Ejari registration is how a Dubai tenancy contract becomes official. The lease is recorded with the Dubai Land Department (DLD), you get an Ejari certificate and number, and DEWA, visa and dispute services can then see your tenancy. Through the Dubai REST app it costs about AED 177.75; a trustee centre charges about AED 219.75.
This guide is part of our complete guide to renting in Dubai, which follows a tenancy from search to move-out.
What Ejari is and why Dubai insists on it
Ejari means “my rent” in Arabic. It is the DLD system that holds a record of every lease in the emirate: who the landlord is, who the tenant is, the unit, the annual rent and the dates.
The legal basis is short. Law No. 26 of 2007 says every lease must be registered with RERA, and that courts and government departments will not consider a claim about a lease that is not registered.
That one line explains why the certificate matters so much:
- Utilities. DEWA’s One Step Move-in creates your electricity and water account automatically once the lease is on the system. Our DEWA move-in guide covers the deposit and the 15-hour activation window.
- Residency. Sponsoring a spouse or children usually needs a valid registered lease of a suitable size.
- Disputes. Without a registered contract, the Rental Disputes Centre is the wrong door to knock on.
Who registers the lease, and who pays?
The duty to register sits with the landlord. In practice the tenant or the agent often does the paperwork, and the landlord approves the request online.
There is one detail that trips people up. DLD’s trustee-centre route only works when the property is not managed by a real estate company or by an owner who has their own Ejari system access. If a developer or management company runs the building, they register it through their own login, and you will be sent the certificate.
On cost, Article 22 of Law 26 of 2007 puts government fees on the tenant unless the lease says otherwise. So the tenant normally pays, and a landlord who agrees to cover it should say so in the contract.
Our view: do not hand over the remaining rent cheques until you have at least the registration receipt. It is the cheapest protection a tenant has.
Ejari registration fees in 2026: what you actually pay
DLD publishes the fee as a base registration charge plus a service-partner fee that depends on the channel. Here is how the commonly quoted totals are built.
Fee item | Dubai REST app / Ejari system | Real estate trustee centre |
Tenancy contract registration | AED 100 | AED 100 |
Knowledge and innovation fees | AED 20 | AED 20 |
Service partner fee | AED 55 | AED 95 |
VAT on the partner fee (5%) | AED 2.75 | AED 4.75 |
Approximate total | AED 177.75 | AED 219.75 |
Sources: the DLD register/renew service page for the AED 100, AED 55 and AED 95 lines. The AED 20 knowledge and innovation charge is widely reported from DLD but should be checked on the payment screen.
Renewal costs the same as a first registration. If an agent quotes several hundred dirhams “for Ejari”, ask which part is the DLD fee and which part is their own charge, and ask for the DLD receipt.
Documents you need
The list depends on the channel.
Through the app or Ejari system
- A copy of the signed unified tenancy contract
- Details that match the Emirates ID of tenant and landlord exactly
At a trustee centre
- The original unified tenancy contract
- The applicant’s Emirates ID
- A power of attorney if someone else is applying (a Dubai-issued POA can be entered by number; one from another emirate must be attached)
Agents and trustee staff also tend to ask for the title deed copy, the landlord’s passport or Emirates ID, and the 9-digit DEWA premise number, which is printed at the entrance of every unit.
How to register Ejari online with Dubai REST
- Download Dubai REST and sign in with UAE PASS.
- Pick the register or renew tenancy contract service under the rental services menu.
- Enter the contract details: start and end dates, annual rent, number of payments, security deposit and the DEWA premise number.
- Upload the signed unified tenancy contract as a PDF.
- Wait for landlord approval if you started the request yourself. The landlord must also have an account.
- Pay the fees by card.
- Receive the certificate by email, then download it any time from the app or the DLD website.
Approval is often same day or the next working day, but it depends on how quickly the landlord or management company acts. Treat any promised timeline as an estimate.
Registering at a trustee centre instead
A trustee centre makes sense when the landlord is abroad, a document needs checking by a person, or the app keeps rejecting an upload. DLD lists the counter time as about seven minutes, excluding the queue.
Bring originals plus copies. Expect to pay the higher AED 95 partner fee.
Shared homes, family members and co-occupants
This is the part most guides skip. One Ejari is issued per unit, in the name of the main tenant. Everyone else who lives there is recorded separately.
DLD has asked owners and tenants to register co-occupants through the “Manage co-occupants” option in Dubai REST, with name, Emirates ID and date of birth. Reporting on the rule says occupants who stay a month or longer should be added. Check the app for the current wording, because the rule has been enforced more strictly in shared flats.
It matters for flat-sharers in particular. A lease that shows one tenant while five people live in a one-bedroom unit is now a compliance problem for the landlord, and landlords increasingly check before they approve.
Renewing means registering again
A renewal is treated as a new contract. You sign a fresh unified tenancy contract, register it, and pay the same fee. There is no “carry over”.
Before signing the renewal, check that any rent increase is within the RERA bands. A registered lease is your proof of the old rent if you need to challenge it.
What commonly goes wrong
These problems account for most failed or delayed applications:
- The previous lease was never cancelled. The system will not hold two active leases on one unit, so the new one is blocked. Ask the landlord for the cancellation first; our Ejari cancellation guide explains who has to do it.
- Names do not match the Emirates ID. A missing middle name or a different spelling causes problems later with DEWA and visa applications.
- Wrong premise number. The DEWA welcome email goes nowhere, or to the wrong account.
- A typo in your email address. DEWA’s own FAQ says that if the welcome email never arrives, you can apply for move-in online using the Ejari number.
- Paying an admin fee without a receipt. If it is not on a receipt, you cannot dispute it.
Once registered, it is worth confirming the record yourself. Our step-by-step on checking your Ejari status online shows where to look in two minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Ejari cost in 2026?
Registering online through Dubai REST or the Ejari system comes to roughly AED 177.75, made up of the AED 100 DLD fee, AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees and a AED 55 partner fee plus VAT. At a trustee centre the partner fee is AED 95, so the total is about AED 219.75.
Who pays for Ejari, the tenant or the landlord?
Under Article 22 of Law 26 of 2007, the tenant pays government fees for using the property unless the lease says otherwise. The duty to register sits with the landlord, but in practice tenants usually pay. If your landlord agrees to cover it, write that into the tenancy contract.
Can I register Ejari myself without an agent?
Yes. You can start the request in the Dubai REST app with UAE PASS and the landlord approves it from their own account. If the building is run by a management company or developer with Ejari access, they register it instead, and a trustee centre will not process it for you.
How long does Ejari take to issue?
The app and trustee route are quick once documents are correct; DLD lists about seven minutes at the counter, excluding waiting. Online, the delay is usually landlord approval, so it can be same day or a few days. Mismatched names or an uncancelled old lease are the usual causes of longer waits.
Do I need a new Ejari every year?
Yes. Each renewal means signing a new unified tenancy contract and registering it again, at the same fee as the first time. The old certificate does not roll over. Keep each year’s certificate, because it records the rent you paid and helps if you later challenge an increase.
Ejari registration checklist before you move in
- Lease signed on the unified tenancy contract, names matching Emirates IDs
- Previous tenant’s Ejari cancelled
- Lease registered and certificate emailed
- DEWA welcome email received and deposit paid
- Co-occupants added in Dubai REST
- All receipts saved in one folder
Fees and procedures change. Confirm the current amounts on the DLD payment screen before paying. This guide is general information, not legal advice. For more Dubai property guides, visit our real estate section or the Live In Gulf homepage.
