Law No.
(7)/2006 Concerning Land Registration in the Emirate of Dubai1
We, Mohammad Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai:
Upon cognizance of the Federal Law
No. 5 of 1985 issuing the Civil
Transactions Law, as amended,
The Federal Law No. 11 of 1992
issuing the Civil Procedures Law, as
amended,
The local Law No. 7 of 1997
concerning the charges for the
registration of lands,
And the local Decree of 1960
concerning the formation of the Lands
Committee,
Have issued the following Law:
Chapter One
Name and Definitions
Article (1)
This Law shall be called the “Law No.
(7) of 2006 concerning Real Property
Registration in the Emirate of Dubai".
Article (2)
Unless the context requires
otherwise, the following terms and
expressions in this Law shall have the
meanings as shown against them
respectively:
“State” means United Arab Emirates;
“Emirate” means the Emirate of Dubai;
“Government” means the Government of
Dubai, including any of its departments,
authorities or public establishments;
“Ruler” means H. H. the Ruler of the
Emirate of Dubai;
"Department" means the Department of
Lands and Properties;
“Chairman” means the Chairman of the
Department;
“Manager” means the General Manager
of the Department;
“Real Property” means anything immovable
fixed within its boundaries which cannot
be moved without damaging or changing
its features;
“Real Property Rights” means any right
in rem, whether principal or collateral,
over a
Real Property;
“Real Property Register” means a set of
documents held in written or electronic
format in the electronic register at the
Department, which point out the
description and location of each Real
Property and the rights attached
thereto;
“Real Property Unit” means any plot of
land and any constructions, plants and
other things thereon located in a single
Real Property Area without any part
thereof being separated from the other
parts by any public or private property
and without having any rights or
liabilities on any part thereof other
than the rights and liabilities of the
other parts;
“Real Property Area” means a group of
Real Property Units identified by main
streets or fixed and clear landmarks,
bearing an approved name and independent
serial number in accordance with the
regulations applied by the Department;
“Person” means a natural or legal
person.
Chapter Two
Scope of Application and Right to Hold
Title
Article (3)
The provisions of this
Law shall apply to the Real Properties
in the Emirate.
Article (4)
The right to own Real Property in the
Emirate shall be restricted to UAE and
GCC nationals and to companies owned in
full by them and to public joint stock
companies. Subject to the Ruler's
approval and in specific areas in the
Emirate as determined by him,
non-national persons may be granted the
following rights:
The right to freehold ownership
without time restrictions; or
Usufruct right or leasehold
right over a Real Property for a
period not exceeding 99 years.
Chapter
Three
General Provisions
Article (5)
The original documents and judgments
under which registrations are made shall
be maintained at the Department, and
removing them outside the Department is
prohibited. Any party having an
interest, the judicial authorities or
any experts appointed by them and the
competent committees may inspect the
documents maintained in the Register and
obtain a certified copy of them in
accordance with the provisions of this
Law.
Chapter
Four
Competence of the Department
Article (6)
The Department shall solely, to the
exclusion of others, be authorized to
register the Real Property Rights and
long term leases as provided under
Article 4 hereof. For this purpose, the
Department shall undertake the
following:
determine areas for survey or
re- survey and approve maps prepared
thereof;
determine the rules in
connection with the survey,
inspection and issue of
maps related to Real Property Units;
prepare standard contracts in
relation to Real Property
transactions;
lay down the rules in connection
with organizing, maintaining and
destroying documents;
lay down the rules in connection
with the use of computers for saving
and
registering data;
lay down the rules in connection
with regulating and maintaining a
register
for real estate brokers;
lay down the rules in connection
with the evaluation of Real
Properties;
lay down the rules in connection
with the sale of a Real Property at
optional
public auction and the supervision
thereof;
determine the charges payable
for services provided by the
Department; and
establish branches for the
Department as the Manager may deem
fit.
Chapter
Five
Real Property Register
Article (7)
A Real Property Register shall be
established at the Department. All Real
Property Rights and any amendments
thereon shall be registered in the
Register, which shall have absolute
power of evidence against all parties.
No objections against the data of the
Register may be made other than on the
grounds of fraud or forgery.
Article (8)
Subject to the provisions of Article
7 hereof, documents and instruments of
the Real Property Register registered
electronically in a computer shall be
acceptable for the purpose of evidence
as original documents and instruments.
Chapter
Six
Registration
Article (9)
All dispositions that may create,
transfer, vary or terminate a Real
Property Right and all final judgments
confirming any such dispositions shall
be registered in the Real Property
Register. Such dispositions shall not be
valid unless they are registered in the
Real Property Register.
Article (10)
The liability for breaching an
undertaking to transfer any Real
Property Right shall be limited to
payment of indemnity, whether or not
such undertaking provides for an
indemnity.
Article (11)
Any inheritance declaration shall be
registered in the Real Property Register
if the inheritance includes Real
Property Rights. No dispositions by any
heir in connection with any such rights
shall be valid or effective against
third parties unless such dispositions
are registered in the Real Property
Register.
Article (12)
The Department may, in accordance
with procedures to be issued under a
resolution by the Chairman of the
Department, consider applications for
registration submitted by holders of
lands that are not registered in their
names in order to settle the position of
such lands.
Chapter
Seven
Alteration or Correction of Data in the
Real Property Register
Article (13)
The Department may correct purely
material errors in the folios of the
Real Property Register upon a request
from an interested party or on its own
initiative and shall inform the
concerned parties of such corrections.
Article (14)
The Department shall, in coordination
with the relevant authorities, update
the data in relation to Real Property
Units together with the buildings,
plantations or other structures thereon.
Chapter
Eight
Maps
Article (15)
Upon the registration of the
Real Property Areas and Units in the
Real Property Register, the
following maps shall be relied upon:
(a) The base topographic
map;
(b) The Real Property Unit
map;
(c) The Real Property Area
map.
Every Real Property Area shall
have a separate map showing the Real
Property Units in that area together
with their numbers.
Every Real Property Unit shall
have a separate map indicating its
location, boundaries, dimensions,
area, features and the structures
thereon together with the numbers of
the adjacent units.
Chapter
Nine
Division and Merger
Article (16)
If a dominant Real Property Unit is
divided, the easement right shall
persist for each part of the Unit,
provided that such division shall not
increase the burden on the servient Real
Property Unit. However, if the easement
is actually beneficial to only one of
those parts, the owner of the servient
Real Property Unit may apply to the
Department to terminate the easement
right of the other parts.
Article (17)
If a servient Real Property Unit is
divided, the easement right shall
persist on each part of the Unit.
However, if the easement is actually
used on some parts or cannot be used
thereon, the owner of each part thereof
may apply to the Department in
accordance with the provisions of this
Law to terminate the easement right on
the part owned by him.
Article (18)
Easement rights shall terminate if
the servient Real Property Unit and the
dominant Real Property Unit become under
the possession of a single owner.
Article (19)
If a Real Property Unit burdened with
a collateral right in rem is divided to
two or more Real Property Units, each
new Real Property Unit shall bear the
right in full. The new owners and the
holder of the collateral right in rem
may agree to divide such right so that
each of the new Real Property Units will
bear only part thereof as agreed.
Article (20)
If two Real Property Units are
merged, where one of them is burdened
with a collateral right in rem and the
other unit is free of such right, the
collateral right in rem shall extend to
the new Real Property Unit in full
without the consent of the holder of the
right to merger.
However, if each of the Units is
burdened with a separate collateral
right in rem, the consent of the holders
of such rights to the merger shall be
obtained prior to such merger.
Article (21)
Any amendment of merger or division
on the Real Property Unit shall be
registered in the Real Property
Register.
Chapter Ten
Title Deeds
Article (22)
The Department shall issue title
deeds of Real Property Rights in
accordance with the current records in
the Real Property Register.
Article (23)
Subject to the provisions of any
other law, a multi floor or apartment
Real Property shall be considered as a
single Real Property Unit and a folio
shall be designated thereto in the Real
Property Register. Supplementary folios
in the names of the owners of such
apartments and floors and common areas
shall be added to the original folio.
Article (24)
Title deeds referred to under
Article (22) of this Law shall have
absolute power of evidence to
establish Real Property Rights.
Any conditions, undertakings,
encumbrances or any other
liabilities related to Real Property
Rights shall be stated in the
designated folio of the Real
Property Unit.
Chapter
Eleven
Final Provisions
Article (25)
The provisions of the Federal Civil
Procedures Law No. 5 of 1985, as
amended, shall apply to anything not
provided for in this Law.
Article (26)
Any agreement or disposal made
in violation to the provisions of
this Law or
with the intent to circumvent its
provisions shall be null and void.
Any party having interest or the
Department or the Public Prosecution
may demand to invalidate such
agreement or disposal and the courts
shall rule as such on its own
initiative.
Article (27)
The Decree dated 6 November 1977
concerning civil and criminal cases
relating to land transactions in the
Emirate of Dubai is repealed.
Article (28)
The Chairman shall issue the required
regulations, orders and instructions for
the enforcement of the provisions of
this Law.
Article (29)
This Law shall be published in the
Official Gazette and shall come in force
as of the date of its publication.
