To check an off-plan project in UAE, match what the developer tells you against the official record before each payment. Start with the 7 official registers listed below, then ask the questions that the 127 projects we track in UAE most often leave open.
The check most often missing in UAE: permit or licence number (not public for 37 of 127 projects).
- Official registers
- What projects here leave out
- Questions to ask the developer
- What our live lookup reads
- The law, quoted
- Free check
- Questions and answers
Step 1: official registers in UAE#
DLD Project Status Enquiry (Dubai)
- What it proves
- The project is registered with the Dubai Land Department, and the completion percentage and project details held by the regulator.
- What it does not prove
- That the unit you were offered belongs to this project, or that the percentage matches the site today: it moves only when a new inspection or consultant report is filed.
- How to search
- On the DLD website or the Dubai REST app, open Project Status Enquiry and search by project name or project number.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) dubailand.gov.ae
From our register guide.
Project escrow account (Dubai)
- What it proves
- Dubai law (Law No. 8 of 2007) requires every off-plan project to have its own escrow account at an approved bank. The account in your contract should be the one registered for the project.
- What it does not prove
- How much money is in the account, or that a payment made to a broker or a personal account ever reached it.
- How to search
- Compare the escrow account and bank named in your contract with the project record in DLD services or Dubai REST, and pay only into that account.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) dubailand.gov.ae
From our register guide.
Oqood (off-plan sale registration) (Dubai)
- What it proves
- Your off-plan purchase is recorded in the interim real estate register in your name.
- What it does not prove
- That the project will be finished on time, or that the developer has no disputes.
- How to search
- Ask the developer for the Oqood certificate after you sign and check it through DLD services or the Dubai REST app.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) dubailand.gov.ae
From our register guide.
ADREC (Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre) (Abu Dhabi)
- What it proves
- ADREC is the regulator: developers and off-plan projects must be registered with it, and Abu Dhabi law (Law No. 3 of 2015) requires off-plan payments to go into a project escrow account.
- What it does not prove
- Build quality, or that the brochure you were given describes the registered project.
- How to search
- Confirm the developer and project are registered, and get the project escrow account from the official record, not from a sales message.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) adrec.gov.ae
From our register guide.
DARI (Abu Dhabi)
- What it proves
- The official digital platform of ADREC: title deeds, registered transactions and licensed developers and brokers can be verified there.
- What it does not prove
- Construction progress on site, or the financial health of the developer.
- How to search
- Sign in to DARI and use its verification services with the title deed, contract or licence number; search developers and brokers by name.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) www.dari.ae
From our register guide.
RAK RERA list of projects and status (Ras Al Khaimah)
- What it proves
- Whether an off-plan project is registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Administration under Law No. 12 of 2023, and whether it is listed as under construction or completed. The page also publishes notices naming projects that are not registered.
- What it does not prove
- That every phase or building of a large scheme is covered, or that the list is current to the day: it is a dated PDF.
- How to search
- Open the RERA page on the RAK Municipality site, download "List of Projects and Status" and search it for the project and developer names (parts are in Arabic).
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) mun.rak.ae
From our register guide.
RAK RERA developer and escrow account lists (Ras Al Khaimah)
- What it proves
- The developer is registered with RERA, and which off-plan projects have opened an escrow (guarantee) account with a RERA-registered bank.
- What it does not prove
- The balance of the account, or that your payment instructions point to it.
- How to search
- On the same page, download the list of developers and the list of escrow accounts and look for the developer and project by name.
Open the official register (opens in a new tab) mun.rak.ae
From our register guide.
Step 2: what off-plan projects in UAE leave out#
Share of the 127 tracked projects that make each check public, and how many are confirmed by an official register or independent source.
| Check | Public | Not public | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permit or licence number | 90 (71%) | 37 | 97 |
| Deposit protection | 90 (71%) | 37 | 84 |
| Construction progress | 96 (76%) | 31 | 77 |
| Site or floor plans | 94 (74%) | 33 | 0 |
| Developer track record | 91 (72%) | 36 | 78 |
| No guaranteed-return language | 125 (98%) | 2 | 1 |
Step 3: questions to ask the developer#
The questions our research agent raised most often for projects in UAE, with how many projects they apply to. Each one points at a gap in what the developer publishes.
- Completion advertised for 2030: does progress on site match? (125 of 127 projects)
- No building permit mentioned: ask for the number before paying. (97 of 127 projects)
- A permit number is published: does it exist in the official register and match this plot? (90 of 127 projects)
- No deposit protection published: will your payments go into an escrow or trust account in your name? (37 of 127 projects)
- A building permit is claimed: does it exist in the official system and match this plot? (30 of 127 projects)
- Title type not stated: leasehold, freehold or a company structure? (3 of 127 projects)
- Reported delays in public sources: ask the developer for the current status, in writing. (3 of 127 projects)
- "Guaranteed" returns: who guarantees them, and what happens if they can't pay? (2 of 127 projects)
Send them in writing: ask the developer with our template.
What our live lookup reads in UAE#
United Arab Emirates (Dubai). Online means our lookup queries the official source itself; manual means a person checks it.
Checked by hand
- Project status and escrow registration: Dubai Land Department project status enquiry (captcha)
Waiting for official API access
- DLD project registry: Dubai Pulse open API (credentials pending)
Needs a site visit
- Site progress against the DLD completion percentage
The law, quoted#
7 rules from official sources. Read them with the quoted text.
- Off-plan sellers in Dubai must have an escrow account for the project (Dubai Law No. (8) of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development, Articles 6 and 7)
- Escrow money is only for building that project and is protected from the developer's creditors (Dubai Law No. (8) of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development, Article 9)
- 5% of the escrow stays back for a year after units are registered (Dubai Law No. (8) of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development, Article 14)
- If a project is not completed, the escrow agent must act to complete it or refund buyers (Dubai Law No. (8) of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development, Article 15)
- Off-plan advertising needs written permission from the Land Department (Dubai Law No. (8) of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development, Article 5)
- An off-plan sale must be entered in the Interim Property Register, or it is void (Dubai Law No. (13) of 2008 Regulating the Interim Property Register, Article 3(1))
Step 4: run a free check#
Paste the project page into the free desk review: our agent reads it, quotes every claim and looks it up in the registers above where it can. Then see all projects we track in UAE.
Questions and answers#
What should I check before buying off-plan in UAE?
The permit or licence number, deposit protection, construction progress, plans, the developer's track record and any guaranteed-return promise. In UAE the check most often missing is permit or licence number (37 of 127 tracked projects do not publish it).
Is there an official register to check an off-plan project in UAE?
Yes: DLD Project Status Enquiry; Project escrow account; Oqood (off-plan sale registration); ADREC (Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre); DARI.
What do developers in UAE most often leave unanswered?
Completion advertised for 2030: does progress on site match? (125 of 127 projects).
Are you the developer, or did we get something wrong? Send documents and we add your reply or correct the record: right of reply · corrections. Every figure here is computed from the open dataset (/data/bali-cases.json, CC BY 4.0) and changes when the data changes.