Oqood (Arabic: عقود, "contracts") is the Dubai Land Department's online system for registering off-plan property sales. Created under Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008, it feeds the emirate's interim real estate register — the legal ledger that records a buyer's interest in a unit before a title deed can exist.
What it does
When a buyer signs a sale and purchase agreement with a RERA-approved developer, the developer must register the contract through Oqood. The entry records the buyer's name, the unit, the project and the price, ties the sale to the project's mandatory escrow account, and produces an Oqood certificate — the buyer's official proof of the registered purchase until construction completes and the DLD issues a full title deed at handover. The certificate also lets the unit be resold (assigned) during construction.
Key facts
| Type | Off-plan (interim) property register and portal |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Dubai |
| Operator | Dubai Land Department (DLD) |
| Fee | 4% of the purchase price, plus small admin fees |
| Legal basis | Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008 |
| Becomes | Full title deed at handover |
Banks treat off-plan units under Oqood differently from ready property when lending — see our expat mortgage guide for how off-plan financing works.
