Key takeaways
- Ejari is the Dubai Land Department's online system for registering tenancy contracts in Dubai; the Dubai Land Department's tenancy guide cites Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, as its legal basis and says registration of tenancy contracts is mandatory.
- Registering or renewing a tenancy contract through the Dubai Land Department website or the Dubai REST app costs AED 177.75, and the same registration through a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre costs AED 220 (both as of 6 October 2026).
- A Dubai mainland trade licence is tied to a registered lease: Dubai Economy and Tourism lists a lease contract issued by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency among its requirements for issuing a licence, and a certificate of authenticity of the lease among its requirements for licence management and renewal.
- For an office lease, the registrant is usually the landlord or a licensed property management company, because the Dubai Land Department's service page limits company applicants to companies licensed for property management activities; ask your landlord who files and when.
- Ejari is a Dubai system. Abu Dhabi uses Tawtheeq, Sharjah registers leases with its municipality, and a free zone lease is governed by the free zone, so a SHAMS or other free zone company should ask its own authority what applies.
What is Ejari in Dubai?
Every tenancy contract in Dubai has to be recorded with the Dubai Land Department, and Ejari is the system that records it. The Dubai Land Department's tenancy guide describes it as an online system developed by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) for registering tenancy contracts across property types, under Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008.
The registered record is what gives the lease standing outside the two parties. According to the same guide, it supports dispute resolution through the rental tribunals, the rent increase calculation under the rental index, and the landlord and tenant rights the law protects. The index treats residential, commercial and industrial property as separate usage categories, and the registration procedure is the same for all three.
The word "Ejari" is also used loosely for the registered contract itself or for the certificate you receive. In practice, when a licensing authority, a bank or a visa team asks for your Ejari, it wants proof that your lease is registered.
Does my company need Ejari for its trade licence?
If your licence is issued by Dubai Economy and Tourism (the mainland authority), yes: the lease behind the licence has to be registered, and the registration is checked at issue and at renewal. The Dubai Economy and Tourism FAQ lists a lease contract issued by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency as a requirement for company establishment, and a certificate of authenticity of the lease contract for branch registration and for licence management and renewal. It doesn't use the word "Ejari" on the page, but the Real Estate Regulatory Agency is the body behind the system.
That link has a practical consequence: your licence renewal date and your lease dates have to work together. If the lease has expired or the renewed contract hasn't been registered, a mainland licence renewal can stall, so the lease renewal is part of the licence renewal timeline, not a separate task. If you'd rather not track these dates by hand, the free UAE compliance calendar lists them for your company.
Business centres and incubators have a stricter path. The Dubai Land Department's FAQ lists an Ejari contract among the documents for registering a business centre or incubator, alongside Dubai Economy approvals. The minimum lease term for a business centre differs between the Dubai Economy and Tourism page and the Dubai Land Department page I checked, so confirm the current requirement with Dubai Economy and Tourism before you sign.
How much does Ejari registration cost?
Online registration costs AED 177.75 and registration through a trustee centre costs AED 220, according to the Dubai Land Department's service page for registering or renewing a tenancy contract (checked 6 October 2026).
| Channel | Registration fee | Knowledge fee | Innovation fee | Service partner fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Land Department website or Dubai REST app | AED 100 | AED 10 | AED 10 | AED 55 + AED 2.75 VAT | AED 177.75 |
| Real Estate Services Trustee Centre | AED 100 | AED 10 | AED 10 | AED 95 + VAT | AED 220 |
Accurate as of 6 October 2026. The Dubai Land Department states 25 minutes of processing time at a trustee centre, excluding waiting time, and publishes no online processing time on that page. Agents, brokers and property managers often quote higher totals because they add their own service charge; that charge is theirs, not the Dubai Land Department's.
AED 177.75: the total Dubai Land Department fee to register or renew a tenancy contract online. Source: Dubai Land Department, "Register / Renew Tenancy Contract" service page, checked 6 October 2026.
How do I register or renew an Ejari contract?
Registration starts from a signed unified tenancy contract and ends with the contract recorded in the Dubai Land Department system. For a commercial lease, the Dubai Land Department says the company applicant must be licensed for a property management activity and must use the online system, not a trustee centre. The usual order is:
- Sign the Dubai unified tenancy contract with your landlord; the Dubai Land Department publishes the unified tenancy contract template.
- Confirm who files: the owner, the owner's representative under a power of attorney, or a licensed property management company.
- The filer logs in to the Ejari system through the Dubai Land Department website or the Dubai REST app and uploads the unified tenancy contract as a PDF.
- The filer pays the fee shown in the table above.
- Ask for the registered contract or the certificate of authenticity of the lease, and file it with your licence documents for Dubai Economy and Tourism.
- At lease renewal, register the renewed contract before your licence renewal date, because the renewal is a separate registration.
A trustee centre needs the original unified tenancy contract, the applicant's Emirates ID and a power of attorney where one applies. The Dubai Land Department states that a power of attorney issued in Dubai can be submitted electronically.
Do free zone companies and other emirates use Ejari?
Ejari applies to leases in Dubai; other emirates and free zones have their own arrangements. The u.ae portal says Abu Dhabi landlords register leases on the Tawtheeq system, Sharjah registers lease contracts with Sharjah Municipality through its Rental Regulation Department, and the other emirates use their own real estate registration departments.
| Location | Where the lease is registered | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai (mainland) | Ejari, Dubai Land Department | Dubai Land Department |
| Abu Dhabi | Tawtheeq | u.ae |
| Sharjah | Sharjah Municipality, Rental Regulation Department | u.ae |
| Free zones | The free zone's own lease or registration process | Not confirmed from an official source |
Accurate as of 6 October 2026. I couldn't confirm from an official source whether a given free zone lease also needs Ejari, so a free zone company, including one on a flexi desk, should ask its free zone in writing before assuming either way.
What most guides don't tell you
The registrant is often not you. The Dubai Land Department's service page limits company applicants to companies licensed for property management activities, so a tenant company in a commercial building usually relies on the landlord or the building's property manager to file. Ask for the registered contract in the lease negotiation, not after you've paid the rent.
Lease dates and licence dates can drift apart. A licence renewal that needs a certificate of authenticity of the lease can't proceed on an expired lease, so a lease that ends a month before the licence renewal creates a gap. Line the two up when you negotiate the term, or set a reminder for the lease renewal at least a few weeks before the licence date.
Quoted prices differ for a reason. The Dubai Land Department lists AED 177.75 online and AED 220 at a trustee centre; any higher figure from an agent includes the agent's own charge. Ask for the government fee and the service charge as separate lines.
Which deadlines apply to your company?
Your lease renewal, licence renewal, visa renewals and tax filings each run on their own dates. The free UAE compliance calendar is a free calendar of your company's UAE tax and compliance deadlines, personalised from a few questions, as a PDF and calendar file.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a physical office for a UAE trade licence?
It depends on the licence type and the authority: a Dubai mainland licence is tied to a lease registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, while free zones set their own premises rules. Ask your licensing authority what your exact activity needs.
What is a flexi desk and is it enough to get visas?
A flexi desk is a shared workstation with a registered address, sold as part of a free zone or business centre package. Whether it supports visas depends on that authority's quota rules, so get the visa allocation for your package in writing.
How much share capital do I need to set up a UAE company?
There's no single UAE-wide figure; the requirement depends on the licensing authority, the legal form and the activity. Confirm the amount with Dubai Economy and Tourism or your free zone before the Memorandum of Association is drafted.
Does share capital have to be deposited in a bank?
That depends on the licensing authority and the legal form, because requirements for proof of deposit differ between authorities. Ask the authority in writing whether a deposit is needed and when.
About Qawi · Qawi is a corporate services firm licensed in the Sharjah Media City (SHAMS) free zone, handling company formation, visas and PRO, bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax for UAE businesses. Guides are researched from FTA, Ministry of Finance and free zone sources. Qawi on LinkedIn
Sources
- Dubai Land Department, Register / Renew Tenancy Contract (service page and fees)
- Dubai Land Department, Tenancy guide (Ejari, Law No. 26 of 2007 and Law No. 33 of 2008)
- Dubai Land Department, Registration of a user in the Ejari system
- Dubai Land Department, Frequently asked questions
- Dubai Land Department, Ejari smart app news (9 December 2017)
- Dubai Economy and Tourism, Frequently asked questions
- u.ae, Leasing a property in the UAE
Last checked: 6 October 2026
This is general information, not tax or legal advice for your specific situation.