Dubai Mortgage for Residents and Non-Residents: The Limits

Quick answer

A mortgage in Dubai is limited by two numbers: how much of the price the bank may lend, and how much of your income may go to debt. For an expatriate buying a first home the loan can reach 80% of a property worth less than AED 5 million, but a property bought off plan is capped at 50%. Because every project in the Golden Hills catalogue is a new development, the off-plan limit is the one that shapes most budgets here.

Last updated: 13 November 2026. Property figures come from the Golden Hills catalogue on that date. The toman figures use 71,944 toman per dirham (rate of 10 November 2026) and are an approximate conversion only.

How much the bank can lend

The maximum loan is a share of the property value, and it depends on what you are buying.

These are ceilings. A bank can lend less, and the loan is measured against the bank's own valuation, which can come in below the contract price. When it does, you cover the gap in cash.

Income and debt limits

Repayments of all your debts, including cards and car loans, may not exceed 50% of your gross regular income. The bank also tests whether you could keep paying if interest rose by 2 to 4 percentage points. The longest term is 25 years, and an expatriate can borrow up to seven times annual income. Interest-only periods exist only for investment loans and run for at most five years. Your own deposit has to come from your savings, not from a personal loan or a credit card.

Resident and non-resident

The rule sets these ceilings for expatriates. Each bank then applies its own policy, and what it lends to someone living abroad can be lower than what it lends to a resident. The paperwork also differs: a resident usually shows UAE salary records and bank statements, while a buyer abroad is asked for the bank's own list of income documents. Ask two or three lenders for their written criteria before you choose a property.

Under AED 1 million

446 projects in the catalogue start at AED 1,000,000 or less, and the median starting price among them is AED 699,950. With the 50% off-plan cap, your own money would be at least AED 349,975 (around 25.2 billion toman) and the loan at most the same amount. Q Gardens Aliya starts at AED 472,000, so the loan would be at most AED 236,000. See the Jumeirah Village Circle page.

AED 1 million to AED 2 million

406 projects start here. At AED 1,400,000, the median starting price across the whole catalogue, an off-plan loan reaches AED 700,000 at most and your share is AED 700,000 (about 50.4 billion toman). A completed unit at the same price could carry up to 80% for a first home, which would leave AED 280,000 for you to fund. The gap shows why the stage of the project changes the cash you need.

Above AED 2 million

357 projects start above AED 2,000,000. Lillia in The Valley starts at AED 2,050,000, which allows a loan of up to AED 1,025,000 while it is being built. CDS Wave in Dubai Islands starts at AED 2,000,000, so the loan could be at most AED 1,000,000. See the The Valley page.

How the money moves on a new project

When you borrow for a unit under construction, the bank first uses your own equity share to pay the developer. It releases its loan only against confirmed construction milestones, checked by the bank or an independent professional. So you pay the early installments yourself, and the loan helps later.

Before you apply

• Ask for pre-approval before you choose a unit, so you know your budget.
• Compare the full cost of the loan, not only the advertised rate.
• Test your payment at a rate several points higher.
• Check whether the unit is off plan or completed, since the limit differs.
• Compare at least two lenders in writing.