ejari registration services

Ejari Registration Services in Dubai: What You Actually Pay For

If you're a tenant or landlord in Dubai, your tenancy contract isn't legally enforceable until it's registered with Ejari — the Real Estate Regulatory Agency's (RERA) official tenancy registration system. Ejari registration services are everywhere: typing centres, real estate offices, online portals, and the Dubai REST app. Here's what they actually do, what they should cost, and where people get fleeced.

Quick answer

Ejari registration costs AED 219.75 in government fees (AED 155 registration + AED 10 knowledge fee + AED 10 innovation fee + tax) when you do it yourself through the Dubai REST app. Most ejari registration services — typing centres, brokers, online agents — charge AED 200 to AED 500 on top for handling it. You'll need your signed tenancy contract, Emirates ID, passport copy, title deed, and a DEWA premise number. Landlords are legally responsible for registration under Law No. 26 of 2007, but in practice tenants usually pay and arrange it.

What an ejari registration service actually does

Honestly, not much. Ejari registration is a data-entry job. The service provider logs into the RERA system, types your contract details into the form, uploads your documents, pays the fee, and prints the certificate.

The whole thing takes 15 to 30 minutes if your paperwork is clean.

What you're paying the extra AED 200-500 for is convenience: someone who knows which DEWA number field accepts which format, who'll chase you for the missing passport page, and who'll fix it when the landlord's title deed name doesn't match the contract. In my experience, that last problem alone is worth the fee for first-time tenants.

Approved channels in 2024:

• Dubai REST app (self-service, cheapest)
• RERA-accredited real estate offices
• Dubai Land Department typing centres
• Some online portals operating under DLD approval

Skip anyone operating off WhatsApp without a trade licence. If something goes wrong, you have no recourse.

What you'll need before you start

Have these ready or the service will bill you for the back-and-forth:

• Original signed tenancy contract (all pages, signed by both parties)
• Tenant's Emirates ID and passport copy with visa page
• Landlord's passport copy (or trade licence if a company owns the unit)
• Title deed of the property
• Recent DEWA bill or premise number for the unit
• Security deposit receipt (some agents ask)

Watch out: If your tenancy contract names a "representative" signing for the landlord, you need a notarised power of attorney. Without it, the registration will bounce, and the service will charge you again to resubmit. This is the single most common reason ejari files get rejected — most clients get this wrong on the first try.

Real costs in 2024

Here's the actual breakdown:

Government fees (fixed): AED 219.75 total. This is what RERA collects regardless of who submits.

Self-service via Dubai REST app: AED 219.75. No extra fees. You need an active UAE Pass to log in.

Typing centre or broker: AED 400 to AED 700 all-in. The service fee on top is usually AED 200-500.

Online ejari services: AED 350 to AED 600. They'll collect documents over email or WhatsApp and deliver the PDF certificate the same day.

Renewal: Same fees as a new registration. There's no discount for renewals, despite what some agents will tell you when they pad the invoice.

If a service is quoting you above AED 700 for a standard residential ejari with clean documents, walk away.

Who's legally supposed to pay — and who actually pays

Article 4 of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 (Regulating the Relationship Between Landlords and Tenants) puts the registration obligation on the landlord. RERA Decree No. 26 of 2013 confirms this.

In practice? Tenants pay. Most Dubai tenancy contracts include a clause shifting the ejari cost to the tenant, and this is enforceable as a contractual term. Read your contract before you sign — if it's silent on ejari, you can push back and ask the landlord to handle it.

One practical reason tenants end up paying anyway: you need the ejari certificate to register DEWA, apply for an Etisalat or du connection, sponsor family visas, get a parking permit, or file a Rental Dispute Centre case. Landlords have no urgency. Tenants do.

When you actually need ejari (and when you don't)

You need a valid ejari certificate to:

• Activate DEWA in your name
• Apply for or renew a family residence visa
• Register your kids in some Dubai schools
• File any case at the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre
• Get a liquor licence (yes, really)
• Open certain bank accounts for new residents

You do not need a separate ejari for short-term holiday rentals operated under a DTCM holiday home permit — those use a different registration system. Free zone residential leases inside DIFC follow DIFC's own framework, not RERA's. Ejari is a Dubai mainland system; Abu Dhabi uses Tawtheeq, and other emirates have their own tenancy registers.

For more on related tenancy questions, see our tenancy law guides.

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Citations

1. Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 Regulating the Relationship Between Landlords and Tenants — Article 4. Dubai Land Department.
2. RERA Decree No. 26 of 2013 on Ejari registration requirements. Dubai Land Department.
3. Dubai Land Department official fee schedule for Ejari services, 2024. dubailand.gov.ae
4. Dubai REST app — RERA tenancy registration module. Dubai Land Department.

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