UAE mortgage guide — resident vs non-resident, real numbers
The UAE Central Bank sets the floor; every bank then layers its own credit policy on top. Here's the floor: what every UAE buyer must hit before any bank says yes.
The Central Bank rules
Three numbers run every UAE mortgage decision:
- LTV cap — how much you can borrow as a % of the property value
- DSR cap — total debt service ≤ 50% of net monthly income
- Salary multiplier — total loan ≤ 7× your annual net income
LTV caps by buyer profile:
- Resident, first property < AED 5M: 80%
- Resident, first property ≥ AED 5M: 70%
- Resident, second property: 65%
- Non-resident, first property < AED 5M: 75%
- Non-resident, first property ≥ AED 5M: 60%
- Non-resident, second property: 60%
- Off-plan (any): 50%
Tenure + rate landscape
Max term is 25 years for residents, 20 years for non-residents. Both cap at retirement age (70 resident / 65 non-resident).
Rates in mid-2026 are tracking 4.0 – 5.5% fixed for the first 1 – 5 years, then variable. Sharia-compliant Murabaha + Ijara products from ADIB, DIB, Mashreq Al Islami sit ~10 bps tighter than the conventional equivalents but front-load profit differently.
Cash beyond the down payment
Budget for an additional ~3% of price in mortgage-specific fees:
- Mortgage registration: 0.25% of loan + AED 290
- Bank processing: 0.5 – 1% of loan + 5% VAT
- Property valuation: AED 2,500 – 3,500
- Life insurance: ~0.4 – 0.6% of loan/year (built into the rate or paid up-front)
Combine with the ~7% transfer fee stack and you're looking at roughly 10% cash on top of your down payment.
Which banks lend to whom
Non-resident-friendly: HSBC ME, Mashreq, ADCB, Emirates NBD, DIB. Each has its own minimum-loan + minimum-salary floor — Mashreq is the most accommodating on smaller loans, HSBC on global-mobility profiles.
Resident-only: FAB, Commercial Bank of Dubai, CB Abu Dhabi, RAKBank. These shops tend to offer better starting rates but won't touch non-resident files.
Use Propora's affordability calculator to see what number each lender's rule produces for your file.
Resident or non-resident, ready or off-plan: every step from making an offer to picking up your keys, plus the real DLD + agency fees stack.
The UAE's freehold / leasehold split decides who can buy what — and resale value. Here's the zone map and the legal restrictions for every emirate.