The short answer
The DLD initial-sale page lists 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% for the purchaser: 4% combined. Cost allocation can be agreed differently between the parties. Ask for the SPA clause and an itemised invoice; “Oqood fee” is not a complete breakdown.
The published initial-sale fee lines
| Item | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Seller share | 2% of sale value |
| Purchaser share | 2% of sale value |
| Knowledge fee | AED 10 |
| Innovation fee | AED 10 |
| Developer self-registration fee for provisional sale | AED 1,000 |
These are the current service’s listed lines, checked on 8 October 2026. They are not a quotation for a specific purchase. Confirm how the fixed charges apply to the transaction and which party is being invoiced.
Who pays the 4%?
DLD’s investor guide describes equal allocation unless agreed otherwise. Read the SPA and any written incentive or developer offer together. If the buyer has agreed to bear the full registration amount, the government’s split in the fee schedule does not on its own tell you the amount the buyer must fund under that agreement.
If an offer says “DLD fees waived”, ask who will pay the official fee, when it will be paid, what evidence you receive, and whether any administration charge remains. A marketing phrase does not identify all those terms.
Worked example: an AED 1 million purchase
| Illustration | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Combined percentage registration amount | AED 1,000,000 × 4% = AED 40,000 |
| Each party under equal allocation | AED 20,000 each |
| If the contract allocates the full percentage to the buyer | Buyer funds AED 40,000; confirm the agreed clause. |
| Other charges | Add only applicable, confirmed items; do not treat this example as an all-inclusive total. |
This is arithmetic using an illustrative price, not a recommendation on how your contract should allocate costs.
Are Oqood and DLD fees two separate 4% charges?
DLD is the authority; Oqood is the registration system. Those labels alone do not establish two separate percentage fees. If an invoice appears to charge 4% twice for the same initial registration, ask what distinct transaction and basis each line represents.
A later resale, mortgage, amendment or completion can create different charges. For the off-plan title-deed completion route, DLD publishes a fee schedule for cases where registration fees have already been collected. Do not automatically add another 4% merely because the certificate is becoming a title deed.
What to ask the issuer of the invoice
A question you can use
Please identify the service covered by each charge, the value used for each percentage, who receives the payment, the contract clause allocating it, any VAT, and which amounts have already been paid. Please provide the official receipt when available.
Keep the developer ledger and government receipt separate. Cendale’s free review and optional express charge are also separate from official registration charges; see our prices.
Questions people ask
Is VAT automatically added to the whole registration amount?
Do not apply a blanket VAT assumption to a mixed invoice. Ask the issuer to identify the treatment of each government, developer or service line and provide the final total.
Is a developer administration charge the same as the DLD fee?
No. Request its description, recipient and basis separately. A combined total makes it harder to establish what has actually been paid for registration.
Can I recover registration fees if I cancel?
That depends on the payment, its recipient, the transaction status and the basis for cancellation. The refund guide separates these issues; there is no universal refund promise.