download ejari certificate

How to Download Your Ejari Certificate in Dubai

If you're a Dubai tenant — or a landlord trying to register a renewal — you've probably been asked for an Ejari certificate at some awkward moment. Maybe DEWA wants it. Maybe your kid's school does. Here's how to download the Ejari certificate quickly, without queueing at a typing centre.

Quick answer

You download the Ejari certificate through the Dubai REST app or the official Dubai Land Department portal at dubailand.gov.ae. Log in with UAE Pass, open "Ejari" or "Rental Contracts," select the active contract, and tap "Download Certificate." The PDF is the registered version, accepted by DEWA, Etisalat, du, schools, banks, and visa centres. Ejari is the Dubai Land Department's mandatory tenancy registration system, governed by Decree No. 26 of 2013. If you can't see your contract, your landlord or agent hasn't registered it yet — that's the real problem.

Where to download the Ejari certificate

Two official channels work in 2024–2025:

Dubai REST app (free, iOS and Android). Sign in with UAE Pass, go to "Services" → "Real Estate Services" → "Rent Contract Inquiry." Your active Ejari shows up automatically if your Emirates ID is linked to the contract. Tap the contract, then "Download Certificate." You'll get a PDF with a QR code that any verifier can scan against the DLD database.

Dubai Land Department portal (dubailand.gov.ae). Same flow, browser version. Useful if you're printing from a laptop or you don't want another app on your phone.

The old "Ejari portal" run by separate registration trustees still exists for new registrations, but for downloading an already-registered certificate, Dubai REST is faster. Frankly, most clients I deal with forget the app exists and waste an afternoon at a typing centre paying AED 50–100 for something they could pull in 90 seconds.

If UAE Pass isn't verified to the highest level, you'll be blocked. Get that sorted first at any Emirates Post or DLD service centre.

What if your contract doesn't show up?

This is the common one. You open Dubai REST, and nothing.

Three reasons, in order of likelihood:

1. Your landlord never registered the Ejari. Registration is the landlord's legal obligation under Article 4 of Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended) and Decree No. 26 of 2013. In practice, many landlords push it onto the tenant. Either way, until someone files it, there's nothing to download.
2. Your Emirates ID isn't linked to the contract. If the registration was done before you had an Emirates ID or with a typo, the system won't match you. You'll need the landlord or the original registration trustee to amend it.
3. The certificate was registered under a previous tenant's name and never renewed. Happens with short-term lets and unscrupulous agents.

To register from scratch you need: signed tenancy contract, title deed copy, landlord's Emirates ID or passport, your Emirates ID, DEWA premises number, and the registration fee — AED 220 in 2024 (AED 120 fee + AED 100 knowledge and innovation dirhams), payable through the Dubai REST app or a registration trustee. The certificate is then downloadable within minutes.

Without a registered Ejari, you can't activate DEWA, sponsor family visas tied to the address, or file a rental dispute at the Rental Disputes Centre. That last one matters — no Ejari, no jurisdiction.

Is the digital PDF actually accepted?

Yes. The PDF you download from Dubai REST or the DLD portal carries a QR code and a unique Ejari contract number. Every UAE government entity and regulated utility accepts it. DEWA, Etisalat, du, RTA Salik registration, KHDA-licensed schools, ICP for family visa applications — all of them scan the QR or input the contract number against the DLD database.

One thing worth flagging: some private landlords and old-school HR departments still insist on a "stamped original." There is no stamped original anymore. The digital certificate is the original. Show them the QR code, tell them to scan it, and if they push back, point to Decree No. 26 of 2013, which made digital Ejari the authoritative record.

Keep a copy on your phone and email yourself one. You'll need it more often than you'd think.

Renewing or cancelling — does the certificate change?

When you renew, a new Ejari certificate is generated with a new contract number and the updated term. The old one becomes historical. Download the fresh one immediately after renewal — don't assume the school or bank will accept last year's.

When you move out, the landlord (or you, with the landlord's NOC) should cancel the Ejari through the same Dubai REST flow. If it isn't cancelled, the address stays attached to your Emirates ID, which can create problems when you try to register a new tenancy elsewhere in Dubai. Two active Ejaris under one tenant ID will throw an error.

For tenancy disputes, renewal increase caps under the RERA rental index, or eviction notices, see our tenancy law category for the procedural detail.

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Sources

^[1] Dubai Land Department, Ejari services — dubailand.gov.ae ^[2] Dubai REST application, Dubai Land Department (iOS/Android) ^[3] Decree No. 26 of 2013 Concerning the Regulation of Real Estate Brokers Register in the Emirate of Dubai, and Ejari registration framework ^[4] Law No. 26 of 2007 Regulating the Relationship Between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008 ^[5] Dubai Land Department published fees schedule, 2024