UAE mortgage questions, answered.
The questions we hear most from residents, non-residents and investors arranging a mortgage in the UAE. Don't see yours? Ask an advisor directly.
Mortgage rules at a glance
Pairs show expats / UAE Nationals.
- 50%Of gross income for all debt payments
- 2 to 4 ptsStress test above the loan rate
- 25 yearsLongest mortgage term
- 80% / 85%First home up to AED 5M (70% / 75% above)
- 60% / 65%Second home or investment property
- 50%Off-plan property, for every buyer
- 7 / 8 yearsMaximum loan, in years of income
- 1%Early settlement fee cap, max AED 10,000
Source: Central Bank of the UAE rulebook. Checked 28 September 2026.
No questions match that. Try another word, or ask an advisor directly.
Costs and fees
In almost all cases, no. Our fee is paid by the bank once your mortgage is disbursed, so the rate you get through us matches or beats going to the bank directly. Any exception is confirmed with you upfront, in writing, before any work begins.
In Dubai, the main ones are the Dubai Land Department transfer fee of 4% of the price, mortgage registration at 0.25% of the loan, and the bank's processing fee, often 1% of the loan plus VAT unless the bank is waiving it. Add a property valuation fee, life and property insurance, and an agency fee if you buy through an agent. Our deposit guide goes through every cost.
Yes. The Central Bank caps the fee for settling a home loan early, in full or in part, at 1% of the outstanding balance or AED 10,000, whichever is less. Some banks also allow fee-free part payments: Emirates NBD up to 20% of the loan, and FAB up to 25% of the outstanding balance each year once the loan is on its variable rate.
Usually, yes. ADCB, for example, makes both mandatory for a mortgage. Residents can often use a life policy they already hold by assigning it to the bank (ADCB may charge an assignment fee), while ADCB asks non-residents to take its own group life cover.
How much you can borrow
Three Central Bank rules set the limit, and the lowest one wins. All your monthly debt repayments, the new mortgage included, must stay within 50% of your gross income, with the mortgage stress-tested at 2 to 4 percentage points above its rate. The loan can't exceed 7 years of your income as an expat, or 8 years as a UAE National. And the bank only lends up to the loan-to-value cap on the property. Our DBR calculator shows how much room you have.
With no other debts and a 25-year term, roughly AED 65,000 to AED 78,000 of loan for every AED 1,000 of monthly salary, depending on whether your bank stress-tests at 8% or 6%. On AED 25,000 a month that is about AED 1.6M to AED 1.9M. The legal ceiling is 84 times your monthly salary as an expat and 96 times as a UAE National. Our salary guide has the full table.
Each bank sets its own. For salaried expats, AED 15,000 a month is common: ADCB and Emirates NBD both ask for it. ADIB accepts AED 10,000 if you move your salary to the bank (AED 15,000 if you don't), and ADCB accepts AED 8,000 for UAE Nationals.
Yes, even cards you never use. Banks commonly count 5% of your total card limits as a monthly repayment, whatever your balance, so AED 50,000 of limits uses AED 2,500 a month of your 50%. Cancelling or lowering unused cards before you apply is one of the quickest ways to borrow more.
Yes, at banks that accept a co-applicant. Emirates NBD, for example, lets you add a spouse or family member to boost your eligibility. The bank then assesses both incomes and both applicants' debts together.
No. The Central Bank requires mortgage repayments to come from salary or verifiable business or rental income, and it specifically rules out end-of-service benefits.
Yes. Banks check your credit history with the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which records your loans, cards and repayments. The AECB credit score runs from 300 to 900, and a higher score means lower risk. It's worth checking your own report before you apply, so nothing on it surprises you.
Who can apply
Yes. The Central Bank's mortgage rules don't set a separate limit for non-residents, so each bank sets its own. ADCB lends non-residents up to 50% of the property value and HSBC up to 60% (HSBC asks you to be, or become, a Premier or Private Bank customer). ADCB also limits non-resident loans to 15 years and requires them to end by age 60. Our non-resident guide covers the rest.
Yes. Instead of a salary certificate, banks assess your business. ADCB, for example, asks for average credit turnover of AED 75,000 a month, six months of personal and company bank statements, a valid trade licence, and two years of audited accounts for loans above AED 2.5M. ADIB looks for annual turnover of AED 3M and finances self-employed buyers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai only.
The Central Bank caps a mortgage at 25 years and leaves the maximum age at the last payment to each bank. ADCB allows 65 for salaried residents, 70 for the self-employed and 60 for non-residents, and ADIB allows 65 for expats and 70 for UAE Nationals. A shorter term means a higher monthly payment, so it also lowers how much you can borrow.
Deposits and property types
For a first home worth up to AED 5M, the Central Bank lets UAE Nationals borrow up to 85% of the value and expats up to 80%, so the minimum deposit is 15% or 20%. Above AED 5M the caps are 75% and 70%. Banks set their own, lower limits for non-residents, and you'll need cash for fees on top. Try your numbers in our mortgage calculator.
Yes, but the Central Bank caps lending on off-plan property at 50% of the value, whatever the price or your residency, so at least half has to come from your own funds. Banks' appetite varies too: ADCB, for example, finances one under-construction property for UAE residents and none for non-residents.
The Central Bank caps the loan at 65% of the value for UAE Nationals and 60% for expats, whatever the price. For an investment property, banks must also deduct at least two months' rent when they test your affordability, to allow for empty periods. Our buy-to-let guide goes into detail.
Yes. We structure financing across up to 5 concurrent facilities, using your tenancy contracts and rental yield data so banks credit a realistic share of rental income toward your application, and spread applications across lenders to help you stay under any single bank's concentration limits.
Only on an investment property. The Central Bank allows deferred principal repayments on investment loans only, for no more than 5 years from the first drawdown. A home you live in is repaid on a reducing balance from the start.
Rates
Our mortgage calculator shows two separate level monthly payments over your full loan term: one at the intro (fixed) rate and one at the variable rate that follows, so you can compare what each structure would cost per month. Most UAE mortgages start with a fixed intro period before rolling onto a variable rate tied to EIBOR.
EIBOR, the Emirates Interbank Offered Rate, is the benchmark rate at which UAE banks offer to lend to each other, published by the Central Bank for terms from overnight to one year. Variable mortgage rates are usually 3-month EIBOR plus the bank's margin, so your payment moves when EIBOR does. The ticker at the top of this page shows the latest rates.
The loan moves to the bank's variable rate: EIBOR plus the margin in your offer letter. FAB, for example, publishes 3-month EIBOR plus 1.50% for customers who move their salary and plus 1.89% for those who don't. The Central Bank also requires banks to stress-test you against the rate after the fixed period, not the intro rate, so ask every bank for its margin before you compare. Our fixed vs variable guide explains more.
Not always, but it can change your offer. In September 2026, FAB advertised fixed rates of 3.99% with a salary transfer and a FAB credit card, and 4.24% without. ADIB's minimum salary is AED 10,000 with a salary transfer and AED 15,000 without. Dubai Islamic Bank advertises its first-time buyer finance with no salary transfer.
The process
Most residents with complete documents receive a pre-approval letter within 48 hours. Start your pre-approval. Non-resident or self-employed files can take a little longer depending on the bank's underwriting requirements.
A pre-approval, also called approval in principle, is the bank's view of how much it will lend you, based on your income, debts and documents. Final approval comes once you've chosen a property: the bank values it, checks the details and then issues your final offer letter. Our pre-approval guide explains each step.
Typically: passport and visa copy, Emirates ID, salary certificate or trade license, six months of bank statements, and existing liability letters if applicable. Banks also ask where your deposit is coming from, and some want a recent salary certificate: ADCB's must be dated within 30 days of your application. We send an exact checklist once we understand your employment type. See the full documents list.
Look past the headline rate. Compare the rate after the fixed period (EIBOR plus the bank's margin), the processing fee, valuation and insurance costs, the early settlement terms, and conditions such as a salary transfer or a credit card. Each bank's Key Facts Statement sets these out. Our bank comparison shows how the main lenders differ.
We compare your current mortgage against current market offers, weighing any early-settlement fee against the interest you'd save, before recommending a move. If it makes sense, we coordinate the liability letter and handover between your existing and new bank directly, with a typical rate switch completed in around 3 weeks.
No, life-of-loan support is included at no extra cost. We review your mortgage against current market offers annually, flag it if refinancing would be worthwhile, weigh early-settlement costs when relevant, and track your fixed-rate expiry so you're not defaulted onto a bank's standard variable rate by surprise.
Products and WayzFinder
Yes, through our Islamic banking partners using Ijara and Murabaha structures. We'll flag Sharia-compliant options alongside conventional ones whenever you're comparing offers. Our Islamic home finance guide explains how they work.
We compare offers from 20+ UAE banks and lenders, conventional and Islamic, so you see more than one bank's products. Which ones fit depends on your profile: your residency, income type, deposit and the property you're buying.
Yes. Wayzfinder Mortgage Broker L.L.C is an independent mortgage brokerage licensed in Dubai. Being independent means we compare offers across our full panel of lender partners rather than being tied to one bank's products.
Ask an advisor directly.
An advisor can usually answer anything specific to your situation faster than an FAQ page can, and there's no cost to ask.