Your deposit in the UAE is not a number you choose — it is set by the Central Bank's Loan-to-Value (LTV) caps, which limit how much a bank may lend against a property. The rest is your down payment. Here is exactly how much you need, and the cash that sits on top of it.
The down-payment rules
LTV is the percentage a bank can lend; your deposit is the remainder. These caps were last changed by Central Bank Resolution 31/2/2020, which raised first-time-buyer limits by 5%. The AED 5 million threshold is inclusive — a home valued at exactly AED 5M sits in the higher band.
| Buyer / property | Max loan (LTV) | Minimum deposit |
|---|---|---|
| UAE national, first home ≤ AED 5M | 85% | 15% |
| UAE national, first home > AED 5M | 75% | 25% |
| Expat, first home ≤ AED 5M | 80% | 20% |
| Expat, first home > AED 5M | 70% | 30% |
| Second / investment (national) | 65% | 35% |
| Second / investment (expat) | 60% | 40% |
| Off-plan (everyone) | 50% | 50% |
| Non-resident (bank practice) | ~60–65% | ~35–40% |
Non-resident figures are lender practice, not a Central Bank tier — they vary by bank.
Why off-plan needs 50%
Buying off-plan (before completion) caps your mortgage at 50% regardless of who you are or what the property costs. That is a deliberate Central Bank measure to manage the extra risk of under-construction property — so an off-plan purchase ties up far more cash than a ready home of the same price.
The cash you need is more than the deposit
A common mistake is to save only for the deposit. On top of it you also pay roughly 6–8% of the price in transaction fees: the 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee, registration and trustee fees, 2% agency commission, and — if you take a mortgage — a valuation and a bank arrangement fee. Your true cash to close is the deposit plus these costs. The purchase-cost calculator works out the exact figure.
See your numbers
Enter a property price into the mortgage eligibility calculator and it will show your applicable LTV, the required deposit, and whether the LTV cap or your income is the limiting factor.