Freehold Areas in Dubai: Full List and Map 2026

What is freehold property in Dubai?

Freehold property in Dubai is property you own outright, with no end date: you can live in it, rent it out, sell it, mortgage it and leave it to your heirs. For non-UAE nationals, freehold ownership is allowed only inside areas designated by the Ruler of Dubai. Everywhere else, ownership is reserved for UAE and GCC nationals.

Buying freehold in Dubai does not require residency. A UK buyer on a tourist visit and a long-term resident of Dubai have the same ownership rights, as our guide on whether foreigners can buy property in Dubai explains. For the whole buying process, start with our complete guide to buying property in Dubai.

The UAE government portal puts it in one line:

“"In Dubai, foreign ownership is permitted in areas designated as freehold."”

u.ae, Expatriates buying a property in the UAE

What is the law behind Dubai's freehold areas?

Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006 on real property registration is the legal basis for freehold areas. Article 4 of Law No. 7 of 2006 limits property ownership to UAE nationals, GCC nationals and companies they fully own, then lets the Ruler open specific areas to everyone else.

“"Subject to the approval of the Ruler, non-UAE nationals may, in certain areas determined by the Ruler, be granted the following rights"”

Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006, Article 4

The rights Article 4 lists are freehold ownership "without time restrictions", and usufruct or leasehold for up to 99 years. Regulation No. 3 of 2006, issued on 7 June 2006, then named the areas. It does not list communities such as JVC or Arabian Ranches. It lists Dubai Land Department (DLD) area names and plot numbers, which is why no two websites count freehold areas the same way.

Which areas does Regulation No. 3 of 2006 designate?

Regulation No. 3 of 2006 lists 23 DLD area names in Article 3, each with specific plot numbers. Many of today's best-known communities sit on these plots; for example, the regulation lists Dubai Marina, Palm Jumairah (the DLD spelling), Palm Jebel Ali and The World Islands by name.

A plot in these tables can be very large. Jebel Ali plot numbers, for example, cover master-planned land rather than single buildings. The regulation does not say which marketing community sits on which plot, and we have not guessed.

Article 4 of the same regulation adds one more plot, Nad al-Sheba plot 224, for usufruct or 99-year leasehold only, not freehold.

Plots added since 2006

The Dubai Executive Council has added plots by resolution several times since 2006. Each one names the DLD area and the plot numbers:

Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Jaddaf: the 2025 conversion

On 19 January 2025 the Dubai Land Department allowed private owners of 457 plots on Sheikh Zayed Road and in Al Jaddaf to convert them to freehold for all nationalities. The Sheikh Zayed Road plots run from the Trade Centre Roundabout to the Dubai Water Canal. According to the Dubai Media Office, the owner pays a conversion fee of 30% of the property's valuation, based on gross floor area, and receives a new map and a freehold title deed.

In practice, this means some buildings on Sheikh Zayed Road and in Al Jaddaf are freehold and some are not. A building converts only when its owner applies and pays. Check each building before you make an offer.

Freehold areas in Dubai: the full list

The full list below has 77 communities, the names used in the most complete portal lists (Bayut and Springfield Properties), grouped by the main type of home. "Typical buyer or character" is our summary of how each area is marketed and used, not a legal category. Areas marked "some plots only" are freehold only on designated plots or converted buildings.

Freehold areas for apartments

These 31 freehold areas are mostly towers and mid-rise buildings.

Freehold areas for villas and townhouses

These 14 freehold areas are mainly villa and townhouse communities.

Freehold areas with apartments and villas

These 32 mixed freehold areas combine towers, townhouses and villas, often in large master plans.

We have not added prices, because no single dated source covers every area. For what homes cost, see how much money you need to buy property in Dubai.

How many freehold areas are there in Dubai?

There is no official count of freehold communities in Dubai. The law lists 23 DLD area names in Regulation No. 3 of 2006, plus plots added by later resolutions, while property portals list about 77 community names. Guides quoting "60+" or "70+" are counting communities, not legal designations.

Why do lists say 60+ or 70+ freehold areas?

Lists of Dubai freehold areas disagree for five reasons, and none of them means one list is wrong about the law.

• The law designates plots, not neighbourhoods. A single DLD area such as Jebel Ali or Emirates Hills can hold several communities, and one community can span two DLD areas.
• Portals count phases separately. Arabian Ranches, Arabian Ranches 2 and Arabian Ranches 3 are three entries on Bayut; Old Town is counted apart from Downtown Dubai; Sobha Hartland and Sobha Hartland II are two.
• Some entries are single projects. Park Gate Residences, Mirdif Hills and Mirdif Tulip are developments, not districts.
• New master plans get added. Dubai Islands, DAMAC Lagoons and Expo City Dubai now appear on lists that did not have them a few years ago.
• Partial areas are handled differently. Some lists include Al Jaddaf, Sheikh Zayed Road or "Jumeirah" as whole areas; others leave them out because only certain plots are freehold.

The two most complete 2025 and 2026 lists we found, Bayut and Springfield Properties, contain the same 77 names in the same three groups. The "60+" figure appears in AI answers and older guides but we could not trace it to a named, dated source. The honest answer is: about 77 named communities, sitting on land designated under 23 original DLD area names and a handful of later additions.

Which popular areas are not freehold?

Most of old Dubai is not freehold for non-GCC foreigners. Driven Properties' 2026 list of non-freehold areas names about 60 DLD areas where ownership is reserved for UAE and GCC nationals, including these well-known districts:

Legally, a DLD area on the non-freehold list can still contain a designated plot. Mirdif, Al Qouz, Sofouh and Al Jaddaf all appear in the 2006 regulation with specific plot numbers, even though most of each area is closed to foreign ownership. That is why a building-by-building check matters more than any list.

Can foreigners buy in Jumeirah?

Foreigners generally cannot buy in the old villa districts of Jumeirah 1, 2 and 3, which are reserved for UAE and GCC nationals. They can buy in newer freehold projects with Jumeirah in the name or address, such as La Mer, Jumeirah Bay Island and Pearl Jumeirah, and in communities that only share the name, such as Jumeirah Village Circle, Jumeirah Lake Towers and Jumeirah Beach Residence, which are elsewhere in the city.

What do leasehold and usufruct mean in Dubai?

Usufruct is the right to use and occupy a property owned by someone else for a fixed term, and leasehold is a long lease of the property; in Dubai both can run for up to 99 years. When the term ends, the rights go back to the owner of the land. Usufruct is the closest thing in Dubai to a long English leasehold.

Legally, Article 4 of Law No. 7 of 2006 allows non-UAE nationals usufruct and leasehold rights only "in certain areas determined by the Ruler", the same as freehold. Some guides say foreigners can take 99-year leases anywhere in Dubai; the law's text does not say that. In practice, a foreign resident who wants to live in Deira, Bur Dubai or Karama rents under an ordinary tenancy contract. Nad al-Sheba plot 224 is a rare example of land designated for usufruct or leasehold only.

Freehold vs leasehold vs free zone: what is the difference?

Freehold, leasehold and free zone are three different things in Dubai. Freehold and leasehold describe how you hold property; a free zone is a business licensing area.

Some free zones also contain freehold homes. Jumeirah Lake Towers is inside the DMCC free zone and is a freehold area. The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) goes further: property there is governed by its own Real Property Law (DIFC Law No. 10 of 2018) and registered with the DIFC Registrar of Real Property rather than the Dubai Land Department.

How do I check if a property is freehold?

The quickest way to check if a property is freehold in Dubai is the Dubai Land Department's Property Status Enquiry, on the DLD website or in the Dubai REST app. You can search by title deed certificate number and year, or by area, land, building and unit number, or by Makani number.

1. Ask the seller or agent for the title deed, or the Oqood registration for an off-plan property, and note the DLD area name, not just the community name.
2. Run the DLD Property Status Enquiry online or in the Dubai REST app to confirm the property and its registration.
3. Use Title Deed Verification in Dubai REST to confirm the title deed is genuine and matches the seller.
4. If the DLD area name is unfamiliar, look it up in the DLD's Old and New Area Names service, since DLD names often differ from marketing names.
5. For buildings on Sheikh Zayed Road or in Al Jaddaf, ask whether the building has been converted to freehold under the January 2025 scheme.
6. If anything is unclear, ask a RERA-licensed agent or a conveyancer to confirm with the DLD before you sign Form F.

Which freehold areas suit families and investors?

The freehold areas marketed most to families are villa and townhouse communities with schools and parks nearby: Arabian Ranches, Dubai Hills Estate, The Springs and The Meadows, Jumeirah Park, Mudon, Town Square and Tilal Al Ghaf. Investors focused on rental income tend to look at apartment areas with steady tenant demand, such as JVC, JLT, Dubai Marina, Business Bay and International City.

We have not ranked areas by rental yield, because yields depend on the building, the price paid and the service charges, and no official source publishes them by area. Service charges vary by building and are published in the DLD's Service Charge Index; see service charges in Dubai before comparing returns.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

• January 2025: the Dubai Land Department opened 457 privately owned plots on Sheikh Zayed Road and in Al Jaddaf to freehold conversion, for a fee of 30% of the valuation.
• 2025 to 2026: new master plans, including Dubai Islands, DAMAC Lagoons and Expo City Dubai, now appear on portal lists of freehold communities.
• No new area resolutions found on the Dubai Legislation Portal for 2025 or 2026 at the time of checking.

For UK buyers: how Dubai freehold compares

Freehold in Dubai means something different from freehold in England. In England, most flats are sold leasehold; in a Dubai freehold area, an apartment is owned outright with no lease term, and the building's common areas are run by an owners' association that sets service charges, approved by RERA (the Real Estate Regulatory Agency). There is no ground rent.

Buying freehold in Dubai does not need a UK solicitor or a Dubai residence visa, but it does need a check with the DLD that the building is freehold. For the costs of buying, see DLD fees and the cost of buying property in Dubai; for the steps, see how to buy property in Dubai. UK residents may owe UK tax on rent or gains from a Dubai property, so check your own position with a qualified adviser.