Oqood is the Dubai Land Department’s interim registration record, lodged against off-plan property between contract signing and handover. It records the buyer’s interest and the SPA particulars in the provisional register. At handover the Oqood-registered position is converted to a title deed, subject to the unit being delivered and the applicable DLD requirements being met. Until then it is the buyer’s registered record of the purchase — it does not by itself establish that every claim or liability against the unit is absent.
oqoods.ae is the dedicated Dubai reference on Oqood, maintained by Cendale Documents Clearing Services FZCO. The site covers what Oqood is, when and how it is issued, why its absence is a material risk, and how it converts to title deed at handover.
Oqood is the Arabic word for contract, and in Dubai property practice it refers specifically to the interim registration record maintained by the Dubai Land Department against an off-plan unit. When a buyer signs a Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with a developer for an off-plan unit, the developer is required to register the SPA with DLD through the Oqood portal. That registration creates the Oqood — a record establishing the buyer’s interest in the unit, the agreed price, the payment plan, and the projected handover date.
Oqood is not a title deed. The title deed is issued at handover, once the building is completed, the unit is delivered and the applicable DLD requirements are met. In the interval between SPA signing and handover — which can run from one to four years or longer — Oqood is the buyer’s registered record of the purchase in the provisional register. What rights that record supports in a particular dispute depends on the contract and the applicable rules; the registration alone does not settle it.
Oqood is recorded in the DLD system, assigned a unique reference number, and accessible to the buyer through DLD’s verification channels. It is the document that distinguishes a registered off-plan buyer from someone who has merely signed a contract.
An unregistered SPA is a private contract between buyer and developer. A registered SPA — that is, an SPA with an issued Oqood — is a position recognised by the Dubai property system. The distinction matters for several reasons.
First, dispute resolution. If the developer fails to deliver, delays beyond contractual tolerance, or attempts unilateral changes, the registered position is part of the evidence a buyer brings to the question. Registering the SPA is a requirement under the off-plan regime and it puts the purchase on the provisional register. It does not follow that an unregistered buyer has no recourse — that depends on the contract and the applicable rules, and is a matter for qualified advice rather than a general statement here.
Second, resale. An off-plan unit can be resold (assigned) before handover only where Oqood is in place and the developer permits assignment. Without Oqood, the buyer has nothing to assign except a contractual claim, which most assignees will not accept.
Third, finance. Lenders considering an off-plan unit look at its registered position among other things, and registration is normally expected. Whether a particular lender will advance against a particular unit is decided by that lender’s own criteria, so confirm the requirement with the lender rather than treating it as a general rule.
Fourth, escrow. Off-plan payments under the Dubai escrow regime are made into the project’s escrow account and tracked against the registered position. How the framework applies to a payment made before registration is lodged is a question for the applicable rules and the project’s own escrow arrangements — do not assume a payment is unprotected because the registration has not appeared yet.
Under DLD’s off-plan registration framework, the developer is required to register the SPA in the provisional register within 90 days of signing. The registration is submitted by the developer through the Oqood portal; the buyer pays 4% of the sale value plus AED 10 knowledge fee and AED 10 innovation fee, with additional title-deed and map fees applying at handover.
On registration, DLD issues the Oqood and the buyer receives a confirmation carrying the Oqood reference number. Registration can be checked through DLD’s own channels — the Dubai REST app, DLD’s online services, or an enquiry at a Trustee Office. Access to a record may require owner verification or authorised access, so which channel works depends on who is asking.
Buyers should verify Oqood issuance well within the 90-day window. Absence of Oqood at or beyond 90 days is a material warning sign and warrants immediate enquiry to the developer and, if unresolved, to RERA.
An Oqood record at DLD generally captures the buyer’s identity (name, nationality, identification details); the unit identification (project, building or tower, unit number, area); the SPA particulars (purchase price, payment plan, projected handover date); the developer’s registered identity and project licence; and any conditions recorded at registration. Reconcile the recorded particulars against your own transaction documents rather than assuming a field is present.
The Oqood reference number is used in subsequent dealings with the unit — payments to the developer, which are tracked against the registered position under the escrow regime, assignment if the unit is resold before handover, and the eventual conversion to title deed.
Registration can be checked through several channels. The Dubai REST app — DLD’s official application — shows records linked to the signed-in user’s Emirates ID. DLD’s online services provide a lookup against the Oqood reference. A Trustee Office can run an enquiry. Each is a different service with its own access rules, and what one returns is not necessarily what another returns, so record which service you used, the date, and what it actually showed.
Open Dubai REST (DLD official)
A registration check can show that registration has occurred and what particulars are recorded, which you then reconcile against your signed SPA. It is not a clearance. Certificate validation, a property-status enquiry, SPA and payment reconciliation, and legal due diligence are separate checks, and none of them on its own establishes that every claim or liability against the unit is absent.
Reconcile these particulars against the SPA:
Discrepancies between the SPA and the recorded particulars should be raised immediately — they surface at handover and can hold up the title deed.
If the unit is to be assigned before handover, the registration check is the starting point, not the end: developer consent, the assignment charge and the NOC follow. The resale section below and the secondary off-plan resale guide set out that sequence.
The developer is required to lodge the registration within the prescribed 90-day window. Where that has not happened, follow it up with the developer and raise it through the applicable DLD channel if it is not resolved. How long a delay should be treated as serious depends on your own circumstances and is a matter for qualified advice; no fixed threshold is published here.
Initial recourse is direct enquiry to the developer’s customer-service or legal department. Where the developer is non-responsive or evasive, buyers can escalate to RERA, which holds the developer’s project registration and can compel compliance. Where the delay reflects developer financial distress, the matter requires intervention beyond Oqood follow-up and should be escalated to qualified counsel.
An off-plan unit can be resold between the SPA signing and handover, subject to two conditions: Oqood must be in place, and the developer must permit assignment under the SPA terms (most do, subject to a fee).
The resale process — assignment, sometimes informally called “flipping” — involves the original buyer transferring their position to a new buyer, who takes on the remaining payment plan and the projected handover. The transfer is processed through DLD and the register is updated to the new buyer. Developer consent and an assignment charge are commonly involved; confirm the developer’s own requirements and charges for the project, as they vary.
Resale is the off-plan equivalent of a conveyance, and the documentation discipline is similar — clear identification, manager’s cheques for the assigned position and the assignment fee, developer NOC, and DLD lodgement.
The secondary off-plan resale guide sets out the sequence for assigning an Oqood-registered unit to a new buyer — developer consent, payment-plan reconciliation, NOC and DLD lodgement — and where the transfer coordination service fits. Oqood verification remains a check made through the official DLD channels above; it is not a paid service.
Read the secondary off-plan resale guide
This resource and Conveyance are operated by Cendale Documents Clearing Services FZCO.
At handover the Oqood-registered position converts to a title deed. In outline: the developer notifies DLD that the unit is complete, the buyer settles any final SPA instalment, the handover documentation is issued, and DLD issues the title deed, at which point the provisional record is superseded. The exact steps and requirements are set by the applicable DLD service — confirm them for your project rather than relying on this summary.
Where a unit is not delivered in accordance with the SPA — material variance from the agreed plan, undelivered amenities, defective handover — the buyer may have grounds to raise the variance before accepting handover. Whether handover can be refused, and what happens to title deed issuance while a variance is disputed, depends on the contract and the applicable rules. Take qualified advice before withholding acceptance; this page does not establish a right to do so.
Buyers approaching handover should ensure: SPA payments are fully reconciled; the snag-list (defects identified at unit inspection) is recorded and signed off; developer NOC for any subsequent transfer or mortgage is queued; and the path from handover to first occupation (DEWA, Ejari if leasing, mortgage finalisation if financed) is sequenced.
Banks lending against off-plan units lend against the Oqood. Where the off-plan purchase is financed, the developer uses DLD’s “Request to register a sale associated with an initial mortgage” service through Oqood, which records both the provisional sale and the initial mortgage. The mortgage fee is 0.25% of the mortgage value.
At handover, the Oqood-charge converts to a title-deed-charge. The bank’s security position is preserved across the conversion — the lender does not lose security in the gap between Oqood and title deed.
Buyers financing off-plan should confirm with the lender that Oqood verification is in place before drawing down funds, and that the conversion mechanics at handover are pre-arranged with the bank’s mortgage operations team. Mismatched timing at handover — where the title deed issues before the bank’s charge registers — is a documentary risk that can be pre-empted with sequencing.
Off-plan transactions in Dubai — Oqood verification, assignment to a new buyer before handover, and Oqood-to-title-deed conversion at handover — are coordinated through conveyance.ae.
The developer is required to register the SPA in the provisional register within 90 days of signing. DLD’s processing time for the registration itself, once submitted via Oqood, is one business day. Where registration has not appeared within the 90-day window, follow it up with the developer and raise it through the applicable DLD channel if it is not resolved.
The buyer pays 4% of the sale value plus AED 10 knowledge fee and AED 10 innovation fee. A developer self-registration fee of AED 1,000 applies for the provisional sale registration via the Oqood portal. Some developers absorb part of the cost at marketing stage as a buyer incentive — this is recorded in the SPA.
Yes. Through the Dubai REST app linked to your Emirates ID, DLD’s online services using the Oqood reference number, or by query at a Trustee Office. Verification is free.
Discrepancies must be corrected before handover through the appropriate amendment workflow. Discrepancies in price, unit identification, or payment plan will surface at title-deed issuance and can stop the conversion. Raise corrections with the developer in writing as soon as they are identified.
Yes, subject to Oqood being in place and the developer permitting assignment. The resale is processed through DLD as a transfer of the Oqood-registered position to the new buyer.
No. Oqood is the interim registration for off-plan property, valid until handover. The title deed is the final ownership document, issued at handover when the unit is delivered.
The Oqood record is closed and replaced by a title deed. The conversion is processed by DLD on developer notification of completion and final SPA payment reconciliation.
Oqood records the registered position, which is the basis for protections under the off-plan regulatory regime and the escrow framework. Outcomes in developer insolvency depend on the project escrow status, the construction stage, and the regulatory response — Oqood is necessary but not on its own sufficient.
Yes. UAE banks lend against Oqood under DLD’s “sale associated with an initial mortgage” service, registering their charge against the Oqood record and converting it to a title-deed charge at handover. Lending appetite varies by developer, project, and construction stage.
Initial recourse is direct enquiry to the developer. If unresolved, escalate to RERA, which can compel registration. Where the failure to register reflects developer distress, the matter requires intervention beyond Oqood follow-up.
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oqoods.ae is an independent reference resource. It is not a government website. The information on this site is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice.
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Last reviewed: May 2026