Mortgage eligibility for expats buying in Dubai

Updated June 2026 · 5 min read

The UAE Central Bank sets firm loan-to-value limits that every bank in the country has to follow — they're not negotiable, regardless of which lender you approach.

Buyer profile	Max LTV	Min down payment
Expat resident, first property under AED 5M	80%	20%
Expat resident, first property above AED 5M	70%	30%
Expat resident, second/investment property	60%	40%
Non-resident buyer, ready property	50–60%	40–50%
Any buyer, off-plan property	50%	50%

The debt-burden ratio (DBR)

Beyond the down payment, banks assess affordability through your debt-burden ratio — the total of all your monthly debt payments as a percentage of your gross monthly income. The Central Bank caps this at 50%. So if you earn AED 20,000/month, your total monthly debt commitments (mortgage + car loan + credit cards) cannot exceed AED 10,000.

The true upfront cash you need

Budget for costs beyond the down payment. The Dubai Land Department charges a 4% transfer fee on the property value. Agency commission is typically 2%. Mortgage registration is 0.25% of the loan amount. Bank processing and valuation fees add another AED 3,000–10,000. Altogether, these add roughly 6–7% on top of your down payment.

For a AED 2 million property with 20% down: AED 400,000 down payment + approximately AED 120,000–140,000 in fees = roughly AED 520,000–540,000 in total cash needed before the mortgage is drawn.

Getting pre-approved

Getting mortgage pre-approval before you start viewing properties is worth the extra step — it tells you your real budget, locks in an indicative rate, and makes your offer more credible to sellers and agents. Most banks can issue a pre-approval letter within 2–5 business days. There's no cost to getting pre-approved and it doesn't commit you to anything.

Which banks offer mortgages to expats

Emirates NBD, ADCB, FAB, HSBC, Mashreq, and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank all offer mortgages to expat residents. Non-residents have fewer options but can still access financing through some of these banks, typically at lower LTV ratios. Working with a mortgage broker gives you access to multiple lenders at once rather than applying individually.