What Is Oqood? Interim Registration for Off-Plan Property

Oqood — Arabic for registration — is the Dubai Land Department's interim record of your off-plan purchase while the building is under construction. Without it, your purchase exists mainly as a contract with the developer; with it, your ownership position is on the government record, which matters enormously if a developer is restructured, delayed or disputed.

Registration is also the gateway to recognised rights. Off-plan resale, mortgage arrangements in later construction stages and the eventual conversion to a title deed all assume the unit is properly registered. The 4% DLD fee applies to off-plan sales registered via Oqood, paid at registration, in line with the treatment of resale transfers.

The seller obtains the developer's NOC confirming payments and obligations are current — fees commonly run AED 500 to 5,000 depending on the developer. The parties agree terms, sign the off-plan resale contract, and the buyer pays the balance due plus the transfer costs; the Oqood registration is then transferred to the buyer's name with DLD.

Timing is everything. Book nothing at the trustee or registration level until the NOC is physically issued, because the transfer cannot proceed without it. Buyers should verify the existing Oqood certificate, the project's registration status and any outstanding installments before paying a deposit — exactly the checks a resale title search would trigger.

After the project completes, is handed over and the developer finishes the formal completion processes, the Oqood certificate converts into a full title deed in your name. Keep your certificate, payment receipts and handover documents together; the conversion is routine when the paper trail is complete and painful when it is not.

Remember Oqood is a Dubai system. Off-plan sales in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, RAK, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain register under each emirate's own interim or completion frameworks, with different documents and timelines. If you bought off-plan outside Dubai, ask the local land department at purchase time how and when the final ownership document will be issued.