Issuance of Title Deed (item 22) | 250 AED | Recipient | ECR 30/2013, item 22; DLD mortgage page | Confirmed. Secondary sources state 580 (ready), 430 (land), 40 (off-plan) — discrepancy, to be confirmed |
| Knowledge fee + innovation fee | 10 + 10 AED (for each document/drawing) | Parties | DLD pages; | Confirmed. The “admin 540/580” structure is unclear in the sources — to be confirmed |
| Fee for Contract A and Contract B | no fee | — | Confirmed by key |
Trustee, partner and other costs
| Item | Amount | Who pays | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration trustee, ready property | 2,000 + 5% VAT = 2,100 (price up to 500,000); 4,000 + VAT = 4,200 (from 500,000) | Usually the buyer in a transaction; determined by agreement | Secondary: Property Finder, Binghatti (07.2026) | To be confirmed |
| Trustee, off-plan (Oqood) | 3,500 + VAT = 3,675 (up to 500,000); 5,000 + VAT = 5,250 (from 500,000) | By agreement | DLD page (partner 5,000 + VAT, indirectly); Fäm Properties | 5,250 is indirectly confirmed; 3,675 — to be confirmed |
| Developer NOC | 500–5,000 AED + VAT | Seller, as a rule | Property Finder; KB How Much Does a Purchase Cost Beyond the Apartment Price (4% DLD, commission, admin, trustee) | To be confirmed with the developer |
| Ejari | 177.75 AED online (100 + 10 + 10 + 55 + VAT), around 220 at a trustee center | Who pays is not established by sources | Secondary (several) | To be confirmed. “300–400 upon change of owner” (Rentals: Ejari, contract, parties’ rights, Rental Index, short-term rentals, How Much Does a Purchase Cost Beyond the Apartment Price (4% DLD, commission, admin, trustee)) is not confirmed |
| Municipality fee (housing fee) | 5% of annual rent (Tenant); 5% of the average under the Rental Index for a property that is not let | Tenant / owner | ; secondary (Bayut) | To be confirmed: law not found |
| RDC fee | 3.5% of annual rent, min. 500, max. 20,000 | Claimant | One secondary source | To be confirmed |
| Bank valuation | 2,500–3,500 AED | Buyer-borrower | Secondary | To be confirmed |
| Mortgage early settlement penalty | the lower of 1% of the outstanding balance and 10,000 AED; according to — seller’s cost, unless otherwise agreed | Seller (according to the key) | Bayut | To be confirmed |
Exam, licence, penalties
| Item | Amount | Who pays | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broker exam | 772.5 AED per person (700 + 10 + 10 + ERES 50 + VAT); for 2 1,545 | Candidate (or company) | DLD Broker Exam: How It Works and How to Prepare; | Confirmed by key; check as of the date |
| Broker licence / card | 5,000 / 500 AED | Broker, agency | ECR 25/2009, licensing fees section | Confirmed (2009/2019 edition), current amounts — to be confirmed |
| Penalty: brokerage without a RERA licence | 50,000 AED; repeat of the same violation within a year — double; cap 1,000,000 | Violator | ECR 25/2009, Art. 2(2), Schedule 2, item 16 | Confirmed |
| Penalty: brokerage for a project not registered with RERA; breach of licence conditions; failure to provide data | 50,000 AED | Violator | ECR 25/2009, Schedule 2, items 17–20 | Confirmed |
| Penalty: development without a RERA licence; escrow not selected; money not credited to escrow | 500,000 AED each | Developer | ECR 25/2009 | Confirmed |
| Penalty: false documents, fraud, embezzlement; contract not translated into Arabic | 100,000 AED | Violator | ECR 25/2009 | Confirmed |
| A broker or developer assists in evading DLD fees | Double the fee amount | Broker/developer | ECR 30/2013, Art. 6(b) | Confirmed |
| Developer works with a broker outside the register | Imprisonment and/or a fine from 100,000 AED | Developer | Law No. 8/2007, Art. 16(7) | Confirmed |
VAT and commission alongside fees
- First sale or lease of new residential property within 3 years of completion — 0%; secondary residential property — exempt; commercial property — 5%; bare land — exempt; serviced apartments and hotels — 5% (FTA VATGRE1 guide, 2021). Exam: developer VAT on the sale of ready residential property — 0%.
- Broker commission is subject to VAT at 5% (standard); the 2% + VAT commission rate is a secondary source, to be confirmed.
- Transaction payment is by manager’s cheque: the DLD fee is paid by cheque to DLD, and money for a ready property is paid by cheque in the owner’s name.
What does not align with other articles
- 3.5: “gifting, inheritance and transfer of a share are subject to 4%” is incorrect: for a first-degree relative — 0.125% (min. 2,000), for heirs — 1,000 AED per property, for Takharuj — 1% (see Multiple Owners, Gifting, and Inheritance of Property in Dubai, where this is stated correctly). 4% remains for gifts to non-relatives, and this case is to be confirmed.
- 3.5: the 4% basis being “the higher of the transaction price and Original Price” is Trustee Office practice; ECR 30/2013 refers to the “value of the sale contract”. There is no text on comparison with Original Price in the law.
- 2.12, How Much Does a Purchase Cost Beyond the Apartment Price (4% DLD, commission, admin, trustee): Ejari upon a change of owner at “300–400 AED” is not confirmed.
- 3.4: “admin fee around 1%” and “6–8% on top” are practice estimates; there is no such line in official texts.
Common mistakes
- Calculate 0.25% mortgage from the property price → it is calculated from the loan amount.
- Say that 4% “is paid by the buyer by law” → by law it is shared equally, and the buyer pays by agreement.
- Charge 4% on a gift to a spouse or child → 0.125% with a minimum of 2,000.
- Help “optimise” the transaction amount → the broker pays double the fee and risks their licence.
- Call trustee and Ejari amounts “official” → these are secondary data, check them on the transaction day.
Check yourself
1. The price under Contract F is 1,750,000 AED. What is the transfer fee and to whom is it paid?
A) 35,000 to the developer B) 70,000 to DLD by manager’s cheque C) 75,000 to DLD D) 70,000 to the seller
Answer
B. 4% × 1,750,000 = 70,000, cheque to DLD. By law the parties share it equally, unless otherwise agreed.
2. A parent gifts a son an apartment worth 800,000 AED. DLD gift fee?
A) 32,000 B) 1,000 C) 2,000 D) 800
Answer
C. 0.125% of 800,000 = 1,000, but the minimum is 2,000 AED (ECR 30/2013, item 5). A son is a first-degree relative.
3. What is the DLD fee for the sale of a warehouse on a 1,500 m² plot?
A) 1,500 B) 6,000 C) 15,000 D) 60,000
Answer
C. 10 AED × 1,500 m² = 15,000, with a minimum of 10,000 (ECR 30/2013, item 2;).
4. A mortgage of 1,600,000 AED for an apartment priced at 2,000,000. DLD mortgage registration fee?
A) 5,000 B) 4,000 C) 6,400 D) 80,000
Answer
B. 0.25% × 1,600,000 = 4,000 (ECR 30/2013, item 10;). 5,000 would result from the property price — a common trap. Additionally, Title Deed 250, knowledge and innovation 10 each, and the partner fee.
5. A broker operates without a RERA licence and repeats the violation within a year. Penalty?
A) 50,000 both times B) 50,000, then 100,000 C) 100,000, then 200,000 D) 500,000
Answer
B. ECR 25/2009, Schedule 2, item 16: 50,000 AED; upon repetition of the same violation within a year, the amount doubles (Art. 2(2)), with a cap of 1,000,000.
6. What does a broker face if they helped a party evade payment of DLD fees?
A) warning B) double the fee amount C) card revocation only D) nothing, if the amount is small
Answer
B. ECR 30/2013, Art. 6(b): a broker or developer assisting in evading fees is imposed a penalty equal to double the fee amount.
See also
- How Much Does a Purchase Cost Beyond the Apartment Price (4% DLD, commission, admin, trustee)
- Multiple Owners, Gifting, and Inheritance of Property in Dubai
- Renting under Dubai law: renewal, eviction, increases, disputes