DLD — Dubai's real estate authority.
Dubai Land Department covers everything property in Dubai — title registry, brokerage regulation (via RERA), tenancy registration (Ejari), off-plan escrow oversight, broker certification (Trakheesi). Portal at dubailand.gov.ae.
What DLD is, in one paragraph.
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) is the Dubai government's real-estate authority, established under Dubai Law No. 7 of 1997. DLD operates several public-facing functions: RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency) for brokerage and off-plan regulation, Ejari for tenancy registration, Trakheesi for broker licensing and platform listings, the property title registry, off-plan developer escrow account regulation, and real-estate dispute mediation. Most YABS clients interact with DLD via Ejari (every commercial tenancy must be registered) or via RERA (every real estate brokerage must be RERA-licensed under the Trakheesi system). Public-facing portal: dubailand.gov.ae plus the Dubai REST mobile app.
Common interactions.
- Ejari registration: mandatory for every Dubai tenancy — residential and commercial. AED 220 fee.
- RERA brokerage licence: required to operate as a real estate broker in Dubai. AED 300,000 paid-up capital.
- Trakheesi broker cards: per-individual broker registration, mandatory for property listings on Property Finder + Bayut + dubizzle.
- Off-plan escrow registration: developers required to hold buyer payments in DLD-approved escrow accounts.
- Title transfers + registrations: property purchase / sale recorded at DLD.
- Mortgage recording: property loans recorded via DLD against the title.
Where DLD comes up.
Verify directly with the authority.
For the canonical version of this entry, the authoritative source is the Dubai Land Department portal: dubailand.gov.ae. YABS keeps the summaries here current as of the last reviewed stamp at the bottom of each page, but published rates and rules can change between reviews.
Connected concepts.
UAE business administration is a graph of overlapping authorities. Each term below intersects with the one you're reading.
Dubai DED
Dubai's mainland trade-licensing authority.
GDRFA
Dubai residency authority — entry permits + visa stamping.
ICP
UAE federal identity authority — Emirates ID + non-Dubai residency.
MOHRE
UAE federal labour ministry — work permits + employment contracts.
DHA
Dubai Health Authority — clinics, pharmacies, fitness, salons.
KHDA
Dubai education regulator — schools, universities, training institutes.
RERA
Real Estate Regulatory Agency — broker + developer regulator within DLD.
FTA
UAE Federal Tax Authority — Corporate Tax + VAT.
MoFAIC
UAE Foreign Affairs ministry — foreign-document attestation.
Tasheel
MOHRE labour-services delivery network.
Ejari
Dubai Land Department's tenancy registration system.
Amer
GDRFA Dubai residency-services delivery channel.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Dubai Land Department?
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) is the Dubai government's real estate authority, established under Law No. 7 of 1997. DLD operates RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency), the Ejari tenancy registration system, the Trakheesi licensing platform, off-plan escrow account regulation, and the broader real-estate registry. Public-facing portal at dubailand.gov.ae and the Dubai REST mobile app.
How is DLD different from RERA?
RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency) is a department within DLD — not a separate authority. RERA handles broker registration, off-plan project regulation, escrow account oversight, and dispute mediation. DLD covers the broader title-registry and transaction-recording functions. From a brokerage business perspective: RERA licences the broker; DLD records the property transaction.
What does DLD regulate?
Title registration + transfers, real estate brokerage (via RERA), off-plan developer registration + escrow account compliance, tenancy contracts (via Ejari), property valuations, broker training + certification (Trakheesi), real-estate-related disputes, mortgages and property finance recording.
Real estate setup with YABS
RERA brokerage licence + Trakheesi onboarding + AED 1M PI insurance — bundled in our real estate brokerage package.
This page was last reviewed by the YABS compliance team in Q2 2026 and reflects current Dubai DED, Dubai Municipality, DHA, MOHRE, FTA, and DLD requirements.