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Practical guide

Ejari registration

Ejari is the Dubai Land Department's tenancy registration system. Registering online costs AED 177.75 in total; a trustee centre charges AED 219.75, and a property manager typically AED 400–500. Your mainland trade licence cannot be issued or renewed without it.

In practice

Ejari registration in Dubai

What Ejari actually is

A government register of every tenancy contract in Dubai, and the certificate it produces. It exists so that rent disputes, utility connections and licensing all reference the same authoritative record of who occupies what. For a business it is not optional paperwork — it is a precondition of the trade licence.

Why it comes before the licence

Founders routinely plan the licence first and the office second. In Dubai mainland that order does not work: the Department of Economy and Tourism will not issue or renew a licence without a registered Ejari for the premises. The property decision therefore drives the timeline, the cost and — because visa quota follows leased area — the size of the team you can sponsor.

Registration fee56%AED 100, set by the Dubai Land Department.
Service partner fee31%AED 55 on the online route; a trustee centre charges more.
Knowledge & innovation fees11%AED 10 each, applied across DLD services.
VAT2%AED 2.75 on the online total of AED 177.75.

Proportions indicative — they shift with visa count, premises and activity.

Where the money actually goes. The advertised figure is the first bar.
Online registration
AED 177.75 — AED 100 registration, AED 10 knowledge fee, AED 10 innovation fee, AED 55 service partner fee, AED 2.75 VAT
Trustee centre
AED 219.75
Through a property manager
Typically AED 400–500
Renewal
Annually, alongside the tenancy
Abu Dhabi equivalent
Tawtheeq, administered separately
Free zone tenancies
Generally registered with the zone authority instead
What to watch. An Ejari registered against a residential unit will not support a commercial licence, and a surprising number of first-time tenants discover this after paying a year's rent in advance. Confirm the unit's permitted use before you sign, not after.

The sequence

How it runs.

  1. Sign the tenancy contract

    With the landlord or their agent, for a term that comfortably covers the licence period.

  2. Gather the documents

    Tenancy contract, title deed, landlord and tenant identification, trade licence where one already exists, and the DEWA premises number.

  3. Register

    Through the Dubai REST app, the DLD portal or a trustee centre. Online is cheapest and usually same-day.

  4. Take the certificate to the licensing authority

    The Ejari number is what DET checks. Without it the licence file stops.

  5. Renew annually

    A lapsed Ejari blocks licence renewal, which in turn blocks visa renewals.

Questions

AED 177.75 registering online through the Dubai REST app or DLD portal, AED 219.75 at a trustee centre, and typically AED 400–500 if a property manager handles it. Fees are set by the Dubai Land Department and reviewed periodically.

Generally no. Free zone tenancies are registered with the zone's own authority rather than through Ejari. It is Dubai mainland licences that require it.

Not on the Dubai mainland. A registered Ejari is a precondition of issuing and renewing the licence, which is why the premises decision has to come first.

Online registration is usually same-day once the documents are complete. Delays are almost always missing paperwork rather than processing time.

One question

What do you actually need in Dubai?