Dubai Land Department

Government department of Dubai, established in 1960, that registers property transactions, issues title deeds and regulates the emirate's real estate sector through bodies such as RERA and systems such as Ejari.

Industry: Real estate registration and regulation | Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Founded: 1960

About Dubai Land Department

The Dubai Land Department (DLD) is the Dubai government department responsible for the emirate's real estate sector. It documents property transactions, issues ownership documents, facilitates investment and works to build a trained national real estate workforce. Law No. 7 of 2013 set out its responsibilities, and it operates under Dubai's Executive Council.

The department was established in January 1960 and inaugurated on 23 January 1960 by the Ruler of Dubai at the time, starting as the Land Registry Department. Its structure includes a Real Estate Registration Sector, which runs registration, valuation and the Ejari tenancy system; the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), which licenses professionals, supervises development escrow accounts and handles investor grievances; and a Corporate Support Sector. Affiliated bodies include the Dubai Real Estate Institute, which provides training, and the Rental Disputes Center.

Its digital services include Ejari, the Mollak governance system, the Dubai REST mobile app, the Smart Rental Index, the Trakheesi system for licence and permit verification, the Dubai Brokers app and the eMart online auction portal. Its site also offers a virtual assistant named Malik, powered by OpenAI, and a real estate tokenization service through PRYPCO mint. Other programmes include a First-Time Home Buyer programme and the Barwa Programme, run with the Community Development Authority. In September 2026 the department launched an AI-assisted platform, Initial Registration, that pre-fills developers' project and off-plan sale registrations from Emirates IDs, passports and sales contracts.

The department's 2025 to 2027 strategy has 13 pillars covering customer experience, trust and transparency, innovation, governance, sustainability, talent and partnerships, and links to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. It says its mission is to support a sustainable real estate sector through integrated experiences, trusted data and new solutions.

According to the Dubai Media Office, Dubai recorded more than 270,000 real estate transactions worth AED 917 billion in 2025, up 20 percent on 2024. The department reports 132,500 off-plan sales transactions in 2025. Its site lists 13 ISO standards among its awards and certifications for 2021 to 2025, including ISO/IEC 27001 for information security and ISO/IEC 42001 for artificial intelligence management systems.

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