If you are buying or selling a ready apartment in Dubai and both of you live in the UAE, you may not need to visit a trustee office at all. Since October 2025 the Dubai Land Department (DLD) has offered a fully digital transfer called Digital Sale, which runs inside the Dubai Now app. Both parties sign with UAE PASS, the money moves through a DLD-approved escrow account, and the title deed is issued electronically in the buyer's name.
It is not for every deal, though. This guide covers who can use it, the steps from start to finish, what it costs compared with a trustee office, and the situations where you still need the conventional route.
The details below are taken from DLD's own service pages, checked on 12 October 2026. Fees and terms can change, so confirm them in the app before you start.
What is DLD's Digital Sale service?
Digital Sale is DLD's service for registering the sale of a ready property online, 24/7, without a trustee appointment. DLD launched it on the Dubai Now app at GITEX Global on 13 October 2025 and described that launch as the first phase.
In the conventional process, the buyer, the seller (or their attorneys) and usually the agents meet at a Real Estate Registration Trustee office. Manager's cheques change hands and the trustee registers the transfer; our guide to selling property in Dubai walks through that route in full. Digital Sale replaces that meeting with three things: an electronic Sale and Purchase Agreement, UAE PASS signatures, and an escrow payment. DLD lists the service time as instant.
Who can transfer property online in Dubai?
Go through this list before you agree a completion date with the other party. If either side or the property fails any line, plan for a trustee-office transfer instead.
The buyer and the seller
- Both are individuals, not companies, and each holds a UAE ID (Emirates ID). DLD lists the service for citizens and residents.
- Both have an active UAE PASS account that can sign documents digitally.
- Both have a UAE bank account, per DLD's launch announcement. If you need one, see opening a bank account in Dubai.
The property
- It is in a freehold area.
- It is a subdivided unit: an apartment, an office or a townhouse. Standalone villas and land are not covered.
- It is free of any mortgage or other restriction.
- It has a single registered owner, per DLD's launch announcement. Jointly owned property does not qualify.
What you need before you start
- The Dubai Now app on your phone, signed in with UAE PASS.
- An agreed price and terms. Digital Sale registers the sale; it does not negotiate it. A free property valuation gives both sides a fair starting point. If an agent is involved, settle their commission separately.
- For the buyer: the full purchase price plus fees, ready to transfer from a UAE bank account. The published steps have the buyer paying the whole amount into escrow and include no mortgage registration, so as published the service suits cash purchases. If you are financing, ask your bank and DLD before you rely on it.
- For the seller: a property with nothing outstanding against it. A trustee transfer normally needs a developer No Objection Certificate confirming service charges are paid. Ask your developer whether anything is owed or needs to be cleared first, because an unpaid balance or a hold can count as a restriction. Our NOC guide covers what developers check.
How to transfer property on Dubai Now, step by step
- The seller creates a sale request in Dubai Now. This generates the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) electronically.
- The seller signs the SPA with UAE PASS and sends it to the buyer through the platform.
- The buyer reviews and signs the SPA with UAE PASS.
- The buyer transfers the purchase amount and the service fees to the DLD-approved escrow account shown in the app.
- DLD issues the electronic title deed and map in the buyer's name. Both parties can view the title deed and the receipt in the app.
Once it is issued, you can verify the title deed through DLD's own channels, as with any Dubai deed.
Two timing rules matter. Either party can cancel the request before it is signed, using their digital ID and without the other's approval. And if a request sits for more than 7 days before the signing step, DLD cancels it automatically. Agree a time to sign together rather than leaving the request open.
Property transfer fees: Digital Sale vs trustee office
The 4% DLD transfer fee is the same whichever route you use. DLD's fee schedule lists it as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer. In Dubai resales the buyer commonly agrees to cover the full 4%, so set out who pays what in your agreement. The difference between the routes is the service fee.
| Fee | Digital Sale (Dubai Now) | Trustee office |
|---|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee | 4% of the price | 4% of the price |
| Title deed | AED 250 | AED 250 |
| Villa and apartment map | AED 250 | AED 250 |
| Knowledge and innovation fees | AED 30 + AED 30 | AED 10 + AED 10 |
| Service fee, sale of AED 500,000 or more | AED 1,000 + VAT | AED 4,000 + VAT |
| Service fee, sale below AED 500,000 | AED 500 + VAT | AED 2,000 + VAT |
On Digital Sale, the service fee goes to Emirates Real Estate Solutions, DLD's service partner. On the conventional route it is the trustee office fee.
Worked example: AED 2,000,000 apartment
| Digital Sale | Trustee office | |
|---|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee (4%) | AED 80,000 | AED 80,000 |
| Title deed, map, knowledge and innovation fees | AED 560 | AED 520 |
| Service fee + 5% VAT | AED 1,050 | AED 4,200 |
| Total | AED 81,610 | AED 84,720 |
Digital Sale is AED 3,110 cheaper on this sale. On an AED 400,000 studio the totals are AED 17,085 digitally against AED 18,620 through a trustee, a saving of AED 1,535. Agency commission, if any, is the same either way. For every other cost of buying, from commission to mortgage registration, see DLD fees explained, or run a specific unit through Deal Check.
Digital Sale vs trustee office: side by side
| Digital Sale | Trustee office | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Dubai Now app, 24/7 | Trustee office, by appointment |
| Identity | UAE PASS | Emirates ID, or passport for non-residents |
| Absent party | Not applicable: each party signs remotely | Attorney under a power of attorney |
| Property types | Apartments, offices, townhouses | All, including villas and land |
| Mortgaged property | Not eligible | Supported |
| Payment | DLD-approved escrow account | Typically manager's cheques |
| Title deed | Electronic, in the app | Issued at registration |
When you still need a trustee office
- The buyer or seller has no Emirates ID, which covers most overseas investors.
- The seller is a company, or the property has more than one owner.
- The property has a mortgage, or the buyer is financing with a mortgage.
- The property is a standalone villa or a plot of land.
- The property is outside a freehold area.
If one party cannot attend a trustee transfer, the usual answer is still a power of attorney. Our power of attorney guide explains how to grant one safely, and selling from abroad with a POA covers the overseas seller's side. If the property still carries a loan, read buying a Dubai property that still has a mortgage. For the full selling process, from valuation to NOC, see how to sell property in Dubai.
Stay safe on a digital transfer
- Start and sign only inside Dubai Now and UAE PASS. Ignore links sent by message or email that claim to be a DLD signing page.
- Never share your UAE PASS PIN or approve a signing request you did not start or expect. A UAE PASS signature is as binding as a signature in person.
- Pay only to the escrow account the app shows you. Do not send the purchase price to the seller, an agent, or account details passed on by message.
- Read the SPA before you sign. Check the price, the unit number and the names. A digital contract is still a contract.
For the news background on the service and what it leaves out, see our report on Dubai property transfer by phone.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For an unusual ownership structure or a large transaction, have a UAE-licensed lawyer review the terms before you sign.