How to Ejari Register a Dubai Tenancy Contract in 2025

If you're renting in Dubai — landlord or tenant — you need to ejari register the contract. No registration means no DEWA connection, no visa sponsorship from the unit, and no enforceable claim at the Rental Disputes Centre. Here's how to do it properly.

Quick answer

To ejari register, you need the signed tenancy contract, Emirates ID, passport copy, title deed, landlord's passport, and a recent DEWA bill. File it through the Dubai REST app, an approved typing centre, or the Dubai Land Department portal. Government fees run AED 219.75 (with knowledge and innovation fees), plus AED 100-200 typing centre charges if you use one. Approval is usually same-day if your documents match. The certificate is mandatory under Law No. 26 of 2007 and its amendments.

What Ejari actually is, and who has to register

Ejari — Arabic for "my rent" — is the tenancy registration system run by RERA (the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the regulator inside the Dubai Land Department). Every residential and commercial lease inside Dubai (excluding DIFC, which has its own register) must be logged in it. [1]

The legal hook is Article 4 of Law No. 26 of 2007 on regulating the relationship between landlords and tenants, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008. Registration is the landlord's obligation in theory. In practice, tenants usually end up doing it because they're the ones who need the certificate for DEWA, visa, and school enrolment.

Skip it and you're stuck. No utility activation. No family visa using the lease as proof of accommodation. And if a dispute hits the Rental Disputes Centre, an unregistered contract weakens your position considerably — the RDC won't refuse jurisdiction, but you'll be paying late registration penalties before they hear you.

Watch out: A common mistake is assuming a renewal "carries over." It doesn't. Every renewal needs a fresh ejari register entry, and the certificate number changes each year.

Documents you'll need before you start

Get these ready in PDF or clear photo form. Missing one is the single biggest reason applications bounce back.

• Signed tenancy contract (Unified Tenancy Contract format — the standard RERA template)
• Tenant's Emirates ID (both sides) and passport with visa page
• Landlord's passport copy; if the landlord is a company, the trade licence
• Title deed of the property (issued by Dubai Land Department)
• Latest DEWA bill or the DEWA premises number
• Security cheque and rent cheque copies (some typing centres ask, some don't)

If the landlord is represented by an agent, you'll also need a Power of Attorney and the agent's RERA broker card. Honestly, most landlords don't keep the title deed handy — chase them for it before you sign anything, not after.

The three ways to ejari register

1. Dubai REST app (the fastest route for individuals)

Download Dubai REST from the App Store or Play Store. Log in with UAE Pass. Pick "Register Tenancy Contract," upload your documents, pay by card. If everything matches, the certificate lands in your app inbox within a few hours — sometimes minutes. Fees are AED 219.75 in total (AED 155 ejari fee + AED 10 knowledge dirham + AED 10 innovation dirham + AED 40 service partner fee + 5% VAT on the service portion). [2]

2. Approved typing centres

There are hundreds across Dubai — Al Manara, Al Barsha, Deira, Business Bay. You walk in with originals, they do the upload. Total cost usually lands between AED 320 and AED 420 once you add their service charge. Slower than the app, but useful if your documents are messy or your landlord is overseas and you need someone to chase signatures.

3. Dubai Land Department service centres

The full-service DLD offices in Al Manara and Deira handle ejari alongside title deed work. Best if you're doing multiple transactions at once, or if there's a problem with the property record that needs a human to fix.

Costs at a glance (2025):
- Government fees: AED 219.75
- Typing centre service: AED 100-200 extra
- DEWA activation deposit (separate, not part of ejari): AED 2,000 for apartments, AED 4,000 for villas, refundable

Step-by-step using the Dubai REST app

This is the route I recommend to clients now. Five years ago the app was buggy. It works.

1. Open Dubai REST and log in via UAE Pass.
2. Go to Services → RERA → Register Tenancy Contract (sometimes labelled "Ejari Registration").
3. Enter the DEWA premises number. The system pulls property details automatically — title deed, owner name, unit size. If the details don't match your contract, stop. Fix the contract first.
4. Upload the signed tenancy contract PDF. Use the Unified Tenancy Contract template; non-standard contracts often get rejected.
5. Add tenant details, lease start and end dates, annual rent, number of cheques, and security deposit amount.
6. Upload Emirates ID, passport, and the landlord documents.
7. Pay AED 219.75 by card.
8. Wait. Status moves from "Submitted" to "Under Review" to "Approved." Then download the PDF certificate.

The certificate has a QR code and an ejari contract number starting with the year. Save it. You'll need it every time you renew DEWA, sponsor a family member, or enrol kids in school.

Renewal, cancellation, and the parts people get wrong

Renewals. When your lease rolls over, you need to renew the ejari register entry within a reasonable period after the new term starts — most landlords push for it before the old certificate expires. Same fees, same documents. If the rent is changing, check the RERA rental index calculator on the Dubai REST app first; landlords can only raise rent within the bands set by Decree No. 43 of 2013. [3]

Cancellation. When you move out, the landlord cancels the ejari. They need your signed clearance, the final DEWA bill showing zero balance, and the move-out date. Tenants — don't hand over keys until cancellation is confirmed. I've seen landlords delay cancellation to keep a tenant "on the property" for shadow purposes. Insist on it before you release the cheques.

Mid-tenancy changes. Adding a roommate to the contract, splitting rent into different cheques, changing the rent figure — all require an amended ejari. You can't just write it on the contract and ignore the registry.

DIFC and free zone units. If you're in a DIFC tower, you use the DIFC Registrar of Real Property, not ejari. Different system, different fees. Don't confuse the two; people in Gate Avenue do this constantly.

The bit most clients get wrong: they think the ejari certificate proves ownership or rent paid. It doesn't. It only proves a registered lease exists. Pay your rent by cheque or traceable transfer, and keep receipts separately.

When ejari registration goes wrong

Rejections usually come down to four causes. Mismatch between the title deed name and the landlord on the contract (common when the property just changed hands). DEWA premises number not matching the address. Lease dates that overlap with an existing registered tenancy (the previous tenant never cancelled). Or a signature that looks photocopied rather than original.

Fix it at the source. If the previous tenant hasn't cancelled, the landlord has to push that through before yours can register. If the title deed is in a different name, you may be dealing with the wrong "landlord" entirely — verify ownership on the Dubai REST app before signing anything.

For broader context on tenant rights once you're registered, see our tenancy law guide.

If a dispute escalates, the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC) in Deira is where it lands. Filing fees are 3.5% of annual rent, capped at AED 20,000, and you cannot file without a valid ejari certificate. So get the registration right at the start. Frankly, an afternoon of paperwork now saves you a month of pain later.

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Sources

[1] Dubai Land Department, Ejari service page — dubailand.gov.ae [2] Dubai REST app fee schedule, Dubai Land Department (2025) [3] Decree No. 43 of 2013 Concerning Determining Increases in Property Rent in the Emirate of Dubai; Law No. 26 of 2007 and Law No. 33 of 2008

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