Can you buy property in Dubai without visiting? Yes, here is how

The short answer

Yes. You can buy an apartment in Dubai without setting foot in the city. Reservation, the sale agreement, payments and registration with the Dubai Land Department are all handled remotely, and Orven completes purchases this way for buyers in Lagos, Paris, Cairo and Toronto every month. What you need is a valid passport, a bank able to send an international transfer, and an adviser on the ground who verifies the project before you pay.

The five steps from your living room

Choose the unit. You send your budget and the residence type you want. We reply with current availability, floor plans and the written payment schedule for each matching unit. Developer visualisations show the product; we say so, and we send a video walk of the site on request.
Reserve. You sign the reservation form and then the sale agreement electronically. A copy of your passport is the only identity document required at this stage.
Pay the booking share. The booking payment goes from your bank to the project's escrow account, opened with a UAE bank and controlled by the DLD. On Prestige One projects this is 20% of the price. Your bank converts your currency into dirhams.
Register the sale. The developer registers the off-plan sale with the DLD through the Oqood system. You pay the DLD registration fee of 4% of the price, the Oqood fee and the developer's administrative fee.
Follow construction to handover. Instalments follow the schedule in the sale agreement. Progress is visible on the DLD's Project Status Enquiry service. At handover, the title deed is issued in your name.

ORVEN PROPERTIES

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Leave your number: an adviser calls you back or replies on WhatsApp, in your language. No commitment.

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What the documents look like

Document	Who provides it	How you sign or receive it
Reservation form	Developer, via Orven	Electronic signature
Sale agreement	Developer	Electronic signature
Proof of payment	Your bank	Sent to the developer
Oqood registration	DLD	Certificate sent to you
Title deed at handover	DLD	Issued in your name

Banks on both sides will ask for proof of the origin of funds. Prepare it before the first transfer, because it is the step that most often delays a remote purchase.

When a visit still makes sense

A visit is optional, not required. It becomes useful at two moments: before handover, to inspect the finished unit yourself or through a snagging company, and after handover, to open a UAE bank account if you want rent paid locally. Both can also be delegated with a power of attorney.

For a first purchase, many of our buyers reserve remotely and visit once, at handover. See Hilton Residences for a project we currently reserve this way, then write to us on WhatsApp at +971 52 776 1939 with your passport country and budget. We answer with the units available and the exact list of documents for your case.

FAQ

Do I need a UAE residence visa to buy? No. A valid passport is enough to buy full ownership in the areas open to foreign buyers.

Where does my booking payment go? To the project's escrow account, controlled by the Dubai Land Department. The developer draws on it as construction milestones are certified.

Can someone sign for me in Dubai? Yes, with a power of attorney. In practice electronic signature makes this unnecessary for reservation and the sale agreement.

How long does a remote reservation take? A few days: electronic signature, transfer of the booking payment, then registration of the sale by the developer.

Frequently asked questions