Buying Dubai Property Remotely: POA and Process

Thousands of Dubai properties are bought every year by people who are not in the city when the deal completes. Some never visit at all. The process is mature, the Land Department is largely digital, and most of the steps can be done by email, video call and bank transfer. What cannot be done remotely is usually one thing: standing at a registration trustee office on transfer day. For a ready home, someone has to be there for the buyer. If it is not you, it is your attorney — and the document that gives them that authority is where most remote purchases go wrong. This guide covers how remote buying works for off-plan and ready property, what the Land Department now requires of a power of attorney, how to get one from abroad, how the mortgage fits in, and how to protect yourself from the risks of buying something you have not seen.

Off-plan versus ready: two very different processes

Off-plan is often fully remote. When you buy from a developer, the developer runs the paperwork. Most major developers let you reserve a unit online, sign the sale and purchase agreement electronically, and pay by bank transfer into the project’s escrow account. The developer then registers your purchase on the Land Department’s interim register, Oqood, and pays the 4% DLD fee from your funds. You can complete an off-plan purchase without a power of attorney and without visiting Dubai — though you will usually want to see the unit, or send someone to, before handover. Ready property usually needs a person in the room. A resale transfer takes place at a DLD registration trustee office, where the buyer, the seller (or their representatives), and any bank clearing the seller’s mortgage meet, exchange manager’s cheques, and register the transfer. The Land Department did introduce a remote sale system in 2020 that let parties complete by video, with funds held in a DLD guarantee account, but most resale transfers today still run through a trustee office appointment. So for a ready home bought from abroad, the standard route is a power of attorney for someone who will attend for you. The sequence of a resale, from Form F to title deed, is set out in buying property in Dubai, step by step.

What the Land Department requires of a POA since July 2025

On 16 July 2025 the Land Department issued Circular No. 29/R/2025, setting stricter standards for powers of attorney used in property transactions — sales, purchases, gifts, mortgages, usufruct and musataha. Several common practices no longer work.

• It must name the transaction, in specific terms. The POA has to expressly authorise the particular act — for example “sale of real estate” or “real estate mortgage”. Broad wording such as “full authority to manage my property” is not enough and can be rejected. For a purchase with a mortgage, the POA needs to authorise both the purchase and the mortgage.
• A foreign POA must be recent. A power of attorney issued outside the UAE is accepted only if it was issued within the two years before it is submitted. A POA signed in 2023 for a purchase you never completed will not work in 2026.
• Your details must match DLD’s records. The registrar checks your name, Emirates ID and passport number against DLD records. If the POA quotes a passport you have since renewed, bring a copy of the old one.
• The original, properly authenticated, is required. Foreign POAs must be notarised in the issuing country, legalised by the UAE embassy or consulate there, and attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Scanned or uncertified electronic copies are not accepted. A POA not in Arabic needs a full legal translation by a UAE-licensed translator. The circular also bans verifying any POA by QR code; checks must go through the official government portals.
• Money must go to the owner, not the attorney. Where a POA is used on a sale, proceeds must reach the seller — by manager’s cheque in the seller’s name, by a cheque to the attorney with a receipt stating it was received on the seller’s behalf, or with a notarised acknowledgement from the owner. For buyers, the practical lesson is the same: plan for payments to and from accounts in your own name.

Getting a power of attorney from abroad

The authentication chain

The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille on its own is not enough for a document used in Dubai. In most countries the chain is:

1. Draft the POA — ideally with a UAE lawyer or conveyancer, using the transaction wording DLD expects, the property details (plot, building and unit number, or Oqood number) and, if you are borrowing, mortgage powers.
2. Sign it before a notary in your country.
3. Authenticate it at home — by apostille in countries that issue them, such as the UK, or by your foreign ministry elsewhere.
4. Legalise it at the UAE embassy or consulate in that country.
5. Have it attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs once it reaches the UAE.
6. Have it legally translated into Arabic by a UAE-licensed translator.

Allow three to four weeks end to end, longer around public holidays, and budget roughly AED 2,000 to AED 5,000 for notarisation, legalisation, attestation and translation, depending on the country and the services you use. Country-specific chains are covered in our guides for buyers in the UK, India, Pakistan and the GCC.

The simpler option: sign it in the UAE

If you can make one short trip — for a viewing, say — sign the POA in the UAE, before a UAE notary. A POA notarised in the UAE needs no embassy legalisation or Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation, and the two-year limit in the circular applies to foreign-issued POAs. It is usually the quickest and least error-prone route. UAE notaries also offer online notarisation by recorded video call, including licensed private notaries who serve people without UAE residency. Before relying on an online POA for a property transfer, confirm with the trustee office or your conveyancer that it will be accepted for your specific transaction.

Choosing your attorney

Your attorney will sign your purchase documents, hand over your cheques and collect your title deed. Choose someone you trust completely — a family member, a lawyer or a licensed conveyancer. Limit the POA to the one property and the specific acts needed, and include an expiry date. Once the transaction is done, you can revoke it through a notary; notify the developer and anyone else who has a copy. What a conveyancer does on a Dubai purchase, and whether you need one, is covered in conveyancing in Dubai.

The mortgage when you are not there

A mortgage adds a second set of signatures: yours on the bank’s offer letter and mortgage contracts. Banks handle this in different ways:

• In person at a branch, during a single trip
• At one of the bank’s overseas offices, for international banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered
• Through your attorney, if the POA expressly authorises signing the mortgage and registering it — under the 2025 circular, the POA must name the “real estate mortgage” specifically

Ask the bank how it wants you to sign at pre-approval, before you order the POA, so the document covers everything the bank needs. You will also need a UAE bank account in your own name for repayments; some banks open accounts remotely for non-residents, others now require you to attend in person. Which banks lend to people who live abroad, and how their terms compare, is set out in which UAE banks lend to non-residents. The full non-resident process is in Dubai mortgages for non-residents.

A remote purchase, step by step

For a ready home with a mortgage, bought from abroad:

1. Get mortgage pre-approval remotely, and ask the bank how it will need you to sign.
2. Shortlist properties through video viewings with a licensed agent.
3. Verify the agent and the listing. Check the agent’s broker card and the advert’s permit through the Dubai REST app or DLD’s systems.
4. Agree a price and sign the Form F electronically or through your attorney, with a 10% security deposit cheque.
5. Instruct the POA, worded for the purchase and mortgage, and start the authentication chain immediately — it is often the longest step.
6. Valuation and final offer from the bank.
7. Seller obtains the developer NOC. How that works is covered in the NOC for property transfer.
8. Transfer day. Your attorney attends the trustee office with the original POA, the manager’s cheques and your documents. The new title deed is issued electronically in your name.

Allow six to ten weeks from pre-approval to transfer, with the POA as the step most likely to cause delay.

Seeing a property you cannot visit

Buying without seeing a home in person needs more checks, not fewer:

• Ask for a live video viewing, not a pre-recorded tour, and ask the agent to show the view, the corridors, the car park and any damage.
• Commission an independent inspection. Snagging and inspection companies will survey a home and send a detailed report with photographs — standard for off-plan handovers and worth it for any resale.
• Check the service charge for the specific building, and ask about any planned special levies.
• Check the title. Your conveyancer or agent can confirm ownership, mortgage and any restrictions through DLD’s systems before you pay anything beyond the Form F deposit.
• Look at the building’s record — the developer, the owners’ association, any disputes.

Avoiding fraud

Remote buyers are the main target of property scams in Dubai. A few rules remove most of the risk:

• Never send a deposit to an individual’s personal account. The Form F security deposit is a cheque held by the agent or trustee, and transfer-day payments go by manager’s cheque at the trustee office. Off-plan payments go to the developer’s project escrow account.
• Verify the agent’s licence and the listing permit through official channels, not links the agent sends you.
• Verify the seller’s ownership against DLD records, and make sure the seller, or their properly authorised attorney, is the person you are dealing with.
• Be wary of prices well below market and pressure to pay quickly.
• Keep your POA narrow — one property, specific acts, an expiry date.

What you pay for remote buying

On top of the normal purchase costs — the 4% DLD fee, agency commission, trustee fee and bank charges, covered in the cost of buying property in Dubai — a remote purchase usually adds: Set against the cost and time of several flights, most overseas buyers find it worthwhile. If you are buying from abroad with a mortgage, the order matters: pre-approval first, then a POA worded for both the purchase and the mortgage. Our non-resident finance team can line up the bank, tell you exactly what the POA needs to say, and coordinate transfer day while you stay where you are. Get pre-approved, or speak to a consultant.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy property in Dubai without visiting? Yes. Off-plan purchases are often completed entirely remotely, with electronic contracts, payments into escrow and Oqood registration handled by the developer. Ready homes usually need someone at a DLD trustee office on transfer day, which can be your attorney under a power of attorney. What power of attorney do I need to buy property in Dubai? A specific power of attorney that names the property and expressly authorises the purchase — and, if you are borrowing, the mortgage. Under DLD Circular No. 29/R/2025, broad wording such as “manage my property” is not enough, and a foreign-issued POA must have been issued within the previous two years. Does Dubai accept an apostille? Not on its own. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so a POA from abroad must also be legalised by the UAE embassy or consulate and attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then translated into Arabic. How long does it take to get a POA from abroad? Typically three to four weeks for notarisation, home-country authentication, UAE embassy legalisation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation and translation. Signing the POA before a notary in the UAE during a visit is faster and avoids the attestation chain. Can my attorney sign my mortgage? Only if the POA expressly authorises the mortgage. Many banks prefer the borrower to sign the offer and mortgage contracts personally, at a branch or overseas office, so ask your bank before ordering the POA. How long is a foreign power of attorney valid in Dubai? Under DLD’s 2025 circular, a power of attorney issued outside the UAE is accepted only if it was issued within the two years before it is submitted. How do I avoid property scams when buying remotely? Never pay into a personal account, verify the agent’s licence, the listing permit and the seller’s ownership through official channels, keep payments to cheques at the trustee office or the developer’s escrow account, and limit your POA to one property and specific acts.